SAN DIEGO — The Coast Guard assisted in the rescue of two overturned kayakers approximately 800 yards west of Point La Jolla, San Diego, Wednesday.
At 9:18 a.m., Wednesday, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Diego received a distress call on VHF channel 16 from two kayakers whose vessel had submerged.
A Coast Guard Sector San Diego MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew was diverted from a routine flight to the GPS position provided by the kayakers. The Jayhawk arrived on scene, located the kayakers, and vectored in a San Diego Lifeguard personal watercraft to assist. A second Jayhawk helicopter crew was launched from Sector San Diego and stayed on scene after relieving the first until lifeguards had rescued the kayakers.
Both kayakers were wearing life jackets. There were no injuries sustained.
"Preparedness is essential when operating any kind of watercraft, especially offshore," said Lt. Kristin Driscoll, command duty officer at Sector San Diego. "The fact that these mariners had on lifejackets, and carried a radio and GPS, significantly aided response efforts and may have saved their lives."
Weather on scene was 20 knot-winds with gusts up to 30 knots and 4-to-6-foot waves.