DUNGENESS — A Coast Guard helicopter crew from Port Angeles lifted a 50-year-old kayaker, a Coast Guard boat crew recovered a 52-year-old kayaker, and a Navy helicopter crew hoisted a 39-year-old kayaker out of the water Saturday afternoon near Dungeness Spit.
All three kayakers were flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition, the Coast Guard reported Saturday night.
None of the kayakers was identified.
Here’s the Coast Guard account of the rescue:
Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound watchstanders received a report from an individual at the New Dungeness Lighthouse of a possible kayaker in distress around 2:42 p.m. A Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Port Angeles and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles were launched in response.
The Dolphin helicopter crew arrived on scene to find the 50-year-old kayaker alone in the water. Using their rescue swimmer, they hoisted the kayaker and then transported him to Port Angeles, where he was transferred to emergency medical personnel at Olympic Medical Center.
The Response Boat-Medium crew recovered the 52-year-old kayaker and transferred him to Clallam County emergency medical personnel at the John Wayne Marina in Sequim, who transported him to Olympic Medical Center.
Sector Puget Sound watchstanders requested assistance from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island personnel, who launched an HH-60 Seahawk helicopter crew. They recovered the 39-year-old kayaker and transported her to Olympic Medical Center.
All three kayakers are being life-flighted by Airlift Northwest to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
“Wearing a drysuit will greatly increase your chances of surviving in this water,” said Jeff Gearhart, a search and rescue controller at Sector Puget Sound.
As summer rolls in and more people spend their time in and around the water, the importance of preparedness and planning cannot be stressed enough. Wear a personal flotation device, stay hydrated, tell someone your plan and stick to it, dress according to weather and water temperature, and know your limits.
The weather on scene was reported as 35 mph winds and 3-foot-high seas.
