ASSATEAGUE — A multi-agency cooperative effort this week resulted in the successful rescue of a female kayaker who was extricated from a marshy area on Assateague Island on Tuesday evening after becoming lost and disoriented.
Around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Worcester County Emergency Services received a 911 call from a 26-year-old female kayaker from Virginia Beach who was paddling in the Sinepuxent Bay in the area of the Assateague Island National Seashore. The female victim, who wished to maintain her anonymity, was lost, fatigued and unable to find her way out of a marshy area. The victim also reported she was beginning to feel hypothermic and the only location reference she could provide was a marshy area several miles south of the Verrazano Bridge.
The woman had launched a kayak from Old Ferry Landing around 2 p.m. after securing a back country camping permit earlier in the day for the Pine Tree campsite. She told National Park Service staff she never ventured more than 20 yards from shore. Late in the afternoon, however, the winds picked up on the bay and waves began to break over the victim’s kayak, which took on an undetermined amount of water.
She and her camping gear were now wet, and realizing it was late in the afternoon, she decided she would not be able to make it back to the Pine Tree campsite. The Virginia resident was able to beach her kayak and call 911 around 6:30 p.m. Her location was about two kilometers north of the Pine Tree campsite adjacent to the Hungerford area.
National Park Service staff along with the Berlin Fire Company and Maryland State Police Aviation all responded to the barrier island to begin search efforts. While the kayaker did not know her exact location, based on the information she was able to provide, the search quickly narrowed to an area of the bay off Hungerford’s.
The MSP Trooper 4 helicopter responded from the Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport with a crew of four.
Worcester County Emergency Services dispatchers were able to stay in contact with the victim via her mobile phone. The dispatchers played a critical role in relaying information between the kayaker and the rescue personnel. Shortly after arriving in the search area, MSP Trooper 4 located the kayaker. She was found on the eastern side of the Sinepuxent Bay several miles south of the Verrazano Bridge, but the location was not accessible by foot or rescue vessels.
A decision was made to rescue the kayaker via Trooper 4’s rescue hoist. Worcester County Emergency Services relayed information to the victim about how her rescue was going to be attempted and how she should prepare. After the information was relayed, the Trooper 4 crew then lowered the rescue basket and quickly extricated the victim from the marsh. Trooper 4 then flew the victim to the western base of the Verrazano Bridge. The MSP helicopter landed and transferred the victim to Berlin Fire Company personnel for evaluation and to meet with National Park Service staff. The kayaker was not injured and did not require medical treatment.
The rescue effort was another example of teamwork between Worcester County Emergency Services, the Berlin Fire Company, the NPS and MSP and also illustrated the value of the MSP Aviation. In addition, the search and rescue incident highlights the importance of carrying an appropriate communication device during recreational activities. The kayaker was able to call for help and 911 dispatchers were crucial in coordinating the response and rescue.
