[UPDATE 8:14 p.m.: Photos of the Recovered Kayak] Search and Rescue for Missing Kayaker in Trinidad Harbor
Several lifeguard units and a boat are heading to Trinidad Harbor to search for a missing kayaker, according to a report over the scanner at 4:22 p.m. The kayaker went into the water about 6 a.m. but has failed to return, according to report made to the State Parks.
The Incident Commander is asking for the Coast Guard to do a flyover. A State Parks Ranger is at Indian Beach speaking with the person who reported the kayaker missing.
UPDATE 4:43 p.m.: According to Jason Self who owns Kayak Trinidad, he spoke to the Coast Guard and they told him they are looking for a 19-year-old male in a camo Hobie Outback. Below is a image of a kayak similar to the one the man was using.
UPDATE 4:55 p.m.: The Coast Guard reported over the scanner that the kayak was located near Luffenholtz Beach but the 19-year-old has not been found.
UPDATE 5:12 p.m.: Jason Self says the Coast Guard told him the missing man is 5’7″, 130 lbs with brown hair, and brown eyes. The man was wearing a yellow vest but not a personal flotation device or life jacket.
Self encourages kayakers to remember to follow safety guidelines. He points out that a personal flotation device is probably one of the most important things to have. He suggests dressing for immersion, reporting a float plan to others before going, carrying a vhf radio, flares and a strobe to signal for rescue. He also suggests paddling with at least one buddy, or better yet, a group of three.
Also, he reminds kayakers that it is important to read and understanding forecasts, know where to find the information, and what that information means.
UPDATE 6:31 p.m.: “We found his life jacket,” said Lt. Mike Fridley of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. “They found the boat first and then the life jacket later…If anyone sees anything, call 911 immediately.”
Fridley said that the Coast Guard has a helicopter in the air and a large boat, a Barracuda, in the water.
“State Parks put a boat in also and has two guys on paddleboards [in the water],” Fridley added. He said the Coast Guard may bring in an additional boat.
UPDATE 7:55 p.m.: The family of the missing man provided this photo in hopes that someone will have information about him. Please call 911 if you do. The family is being told to have people call his name [Nick] as they travel Scenic Drive.
“We are hopeful someone saw when the kayak arrived or the life jacket,” a friend of the family told us.
UPDATE 8:14 p.m.: A reader said she found the kayak about 4:20 p.m. when she found the kayak at Luffenholtz. She sent us these photos.
Melly Stubbs found this kayak in the water at Luffenholtz Beach. [Photo by Melly Stubbs]
Melly Stubbs drug the boat onto the sand and called the Sheriff’s Office about 4 p.m.
A Coast Guard helicopter is searching the area for the missing man.
UPDATE 9:40 p.m.: As the sun set over Trinidad, a Coast Guard chopper continued to look for the missing 19-year-old.
Video provided by a local resident.
UPDATE: Search Continues This Morning for Missing 19-Year-Old McKinleyville Man
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🕯🌳How many Kayakers have gone missing in that same area in the last year? The number seems pretty much. I’m not a Kayakers but it seems like most people that go in there don’t seem to be that qualified. 🌍🕊🐸🖖
It’s amazing how often you comment on this platform. You should donate to Kym if you haven’t already. I often read your comments and think to myself, what on earth does this add to the conversation besides emojis and nonsensical text? If you feel the need to comment on every post, you should at least proof read them so they make sense…
Thanks, Karen.
You are so rude!! What did YOUR text add to the conversation, except to insult someone!
Do not try to stifle the freedom of speech he has here in america
🕯🌳Its alright being considered a troll on this blog I’m use to it and yes I do donate.But the people that work for the Queen have a right to free speech to.🖖🐸🕊🌍
First thought I had was AGAIN! But it’s not just kayakers Willie. Falling off cliffs, car accidents. Greater Trinidad’s been seeing it’s share of bad stuff.
Indian Beach sure saw some really bad stuff when white folks tied natives to the rocks there and let the ocean pound their bodies against the rock over and over & if that didnt kill em the ocean coming in would drown them.
It should be no surprise that the same energy continues.
Didnt we establish that going out alone is a no-no esp right now?
That kayak looks like the one the shark bit at the Cove, those pieces underneath look like flippers. The orcas that eat mammals are hanging out around there. Try to not look like a seal.
Im sorry if i seem callous but its hard to watch our local emergency services taxed physically and emotionally. The best gift we can give them is to be as prepared as possible.
If you’re going out on the ocean make sure youve got every single thing in place, get a good life vest, have a sat phone or at least cel phone in waterproof bag with location feature turned on&have it attached to your body, &don’t go out alone especially when seals are have their pups.
