kayak fisherman dies while kayaking near Pacifica
 

just saw this news this morning, he has the same kayak as mine, I felt bad this whole day.
My guess is the current or wave swept the kayak away from him and water was too cold.

https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/...near-pacifica/

Very tragic. As a Silicon Valley Engineer, it is a shame he did not invest in a personal locator beacon. It could have saved his life.

he probably carried radio as a seasoned kayak fisherman, not sure why he didn't call for help, maybe cold shock induced heart attack?

The problem with VHF hand held radios is they often lack reliability, and if one is transmitting at sea level, the range is maybe 2 miles. If a Coast Guard station has a good antenna, they still might pick it up, but I would not bet on that. He probably had a cell phone with him also, but if you don't keep them dry, they are worthless. The PLB is made for situations like that, and it is relatively cheap life insurance for those of us who partake in this sport.

good point. I'll carry a PLB in future.

The article doesn't mention if he had a PFD on at the time, did he? That is your basic protection after all. The article indicates he always prepared for his trips. And if there was someone around that saw that he couldn't get back on the kayak, why didn't they assist him?

Just saying, seems the article might be incomplete.

And that kayak looks like an accident waiting to happen. Long, skinny, weight in the back... Again, just saying.

that stealth kayak is designed for big water fishing, lots of great open ocean fishing are done on steath kayks, you can find them on youtube. According to his friends, he's usually very well prepared for the waters he was fishing, most likely he had a medical condition, but we'll need to wait for 3 months for the autopsy result

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YXsB4TvdSY

In the photo, he might have a dry suit on? Hard to tell what he has in the back, but overall looks good quality. Stealth kayaks are made for South Africa where they frequently launch through big surf and fish nasty conditions. They have a very low center of gravity, and though I have never used one, many swear that they are much more sea worthy than most other brands.