Whidbey Island Crew Rescue Kayaker While En Route to Seperate Mission

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, WA – A search and Rescue (SAR) team from Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island was in-route to a rescue mission on the Pacific Crest Trail in Okanagan County on July 2nd when crew members spotted an overturned Kayak in the water East of Whidbey Island on July 2nd, 2017.

According to a press release from Mike Welding, Public Affairs Officer with NAS Whidbey Island, the NAS Whidbey SAR team departed from the base just after 7 p.m.

 

As the helicopter crew flew over Dugualla Bay, one of the crewmen spotted a man in the water near an overturned kayak.  As the crew turned toward the scene they could tell the kayaker was struggling to stay afloat in the cold Puget Sound Water.   Once the crew positioned themselves overhead, they immediately lowered a rescue basket down to the struggling man, while crew members suited up in case they had to assist the victim in the water.   According to the press memo the kayaker was suffering from hypothermia and exhaustion, but was able to lift himself into the basket. The crew then hoisted him aboard and flew him back to Ault Field where NAS base paramedics attended to him.

Video by Michael Henderson @4Stringman/Twitter

The SAR crew then resumed their original mission to the Pacific Crew Trail and arrived around 8:15 p.m.  The SAR crew located the injured hiker in a remote area surrounded by tall trees at about  5,000 feet above sea level.   The crew intended to rappel down and asses the situation but after dropping the rappel line down from the helicopter it became entangled in the trees, forcing the crew to cut the line and reassess their options.   The SAR crew then lowered a hoist down to the victim and hoisted her up to the helicopter.  The woman was suffering from dehydration and rhabdomyolysis and was flown to Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon.

SAR mission commander, Lt. Cmdr. Steve Hartz said “The mission was challenging due to the terrain and surrounding area. Ground Crews would have taken over eight hours to reach her, and in her condition, she may not have made it through the night”

Hartz also noted in the press release that the earlier inadvertent rescue was fortunate for the hypothermic kayaker.  “if it was not for the aircrews’ vigilance and constant scan this individual would not have been identified and quite possibly would not have survived. “Our Crew members did a great job being flexible and adjusting to changing missions quickly.”

These were the 17th and 18th rescues of 2017 for NAS Whidbey Island SAR, which has also conducted five searches and 14 medical evacuations (MEDEVAC) missions this year.

The Navy SAR unit operates three MH-60S helicopters from NAS Whidbey Island as search and rescue/medical evacuation (SAR/MEDEVAC) platforms for the EA-18G aircraft as well as other squadrons and personnel assigned to the installation.  Pursuant to the National SAR Plan of the United States, the unit may also be used for civil SAR/MEDEVAC needs to the fullest extent practicable on a non-interference basis with primary military duties according to applicable national directives, plans, guidelines and agreements; specifically, the unit may launch in response to tasking by the AFRCC (based on a Washington State Memorandum of Understanding) for inland missions, and/or tasking by the United States Coast Guard for all other aeronautical and maritime regions, when other assets are unavailable.

Information provided by Mike Welding, Public Affairs Officer, NAS Whidbey Island.