Kayak Fisherman From Austrailia Passes away makes me rethink my own safety.

I read the news today that an Australian Kayak Fisherman passed away just recently. He paddled far out and couldnt get back in. The ocean swells kepts pushing him out further no matter how much he paddled. Rest In Peace.

This is a scary thought since I've paddled out by myself sometimes. I rethink everything and it just seems careless for me to go out by myself without a radio. What kind of VHF radio is everyone using and what do you recommend?

For those of you that are wondering. This is the link if it hasn't been posted.
https://globalnews.ca/news/6996734/australia-kayaker-last-moments-facebook-live/

Once again If you guys have bad experiences with any VHF radio vs one you would recommend.  Please let me know!

from what I could see from the reports and video, this guy unfortunately made so many errors and bad decisions, the outcome is sad but just not comparable to what most of us do on the water.

Sad outcome.  I can't believe he didn't call someone.  Instead, he just went on Facebook Live to say how bad it was out there.  Sad.

I never fish the Ocean alone...NEVER.  I know a lot of folks do but I just don't feel confident enough to take that risk (safety in numbers).  I don't like to fish anywhere alone really, I'm a very social fisher-person. 

As far as your question about radios, I have 2 different ones.  I have a Standard Horizon HX850 for in the ocean/bays and I have a Standard Horizon HX150 for lakes/rivers.  The HX850 has a lot more bells and whistles that would be useful if the SHTF and I have to rely on a signal getting out to the CG or other boaters that may be a ways away letting them know my exact location.  The HX150 still works and has decent range but when on the ocean I want to make sure I have all the tools I might need in a "worst case scenario" situation.

BTW, there's a lot more than just a radio that you'll need to make sure you come back from a trip on the ocean here in the PNW.  Do some research, ask questions, make sure you're ready, make sure you have all the gear you'll need to do this safely, make sure you know when to go and when to stay on shore.  If you're standing on shore and your gut is telling you to stay, then stay, listen to your instincts.  Don't feel you have to go out just because you see others going.  Everyone has different comfort levels. 

Bottom line, don't just get a kayak and jump in the ocean.

not sure the brand/model but looks like a fairly short paddle kayak with no rudder, big cooler strapped on the back, he didn't appear to be wearing any sort of immersion gear and just an inflatable live vest.   

From my experiences, my standard horizon handheld VHF radio only has a working distance of maybe 2 miles line of sight. So I don't think it is wise to think that carrying a VHF radio makes it okay to go way off shore anyways.

Mistakes:

1. Not checking the forecast before launching; if he had, he would not have launched
2. Not having a backup plan when conditions change; if he had such a plan, he either waited too long, or didn't pay attention to the conditions
3. No immersion gear
4. No VHF radio; I guess he figured he didn't need one since he knew the area had cell signal strong enough to post video to fb.
5. No proper PFD
6. Ocean alone
7. Not calling for coast guard (or whatever they call it in Oz) when he had enough signal to post on social media. Seriously, wtf ?

Diagnosis:  the man was afflicted with stupid. His case was so far advanced that it killed him.

It's been covered pretty extensively in safety discussions on here, but immersion gear, PFD, SPOT tracker or equivalent, GPS or compass, and VHF are all needed for offshore. Being with others too, though I'm not one to talk.

hdpwipmonkey nailed it, taking to social media instead of a call to coast guard or other vessels is just mind boggling.

As a side note, I'm getting pretty sick of Global News for posting videos like this. They're the worst offenders for profiting off videos of people in their final moments. What they did to Letisha Reimer and her family was despicable.

It's been covered pretty extensively in safety discussions on here, but immersion gear, PFD, SPOT tracker or equivalent, GPS or compass, and VHF are all needed for offshore.

As the saying goes "two is one, and one is none". Having JUST a VHF radio is not enough - it can become nonfunctional. Or out of range/line of sight, etc. Having a satellite communicator is important backup and in fact may be the only communication that works.

I have the SPOT with me just to get from town out to the coast, due to 25 miles of cell deadspot. Then again, if I am in my truck I also have an FRS radio, and if any boat is involved I also have a VHF in the boat bag or on my PFD.