It’s pretty easy, nature tells you the signs. Seal pups on shore = more large sharks and whales near shore.
Dont go out alone this time of year!!! Nobody wants these things to happen.
Perhaps locals in Trinidad ought to make a sign warning out of towners about riptides etc like the one locals made for Black Sands Beach.
Good post. The story about tying the Native Americans to rocks to drown…I have heard that happened at Dead Man’s in Shelter Cove and at the North Jetty…but had not heard about Trinidad. So sad
We have alot of healing needed
Yes, and a kayak does look like a seal…esp a camo one, but not sure if color matters..I am so sorry for this young man’s family and friends
This is not a good post at all- stay on topic and let someone know if you saw something. This isn’t story time.
Thanks, Karen.
White people are the worst. Also, don’t drown.
It’s great how people just fling things like White people are the worst. How about all the African slavers who sold millions of slaves, mostly to the Portugese for Brazil and Bermuda. How about the Muslims buying slaves from black African slavers to take to Egypt and the middle east? And Connie, the US has the shortest time of slavery as a country than almost any other. We as Americans had slaves for less than 100 years. Until 1779, we were British colonies. We ended, or shall I say northern white republicans ended slavery in the Democrat south, at the cost of 350,000 WHITE people, not to mention all the underground railroad. North Korea is slaving today as is China, and most Muslim states in the middle east. But you want to put down people you do not even know. Or our country, the greatest nation on earth. If you had a decent education, you would know these things, and be joining our revolutionary friends in Hong Kong. Fuck China. Fuck Antifa, fuck anarchists.
Thanks, Karen.
that’s Dobbs for ya. Pot stirin’ and dash.
The entire human record is pretty bad, and white people have been a huge part of it. Portuguese count as “white people” in the slave trade as well as all the Confederate slave owners, most of whom were white and not from Portugal. Four million people held in bondage in Old Dixie. A civilization founded in racism. The death toll of the Civil War now is said to exceed 650,000.
Most of Europe is Christian today because Charlemagne converted them at the point of a sword and the slaughter went on for centuries until modern Christians began to figure out what Christ was about. just a tad late.
Human carnage exists everywhere with all humans, but the crimes of white civilization are amplified because Entities like the British and other empires ruled so much of the world for centuries and killed or tortured so many. The Japanese Empire of recent history and Mao’s Great March were messy but I’m just sayin’.
Gotta go with Connie on this one.
Read it and weep; there’s plenty of barbarism for everyone, no need to single out “white people”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocides_in_history
Homo sapiens has been around for 100,000 years; white people evolved within the last 8,000 years. If you think the world was a garden of Eden for 92,000 years, well, you are mistaken. By singling out white people you perpetuate the white racist division of the world into white people and everyone else. You don’t reject that division, you just invert it. White good brown bad turns into white bad brown good. Reject that division instead.
From a practical standpoint, demonizing 60% of the the population is a poor strategy for achieving your political goals, even if you are right.
Good reply..
The flippers on the bottom of the washed ashore kayak are part of the kayak. The Kayak is a Hobie (manufacturer) and those flippers are part of what’s called the “Mirage Drive”. It’s like an old style peddle kayak except the flippers work side to side. That particular kayak is designed as a fishing platform. They are very stable.
so in the last 12 months and years beyond, zero kayakers have gone missing off Trinidad but one kayaker did find a dead body while kayaking off Trinidad in August of 2019.
and there ya go… #nospinhere
Willie Bray… youbcan rent a kayak for $100 bucks & and go. They give you some basic instruction… but it’s the damn ocean. I have been out a couple times.. once guided in a group w/ Kayak Trindad.. which i strongly prefer.
Once in just a basic rental.
Stuff changes FAST out there when the wind comes up…
I know him and he is a well experienced kayaker. If you are gonna say rude comments keep them to your self [edit]
Kayakes are skittles for sharks.
Prayers please we need a happy ending here.
Praying they find this young man soon & that he’s safe.
Me too.
Darwin said…
mmmMMM, not gettin’ me out there in anything smaller than a reclining chair.
Oh man, I hope he wasn’t wearing those fishing waders when he went out. If he ended up in the water with those on and they filled up with water, he would sink like a lead brick. Life jacket wouldn’t even save him. Had a buddy drown in a river, years ago while salmon fishing. He slipped on the embankment and fell in. Waders filled up and he couldn’t reach the surface.
I sure hope he wasn’t wearing those waders. Those will fill with water fast and pull you under out there. Praying he’s found safe.
This young man is my friend’s family member. Prayers please and, for God’s sake, exercise some common sense and sensitivity when commenting. He is part of someone’s family who is hurting right now and praying for his safe return.
