Exhausted Kayaker Rescued by Helicopter at Dillon Beach

By Bay City News Service:

The Sonoma county Sheriff’s Office’s helicopter rescued an exhausted kayaker at Dillon Beach in Marin County Thursday afternoon.

A bystander on shore reported a kayaker in distress around 3:10 p.m., Sonoma County sheriff’s Sgt. Pete Quartarolo of the helicopter unit said.

When the 3 members of the Henry 1 helicopter unit arrived, the 10-foot kayak was 300 yards off shore north of the mouth of Tomales Bay, Quartarolo said.

The kayaker was in the water hanging onto the kayak but managed to get back inside it, Quartarolo said.

A Coast Guard vessel was nearby but the shallow water and breaking surf prevented it from safely reaching the kayaker, Quartarolo said.

The helicopter crew set up a 100-foot-long line and returned to the kayaker who was too exhausted to safely paddle back to shore in the heavy surf, Quartarolo said.

The man was placed in a horse collar device and flown to shore to Marin County Fire Department personnel. He was taken by a Bodega Bay Fire Protection District ambulance to a hospital, Quartarolo said.

The rescue took about 15 minutes after the helicopter arrived, and the helicopter also retrieved the man’s kayak, Quartarolo said.