Mayday at Parker Reef
Dry suits, life jackets and a VHF radio save a capsized kayaker in the San Juans
On the morning of Friday, September 25, two kayakers were paddling near Parker Reef, between Orcas and Sucia islands, when a wave capsized one of them, a 45-year-old man, and put him in 54-degree water.
At 8:09 a.m. he called a mayday on VHF channel 16 with his handheld radio. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Northwest District command center launched a 45-foot Response Boat–Medium crew from Station Bellingham and an MH-65 Dolphin aircrew from Air Station Port Angeles.
The Station Bellingham boat crew arrived on scene at 9:12 a.m., pulled the man from the water and recovered his kayak. They brought him to Brandt's Landing Marina in Eastsound on Orcas Island, where emergency medical services were waiting. His paddling partner stayed upright and paddled safely to shore on his own.
Conditions were not atypical for the Salish Sea: the Coast Guard reported 8 mph winds, 1-foot waves and 60-degree air. The danger was the water. At 54 degrees, cold water can quickly sap a swimmer's strength and ability to help himself.
Both men had done things right. They wore life jackets and dry suits, and they carried a VHF radio. "In cold water, every single second counts," said Lt. Allison Ruth, command duty officer for Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound. "This successful rescue was possible because the kayakers had dry suits, wore their life jackets and used a VHF radio to call for help."
It is the same message our public education classes and Vessel Safety Checks carry every season: dress for the water temperature, not the air; wear a life jacket; and carry a way to get help that works if you are in the water, such as a waterproof handheld VHF radio with digital selective calling (DSC) and built-in GPS, a personal locator beacon (PLB) or a satellite messenger.
Sources: U.S. Coast Guard news release, September 26, 2026; Cascadia Daily News; San Juan Islander.