From the photo posted he is wearing a life jacket and wearing weaders. It is extremely dangerous to wear weaders while out in the ocean because they balloon up with water even with a belt if you fall in. If you have to pea you have to unzip your life jacket and pull down weaders.
I hope
He obviously wasn’t wearing his life jacket which stupidest thing to do. Two he doesn’t look like he wears a drysuit or wetsuit which is another big mistake. Finally, the forecast was not that good today.
As far as going out alone, know your limits and always go prepared. I launched tuesday at noon and went about 7 miles offshore from where I launched to fish for Pacific halibut in the same model kayak as this guy, but I was prepared except for a radio since I couldn’t find my charger. I take my phone with a waterproof case and floating leash. I wasn’t back on shore till 8pm and there was nobody within miles of me all day long. I have launched at 4pm and gone out of the bar to 180ft with the boat fleet to chase salmon to lose one at the net while the Coasties watch and I wave good bye as the sun starts to set. I came through the bar in pitch dark with fog. GO PREPARED AND KNOW YOUR LIMITS.
Seven miles=eeediot
Who cares what you do. Someone is missing, why tell a story about kayaking 7 miles and not catching anything? Get some friends that like talkers.
Nice
Seven miles out in a kayak? Everything sounds rational until the seven-miles-out part. Even you went without your radio because wow, man, no charger. Uh huh. Right. You still sound fairly young and delusional. Stay lucky.
Anyway, we are still hoping and wishing for a good outcome for this young man. Let’s lay off the family in their immediate pain. OK, I’m guilty but I am praying as best I can. Seriously.
He is wearing waders in that photo in the ocean. Can’t swim in waders.
Captain obvious. Read the other comments too.
You have no idea what he was wearing or what happened and yet you are so quick to blame the victim. The picture provided was from his family so people might recognize him if he made it to shore and walked out. This young man is someone’s child, brother, and friend. My thoughts are with his family who must be sick with worry.
Not a good feeling about this. Rogue waves and the currents out there. Hope he made it out of the water up onto the rocks.
I wear an attached SPOT waterproof PLB, DRYSUIT in under 110 combined air water temps, PFD with an auto water activated strobe, and waterproof vhf radio. Kayak with a buddy.
Waders are a no no as their water filling capacity can offset your pfd buoyancy in current and pull you under.
You have max 6 hours survival time in the water temps out there. Cold water shock is also involved giving you 9 minutes to get out of the water before your muscles are next to useless.
That said, always wondered if ambulances out here have RES-Q-AIR or similar emergency hypothermia victim rapid warm moist air breathing systems.
If you can imagine if this was your brother, son or friend and you were reading the comments looking for hope, is this what you would find? Prayers to the family and friends of this loved one.
Please stop the needless commenting. “You don’t feel good about this” no shit, someone is lost or worse. And so many people have commented about the waders already. Get a clue.
RIP young man. It appears he enjoyed life. Unfortunately due to inexperience, which we all start out that way, he apparently had a habit of wearing waders while kayaking. I can’t imagine that someone with experience wouldn’t have said something to him about this dangerous practice. Please say something if you see anyone doing something that you know is dangerous. Think about your kayak color to help the coast guard to spot you. Yellow, white, orange and then red are what I believe the colors are in that order but please check for yourself. Remember that your best chance is to be spotted by a helicopter and they recommend reflective taping on your kayak and paddle, bright and reflective clothing, as well as lights. I am sure this young man would want people to learn from his death. I am not running him down in any way, I have done many stupid things because of ignorance, and sometimes just being stupid, but I always got lucky. I pray that this young man’s family and friends find peace and always remember his beautiful soul!
🕯🌳That’s what I mean in the present weather conditions anything could happen and an inexperienced Kayaker wouldn’t know how to handle it. But again I’m just a troll. 🌍🕊🐸🖖
I just pray that he will be found alive. Wonder if he was bumped by a whale that tipped him over into the water. I noticed in the picture used to show him, he was wearing a life jacket at that particular time. Sure pray it was not a shark. Please find him Coast Guard and others searching. Praying for a happy ending.
I’m Praying that he’s found safe. I know the chances are not high but the fact that his life jacket was found in my opinion leaves some hope that he got out. My thoughts and prayers go out to good family in this time of uncertainty.
Apparently the search has been suspended ☹️
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=901184127026916&id=135973223548014
My prayers are with Nicholas and his families and friend God please find Nicholas and bring him home To his family : Christ Jesus you are the miracle who can find him please don’t give up hope please God find him 🙏💜✝️🦋🥰
Antoinette Loisi