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Windsurfer Drowns at Waddell Creek but brought back to life.
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Riptide



Joined: 15 Jan 2011
Posts: 411

PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 10:14 pm    Post subject: Windsurfer Drowns at Waddell Creek but brought back to life. Reply with quote

http://nwkite.com/forums/t-30961.html

Windsurfer drowns at Waddell, but rescued from the surf and resuscitated.


Last edited by Riptide on Tue Sep 17, 2013 11:06 pm; edited 1 time in total
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windward1



Joined: 18 Jun 2000
Posts: 1400

PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 10:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am glad this was posted. I windsurfed there the next day, but only could get bits and pieces of what happened.
My hat is off to the quick-thinking, quick-acting rescuers and all those who helped in any way. Great actions!
And it is great Steve is recovering with little damage. That is such good news.
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KevinDo



Joined: 02 Jul 2012
Posts: 426
Location: Cabrillo Inside

PostPosted: Wed Sep 18, 2013 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow glad the guy is ok! Props to the rescuers!

Here is the post from the site

"I am grateful beyond words to those who saved my uncle's life on Thursday, 9/12/13. He is someone that means a lot to me. Steve Hamman's been sailing for 20 years, is a regular in large surf, is safety-minded, and is a guy who gets-the-sessions. I'll call him the Session General of our family and has had a very big influence on me. I became aware of his status on my birthday. Suffice it to say that the last 3 days my grateful-o-meter has been redlining. On Thursday, he was wave sailing at Waddell Creek in Northern California. He was trapped under his sail in heavy shore pound and was not able to escape. He was found face-down floating with no pulse and not breathing. That's when, due to heroic efforts of Jason Wolfe, Sargon Jacob, and others whom I have yet find out their name, he was resuscitated.

Jason Wolfe and Sargon Jacob, and others who helped, I am in awe of what you did and am grateful beyond words.

Jason Wolfe's account of what saw and did: "We Were lucky yesterday. I came in on a fairly heavy wave, gave Sidwell the thumbs up and the sand came up out of nowhere because the south had walled it up really weird. Jumped off the board and slid across the sand. Decided not to go back out at that location so ran up-shore a bit to avoid the shore-pound. Saw Steve's windsurfer board floating about 50-75' out and a seal up wind of it. Realized it was no seal when the wave took him over again and my brain processed solo-board and flopping seal = drowned person... started to go in after him with the kite at that point but the waves brought him closer and I realized I needed to get rid of the kite to use both hands. Ran in 50 feet and dropped the kite screaming for help. Went back into the shore pound area, (real weird effect on the sand yesterday) and luckily the waves had brought him into the shallows pretty close so I didn't have to go far. Pulled him in and started trying to get his ass up in the air to expel the water. Lungs were full, face gray and covered in foam. I actually had the weird thought that he looked like a zombie. Once I got him in a bit and we got most of the water out I collapsed and Sargon and some other guys took over with CPR. Real tough session that lasted several minutes and we got a pulse. Un-fucking-believable. I didn't think we were bringing him back. Color came back over several minutes after the pulse cam back from ash to pink and then someone arrived with oxygen. He gave us some responses before getting carried on a board up to the ambulance, then up the hill to helicopter, then to Stanford. He seemed to realize what had happened to him when I watched him leave. Will be forever thankful that he lived for us."

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MalibuGuru



Joined: 11 Nov 1993
Posts: 9293

PostPosted: Wed Sep 18, 2013 2:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow guys! I pray that Steve will recover fully, and will be back at Waddell soon. You rescuers did a great service to he and his family, and to all windsurfers.

I've been out at Jalama when I though I was going to die. Wondered who would have been there to save me. Most of us would have done the same thing....although maybe not as competently.
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geohaye



Joined: 03 Apr 2000
Posts: 1437

PostPosted: Wed Sep 18, 2013 9:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Respect and gratitude to the rescuers.

Quick as possible recovery to Steve!
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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Wed Sep 18, 2013 3:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What an amazing story, everyone reacted so quickly and knew just what to do.
Does anyone know Steve? I would really like to know how this happened to him.
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MalibuGuru



Joined: 11 Nov 1993
Posts: 9293

PostPosted: Wed Sep 18, 2013 10:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can speculate that if you're accidentally hooked in to your harness when you go down in a large wave, you could drown. This has happened to me 4 or 5 times in the last 25 years. Even worse, you're hooked in and blasted by a wave and do a 360 twist with the harness line. I have panicked under my sail while hooked in an twisted, while churning violently in the white water.

You literally have to slow down and un-twist or pinch the twisted line off the hook. Even worse, one time my bar got locked onto the boom. That is freaking scary. You have to do a pull-up off the bar while the surf is dragging you along.
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loopless



Joined: 30 Jun 1997
Posts: 426

PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've nearly drowned in literally 1-2 ft of water under the sail in the shore pound. If its deeper you can wriggle out, but when its shallow the sail can be exposed and the wind is still pushing on it with a lot of pressure... very freaky experience.
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dperzinski



Joined: 04 Aug 2001
Posts: 156

PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 12:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Many thanks to the rescuers. You guys are awesome.
Good to have you back Steve.
Dave
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spanker_jeep



Joined: 15 Mar 2002
Posts: 404
Location: Outer Richmond District.

PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 2:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Love the subject of this post. It should adorn the cover of The National Inquirer.
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