46 replies to this topic

[ducky]

There is a water rescue going on below the Rainbow Bridge.  Three swimmers tried to swim to a rock at about 4:00 p.m., and one hasn't surfaced  Three boats in the water searching.

 

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

So unfortunate. It doesn't look good. Very few details out yet; I'm wondering if any of them were wearing life vests.

[nomad]

Life vests? I've never seen one down there. Probably a jumper off the bridge which can ruin your day if you're just a few feet off to the left or right.

[ducky]

Now, the reports are saying four people tried to swim from one rock to another in the middle of the lake.  Three of them tried to save the one in trouble, but were unable to.  Two of those swimmers were rescued by kayakers and one swam to shore on their own.  It is now being called a recovery effort.  So sad.

[4thgenFolsomite]

anyone know if they have recovered the body yet?

[4thgenFolsomite]

the lake is cold and, with the added current, its easy to get tired and underestimate your abilities.  there are also wierd eddies out there by the rocks.  having kayaked it many times, the water roils up and you lose the ability to stay on top or move through it easily.    and, criminy, I can't believe someone stole the go pro.  what is the matter with people?  it makes me think of the guy in the midwest this week who stuck his camera in a car after an accident and recorded two severely injured teens (one who died later) and then tried to sell the footage.  are we so alienated from our fellow society that we lack compassion and morality?

[Rich_T]

Isn't the current dependent on whether they release water that morning to combat the Delta salinity?  Just wondering.

 

The lake looks so "innocent", and keeps claiming the lives of those who underestimate it.

 

The note about someone stealing the camera from a rescuer is truly depressing.

[ducky]

Isn't the current dependent on whether they release water that morning to combat the Delta salinity?  Just wondering.

 

The lake looks so "innocent", and keeps claiming the lives of those who underestimate it.

 

The note about someone stealing the camera from a rescuer is truly depressing.

 

 

Even if the release had been bumped up some between 1:00 and 4:00, say (cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryF?FOL) , I think the conditions were already tricky with currents and cold water.

I've experienced swimming from a relatively still spot in a lake and being surprised by a cold current because of water flowing in from an inlet, and it's scary how quickly you can get in trouble.  First it's hard to breathe and then you quickly lose strength.

 

I hope karma catches up to the GoPro thief.

[bordercolliefan]

I honestly am puzzled by how this happens. the water looks so calm, and the rocks look quite close together.

Here are my questions for those more experienced than I: Is there a current that can actually pull you under? If you get tired while swimming, couldn't you back-float or jellyfish float until you recover or are rescued? And, wasn't yesterday a warm enough day that if you floated on the surface, you wouldn't get hypothermic, at least for a long time?

These are all just honest questions, not trying to blame anyone. I would like to be able to tell my kids what to do if they ever feel "in trouble" in a lake or river.

[2 Aces]

http://www.weather.c...-in-lake-natoma

[nomad]

The water is cold and if you get tired and have no air in your lungs you'll get pulled under. Weird eddy currents, calm water on top, and a tired out of breath swimmer, this is what the result is.

[4thgenFolsomite]

the water in lake natoma is from the bottom of Folsom Lake, so it is super cold.  and its always moving, sometimes more than others.  your body gets weak very quickly when you are cold.  the group of swimmers probably felt a false sense of security all trying to swm together until one or another of them started to realize they couldnt make it.  i only wish that the kayaker rescuers and the other swimmers could have held onto the victim and dragged that person along back to shore.  too late to second guess now, but it shows how important it is to know how to float so you can save yourself in a situation like this.  it was the one thing they required when I was younger.  you had to know how to float facedown in a relaxed/limp posture, lift your head to breath, then go back down face in the water.  we had to do this for five minutes, as I recall, in order to pass the class.  they probably do it differently now, but it worked then. 

[Robert Gary]

the water in lake natoma is from the bottom of Folsom Lake, so it is super cold.  and its always moving, sometimes more than others.  your body gets weak very quickly when you are cold.  the group of swimmers probably felt a false sense of security all trying to swm together until one or another of them started to realize they couldnt make it.  i only wish that the kayaker rescuers and the other swimmers could have held onto the victim and dragged that person along back to shore.  too late to second guess now, but it shows how important it is to know how to float so you can save yourself in a situation like this.  it was the one thing they required when I was younger.  you had to know how to float facedown in a relaxed/limp posture, lift your head to breath, then go back down face in the water.  we had to do this for five minutes, as I recall, in order to pass the class.  they probably do it differently now, but it worked then. 

 

 Boy Scouts are still required to do this and other floating exercises. If you have long paints on you can actually make them into a nice flotation device. They also inflate their shirts etc. Swimming is one of the Fundamentals Of Scouting.  

 

-Robert

[bordercolliefan]

Boy Scouts are still required to do this and other floating exercises. If you have long paints on you can actually make them into a nice flotation device. They also inflate their shirts etc.

Yes, we learned this too in the swim lessons put on by the American Red Cross. Now I wonder if this information would be enough to save someone in this situation.

Another thing for swimmers to know is not to panic. It's better to get carried a ways in the current, floating on your back, than to struggle against it until exhaustion.

Even though I know all this, I'm not as good a swimmer as I used to be, and I wonder how I would do in the same situation.

[2 Aces]

Kids will be kids. We all did things in our youth that probably weren't advisable. And who knows, maybe there was drinking involved and/or other variables. Accidents happen, folks.