Brandon Duffey
DeWitt, Iowa
It was Tuesday, March 17th 2009. The high temperature for the day was finally in the 70’s. It was time to take the kayak out on the river. I knew the water would still be incredibly cold but I had no plans on getting wet. To be on the safe side, I still put on a short wet suit and a spray jacket. I also had just purchased a Stohlquist life jacket. It wasn’t bulky, had plenty of pocket space and it was blue to match my boat. For the small cost, it sure turned out to be a huge investment for me.
I was by myself. It was just me, my boat and the mighty Mississippi. Not another boat to be seen. I put in on the Iowa side of the river and had been paddling for a little while in the back waters when I decided to head over to the Illinois side. Just coming around a bend in the river, it opened up wide and the wind started picking up. It was gusting against the current creating 3 foot swells. Thinking I should probably head back towards the shore where the water was a lot calmer, I looked back and realized that I was smack dab in the middle of the river! It was too late to turn back now. I continued on towards Illinois, fighting the waves in a boat meant for calm lakes and rivers.
Then the inevitable happened. Before I knew what hit me, I was going over and was now in water with a surface temperature of 40°. The shock of the cold water hit like a ton of bricks. I remained calm and knew what I had to do. I swam a short distance to retrieve my paddle and headed back to my boat. I flipped the boat over which was almost half way filled with water. As I tried to get back in the kayak, the waves just kept knocking me off. After a few attempts and about 5 minutes in the water, the boat was completely filled with water and I knew that I was in some serious trouble. I tried staying calm knowing that I had an hour before hypothermia would set in. I had a decision to make. I could burn valuable energy trying to swim to shore or stay with the boat and conserve energy. Realizing that swimming to shore was out of the question because the current had taken me to the point where I would have had to swim upstream or land on an island of trees just to have to get back in the water and do it again, I decided to stay with the boat.
At this point I was really starting to panic. Luckily, I always plan for the worst. Attached to the bow of my kayak was a waterproof box containing only my cell phone. I carefully removed my phone trying to keep it as dry as possible. My hands were so cold, numb and shaky that it took several attempts to dial 911. I turned my head so the crashing waves were hitting my face instead of the phone. Finally, I was talking to the 911 dispatcher. Because I had my life jacket on, it meant that I did not have to fight to stay afloat and made making the call to 911 possible. At this point, I was in the water for nearly 10 minutes. I was cold!
The 911 dispatcher kept me talking and calm while the rescue was underway. I had relaxed a little now knowing that help was on the way. We had been on the phone for what seemed like forever. Then I finally saw the first of several lights from the rescue vehicles. But it wasn’t a sense of relief or joy that I was now feeling, it was a sense of nervousness. They were approximately a half a mile away from me! I knew they couldn’t see me from that far away. The current had taken me downstream about 800 yards from where I had first capsized. It was another 5 minutes or so before the dispatcher told me that they had a visual on me.
More time had passed and then I heard the beautiful sound from the engine of the rescue boat. The sense of relief was overwhelming. They approached and threw me a rope. I let go of the boat, grabbed the rope and they pulled me in. I thanked the dispatcher and handed my phone off to one of the rescuers and they pulled me up and I was finally out of the water. I was so tense from the cold water that I couldn’t relax. I was shaking horribly. When we arrived on shore, they put me in the ambulance and wrapped me up in blankets to warm me back up. After I was back on my feet, I checked the call log on my phone. I had been talking to the 911 dispatcher for 27 minutes! Had I not been wearing my life jacket that day, there is no way I could have survived in nearly freezing water with 3 foot swells for nearly 40 minutes. My life jacket truly saved my life and I will never get in the water without it! I suggest the same for anyone getting in the water in any type of water condition!