54 kayakers rescued in Northern California’s Tomales Bay during nighttime fish tour
The Marin County Fire Department’s watercraft rescue team plucked 54 stranded kayakers from two locations in Tomales Bay on Saturday night.
Firefighters rescued 54 kayakers after a nighttime paddle tour turned dangerous when wind conditions became treacherous and hazardous.
Two kayakers were treated for hypothermia, but none of the paddlers was hospitalized, according to the Marin County Fire Department.
The group of kayakers, who were all wearing life jackets, were participating in a tour just before 10 p.m. Saturday to see bioluminescent water animals off Hog Island. The water creatures naturally emit light.
Suddenly, the winds became intense and the kayakers found themselves in peril.
But a few of the kayakers were professional guides and were able to navigate the group to nearby Hog Island and Pelican Point Beach, where they waited for rescuers, said fire Battalion Chief Chris Martinelli.
It took multiple trips to rescue the kayakers. By 1 a.m. Sunday, the last kayakers boarded rescue watercraft and inflatable boats and were delivered to Nick’s Cove in Marshall.
“It serves as a reminder to everyone visiting and recreating on the coast,” Fire Chief Jason Weber said. “The ocean and weather can be powerful and unpredictable.”
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