Kayaker lost off Kasilof...

http://www.adn.com/article/20140911/search-kasilof-kayaker-last-seen-tuesday-called

A reminder, as we continue to hope for Leif Osmar's recovery, that the waters of Lower Cook Inlet can be deadly.

That is the truth!  It is deadly if you don't respect it. 

I did check his facebook page out and he does seem to wear a life jacket when kayaking but no drysuit.  Absolutely no disrespect meant because no one knows the exact circumstance, but this to me seems like it is a classic case of someone who has managed to safely get on the water his entire life the way he was doing it, and got complacent.  Sure it's safe 99% of the time, but if you do it enough, it means that once out of a hundred something will happen.  Best to be prepared.  I'd say most of us have been on the water 100 times cumulatively.... so 99% success rate is still too low when it comes to your life.

I knew his  grandfather (I think...Per Osmar) from way back when in the seventies.  So their entire family is Alaska savvy... Commercial fisherman, dog musher, etc.

It should be a clear warning to all of us to never get complacent on the water.

Wow. Someone just asked me about this story--I popped in here to see if there was any news. Hate to hear about it for anyone, but I am glad it wasn't anyone from the board here. This is horrible to imagine.

Arghh....another one in Cordova...
http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/missing-kayaker-found-dead-near-cordova/28111724

PLEASE be careful out there!  Let someone know your plans!!!

scary!!! What's up with no life jacket? Back up plan? reporting your trip to a someone who knows where u will be fishing? fishing with other people? Don't get me wrong I have gone out and made some mistakes fishing from a kayak, but have learned and made better decisions! The next one will be, dry suits for my wife and I, wet suits for guests who fish with us. Definitely a good reminder when you hear of other peoples mistakes, even if it was their last... Stay safe and good luck out there! God bless!

Not much information out there yet, but we know that the most of Sound had really bad winds coming from an unusual direction on Monday when he was last seen. And he was from Outside, not a local who might have a better read on conditions in a pretty remote locale. No PFD found with the body doesn't mean he wasn't wearing one necessarily.  But highly suggestive.

Grim tidings to conclude the sea kayaking season. The KCK board has been quiet on this one.

These kinds of accidents are unfortunately pretty common.  On July 18, Robert McDonald, a physician from Polson, Montana, went kayaking in Flathead Lake in an Equinox recreational kayak without wearing a PFD.  Wind and waves developed, as can happen quite quickly on Flathead Lake, and he drowned.  His body was found a week later.  I don't know what kind of kayak he was paddling, but suspect it was a sit-inside kayak.  If he had been paddling a sit-on-top kayak and waves tipped it over, he probably could have just climbed back on it.  But if a recreational kayak gets filled up with water or flipped by waves, if the kayaker can't push it to shore, an inexperienced kayaker is unlikely to be able to empty it out and paddle it back to shore without help, and can be in big trouble.

Standup paddle boarding is becoming quite popular on both lakes and rivers in Montana, but I almost never see standup paddle boarders wearing a PFD.  If a standup paddle boarder falls off his or her board and gets separated from the board, they could easily drown.  I'm surprised there haven't been more standup paddle board deaths.

Standup paddle boarding is becoming quite popular on both lakes and rivers in Montana, but I almost never see standup paddle boarders wearing a PFD.  If a standup paddle boarder falls off his or her board and gets separated from the board, they could easily drown.  I'm surprised there haven't been more standup paddle board deaths.

I live right on 2 different lakes. I have noticed the same thing.......I have never seen a paddle boarder wearing a PFD.

Standup paddle boarding is becoming quite popular on both lakes and rivers in Montana, but I almost never see standup paddle boarders wearing a PFD.  If a standup paddle boarder falls off his or her board and gets separated from the board, they could easily drown.  I'm surprised there haven't been more standup paddle board deaths.

I live right on 2 different lakes. I have noticed the same thing.......I have never seen a paddle boarder wearing a PFD.

Here in Puget Sound it's a mixed bag.  Maybe a third of the paddle boarders wear one (usually the inflatables) when I'm out & about near Gig Harbor.   And maybe half the kayakers (lots of rentals and big-boat auxiliary yaks here) will be wearing one.

Jim