Would you guys recommend a SPOT over the Garmin inReach?

Thanks!

Would you guys recommend a SPOT over the Garmin inReach?

Thanks!

Spot severely increased my annual fee to almost $400 per year and refused to cancel the service until after that auto-billed service year expired.  This required manual intervention from a manager in customer support to set the account to *not* auto-bill last December.

After this spat with Spot, I moved to an Inreach Mini on a monthly subscription since I wanted something for my 3-season (until this virus hit) solo wilderness backpacking forays.  Garmin has the option of an annual plan or a month-to-month plan, in both personal and enterprise (think expeditions) categories.

I've yet to try the Inreach Mini on the kayak but will carry it on my PFD.  In big water the Horizion Standard HX870 goes, too -- for inland lakes the VHF is pretty much dead weight.

The Inreach Mini works nicely with a companion cell phone.  The phone's not required, but opens up more features.  The Mini connects with the smartphone over bluetooth to use the phone's keyboard for free form messages.  My Spot only supported fixed pre-programmed messages.  If you don't want to bother with the phone the Inreach Mini has pre-programmed messages, too.

When you guys say Immersion gear are we talking about a wetsuit or a dry suit? I am always in pants and a tshirt with a pfd over top.

Would you guys recommend a SPOT over the Garmin inReach?

Thanks!

I have been disappointed in the Spot being slow to acquire satellites at times, when I am in full clear. This year I got an InReach mini. I am running them both this year and will see which one I keep after that.

When you guys say Immersion gear are we talking about a wetsuit or a dry suit? I am always in pants and a tshirt with a pfd over top.

Pants and t-shirt does not qualify. Wetsuit or drysuit (preferred).

The idea is to stay warm long enough for help to arrive and not die from hypothermia.

Would you guys recommend a SPOT over the Garmin inReach?

Thanks!

Spot severely increased my annual fee to almost $400 per year and refused to cancel the service until after that auto-billed service year expired.  This required manual intervention from a manager in customer support to set the account to *not* auto-bill last December.

After this spat with Spot, I moved to an Inreach Mini on a monthly subscription since I wanted something for my 3-season (until this virus hit) solo wilderness backpacking forays.  Garmin has the option of an annual plan or a month-to-month plan, in both personal and enterprise (think expeditions) categories.

I've yet to try the Inreach Mini on the kayak but will carry it on my PFD.  In big water the Horizion Standard HX870 goes, too -- for inland lakes the VHF is pretty much dead weight.

The Inreach Mini works nicely with a companion cell phone.  The phone's not required, but opens up more features.  The Mini connects with the smartphone over bluetooth to use the phone's keyboard for free form messages.  My Spot only supported fixed pre-programmed messages.  If you don't want to bother with the phone the Inreach Mini has pre-programmed messages, too.

My wife bought me an Inreach mini for Christmas this past year and it's already proven itself valuable on several occasions. I will say that the monthly fee FEELS a little high for what you get, but ultimately the ~$13/month is a nice assurance that I can contact someone in the event I need it. I have been scouting dispersed camping spots and used the mini to contact my wife several times throughout the day to let her know where I was and when I was headed home. I've also used it when fishing at a remote lake in eastern Oregon to let her know I was safe or on my way home. Certainly it's not necessary and she was perfectly fine waiting for me to get back into cell range, but nevertheless it's nice to give her assurance that things are going okay even if the planned schedule is altered a bit. I also camped with a close family friend a month or so ago **GASP NOT QUARANTINING** in the state forest (prior to the shutdown of state forests for camping) and I was able to text him with a map of the location I was at, this saved me from driving back to the highway to cell range which was pretty awesome. Ultimately I hope I never have to hit the "SOS" button, but I am happy I have it if I end up needing it.

You might want to also consider Personal Locator Beacons (PLB's).   There are several on the market,  quite small, and affordable.   They do not require a subscription.  You need to register the device at no charge.  These are not satellite messenger devices.  ACR makes several devices.  Rescueme and McMurdo are two other manufacturers.

Evaluate the differences between PLB's and Satellite Messengers to determine what is best for your situation.