This is a great video showing the importance of taking a whitewater rescue course. Mark Hardingham had been paddling down the Lyn River in Devon, U.K., with his friends James Bradley, Pete Henderon, Carl Ross, Mark Shackleton, Justin Gale and Simon Morse.
While making their way downriver, Hardingham got himself in a tricky situation. It appears from the video he missed his line to hit a specific drop and ended up going down another drop and got his kayak stuck halfway down. With his kayak completely vertical and water pouring over his head, it left him with little option to save himself.
Luckily he was still able to breathe. In the video, you can see the quick action of his friends, who within seconds of him being stuck, were already paddling over and jumping out of their boats to get him out.
Having whitewater rescue training really helps you evaluate how to handle these tricky situations. You can see how quickly his friends made their decision on how to get him out and had him saved in under two minutes.
One of the guys in the video makes mention of the fact that, had Hardingham been paddling alone, he likely wouldn’t have been able to save himself.
Featured Photo: Courtesy of Epic TV
I was amazed how quick the one guy knew the stuck kayaker was in trouble and how quick he was able to direct orders and the team saved their friend in record time. Awesome rescue!!!