A morning on the water turned deadly on Puget Sound after a man who had gone kayaking ended up struggling in the water and could not be saved. What began as an ordinary outing on the sound ended in tragedy, with emergency crews unable to revive the kayaker despite a prolonged effort once he was brought back to land.
Emergency crews were called to Dashpoint just after 7 a.m. following reports that a man was in trouble in the water. According to the account, the kayaker had been heard yelling for help and was seen struggling in the water, prompting the urgent response to the shoreline along Puget Sound.
Before crews could reach him, help came from someone who was near the shore at the time. That person was able to reach the man with a paddleboard and drag the 60-year-old kayaker back to shore, pulling him out of the water in an effort to get him to safety as quickly as possible.
By the time he was brought to shore, however, the kayaker was unresponsive. The situation that had started with calls for help had turned critical, and the man showed no signs of responsiveness as rescuers and bystanders worked to help him along the water's edge at Dashpoint.
Emergency crews then attempted life-saving measures for more than 40 minutes in an effort to revive him. Despite the sustained attempt to bring him back, the effort was ultimately unsuccessful, and the kayaker was declared dead after the extended resuscitation attempt on the shore.
The kayak itself was later recovered from the water. Notably, it was recovered with no life jackets on board, a detail that stood out in the aftermath of the death and that underscores the risks that can come with heading out onto the water without flotation equipment close at hand.