Overview
- A Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter hoisted two kayakers from the water after their 14-foot kayak capsized late Friday, Aug. 14, and crews flew them to Oxnard Airport for transfer to Ventura County EMS.
- The pair told watchstanders their kayak had been adrift and taking on water for about four hours before it overturned.
- Both kayakers were wearing wetsuits and life jackets, which kept them afloat, but they did not have an onboard radio and relied on a cellphone call to reach rescuers.
- Multiple Coast Guard units from Air Station Ventura and Station Channel Islands responded alongside TowBoatUS, whose crews later recovered the overturned kayak and the kayakers’ camping gear.
- Rescuers warned that cold water, currents, and night conditions around the Channel Islands raise risk for paddlers and urged carrying redundant communications and signaling tools to improve chances of a timely rescue.