Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: robbyvanz on September 23, 2013, 06:18:06 PM

Title: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: robbyvanz on September 23, 2013, 06:18:06 PM
Big shout out to Bill Moore and Scott Thompson.  Father/Daughter slipped and got swept downstream in the current.  Without hesitation, the pair jumped in and rescued the girl.  The father was ok as he got to shallower water.  For those newbies out there thinking of fishing the Vedder, be careful out there.  The rocks are slippery and the current is alot stronger than you think.                 
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: Dude on September 23, 2013, 06:23:28 PM
kudoos to you Bill & Scott!!  :)
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: HOOK on September 23, 2013, 06:26:52 PM
good job guys !

I would like to think I wouldn't hesitate to save a child either and would want the same from others if it were a child of mine
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: scheng53 on September 23, 2013, 07:43:42 PM
good to hear this kinda heroic action.  makes me believe in human nature's still good
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: Fish Assassin on September 23, 2013, 07:53:53 PM
Saw that on Global tonight. Kudos to the two gentlemen.
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: fishernick on September 23, 2013, 09:49:38 PM
its an unfortunate thing to happen to anyone and its nice knowing that theres still good people out there. keep up the good work guys.
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: HamidSeshadri on September 23, 2013, 10:36:30 PM
I was at the top of that run, heard some screaming and thought a kid was playing. Then I saw the girl clinging to the branches on the bank screaming. And then An old man, still reeling his line, started to wade towards her. And I'm thinking "don't fall in man! Find another way, you won't make it"... He stumbled, the current was strong, he slipped and went under. Came up and went through the rapids and came towards me.

Scariest sh*t I have EVER seen. Feeling so goddamn helpless watching him.

I freaked out trying to think what to do. Scrambled and grabbed a log, my buddy caught up to me at that point, and we tried to get it to him as he floated by but couldn't quite reach, the current was too fast at the top and pulled the log towards the bank. 
Thankfully he was floating with his face above the water...
I thought about taking off my waders and going in, but I wasn't confident I would make it with the fast deep flow... I didnt know... :-[ it was all happening so fast. I was panicking too. So much adrenalin...

Then the girl floated by, a couple feet away from the floating log but she was panicking and wouldn't reach for it or try to swim to it.  We yelled at her to swim with the current. She couldn't hear us.
Then I remembered I had a life jacket... in the trunk of my car. But it was so far away....

Thank god, I saw some guys in the middle of the run out in the water helping the man stand up.
 I can't remember the rest... I think I was in shock. People gathered around them and were helping them.

Learned my lesson, I Will be carrying that life jacket with me wherever I go now. And rope too.
I don't want to feel that helpless again when someone needs help like that, or it might be me for that matter.
Thanks to the two gentlemen the man and girl didn't drown and we didn't have to see them drown.
scares me when I think about it all. I'm sure it was worst for them.
 
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: dave c on September 23, 2013, 10:40:35 PM
Great job guys.  Your heriocs surely saved these two.
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: bigblue on September 24, 2013, 08:22:37 AM
A scary story indeed.
Thankfully no one was killed in this incident.
Kudos for the brave guys.
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: DragonSpeed on September 24, 2013, 08:59:17 AM
Many people don't realize that they are quite buoyant.  The deeper the water, the worse your footing gets.  I've felt that "just about to lose it" feeling - scary as hell.  I backed out and re-evaluated my priorities that time... The river doesn't care... You need to care.

Super proud that someone could help and glad that this helped others evaluate their river habits.
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: bigblue on September 24, 2013, 09:22:11 AM
I remember reading a very good thread here some years ago on what to do when you get swept away in a river. I can't seem to locate it however. But it had some very good pointers including keeping your feet forward (to prevent hitting your head on boulders, etc) and use the orientation of your body relative to current direction to steer you to shore (rotate your head toward the direction of the bank you want to go). If someone could find that link, it would be a good time to revisit that post.
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: HKSR on September 24, 2013, 09:37:43 AM
Many people don't realize that they are quite buoyant.  The deeper the water, the worse your footing gets.  I've felt that "just about to lose it" feeling - scary as hell.  I backed out and re-evaluated my priorities that time... The river doesn't care... You need to care.

Super proud that someone could help and glad that this helped others evaluate their river habits.

Yeah, I've found even knee deep, if the current is fast enough, you could easily lose your footing. 
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: Hohummm on September 24, 2013, 12:28:30 PM
I remember reading a very good thread here some years ago on what to do when you get swept away in a river. I can't seem to locate it however. But it had some very good pointers including keeping your feet forward (to prevent hitting your head on boulders, etc) and use the orientation of your body relative to current direction to steer you to shore (rotate your head toward the direction of the bank you want to go). If someone could find that link, it would be a good time to revisit that post.

May not be the same source but this is from NRS.com http://www.nrs.com/Safety_Tips/FootEntrapment.asp (http://www.nrs.com/Safety_Tips/FootEntrapment.asp)


"As with most accidents, prevention is the best solution. When you find yourself in the water, it’s usually best to assume the “swimming safety position”: on your back, with feet up and facing downstream. This allows you to look downstream and push off any rocks or other obstacles with your feet. You can backstroke at an angle to the current and work your way to shore or into an eddy. If the water is deep enough and you need to move more quickly, you can roll over on your stomach and swim aggressively to avoid danger or get to shore. Again, always keep your feet up to avoid entrapment.

The basic rule is: never stand up or put your feet down in the water, unless the water depth is below your knees or the water is calm. Sometimes swimming is unavoidable. However, staying calm, working to self-rescue and remembering this basic rule can usually keep you out of trouble.
"
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: cutthroat22 on September 24, 2013, 01:39:49 PM
http://globalnews.ca/video/859619/vedder-canal-fisherman-rescue-father-and-daughter

Glad things worked out.  Great job to Bill and Scott.
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: 1son on September 24, 2013, 03:19:11 PM
I commend those 2 for there heroism glad to hear nobody was seriously injured or worse.
Title: Re: Vedder River Rescue 14yr old Girl/Father
Post by: DJ on September 25, 2013, 02:28:26 PM
Awesome story. 
I can only imagine how scared I would be if that was my kid. 

True heroes.