Brushy Creek’s water isn’t new territory for Ben Wescott, of Webster City. He spends many days out there for hours at a time. So Thursday’s nearly three-hour trip wasn’t out of the norm. “I decided to go out and catch some waves with the kayak for the thrill,” Wescott said.But what was out of the norm was when his kayak flipped over with his lifejacket stuck inside.”I knew it was going over,” Wescott said. “I knew there was no saving it, so I just pushed myself out.”He was in the water, half a mile from the shore, with no one else in sight. “I swam on my back, that’s the only way I can swim in the direction of the tree,” Wescott said. “Occasionally flipping over to see if I’m going in the right direction.” But that swim wasn’t easy with the branches in the water – and the waves.”The second time that I was pushed under the water, I thought that was just it,” Wescott said. “I thought I was gone.”But then he remembered something his drill sergeant would say to him. “He’d just tell me to keep going and that’s what I kept doing,” he said. “I just kept going.”He went 400 yards until he reached a tree. One hand clung to a branch – the other he used to type typed a Snapchat message on his water-filled phone asking his friends to call for help.He blew on his phone’s speaker so he could dial 911. Conversation Officer Bill Spece was one of two DNR officers to respond. “My first thought was, thank goodness we had the boat hooked up and we gotta’ get there and get him out,” Spece said.Once they got to the ramp, it took three to four minutes to reach Wescott. “Matt got hands on him and I put the boat in neutral and came up and we got him onto the boat,” Spece said.“I was relieved,” Wescott said.Spece says Thursday’s winds caused 2-foot waves making it difficult for kayakers.”You need to stay in a secluded area where there’s a small bay out of the wind,” Spece said.As for Wescott – his message is simple – life jackets: “No matter how geeky it may seem, it is definitely worth it, having it on,” he said.More from Kayla James:
Brushy Creek’s water isn’t new territory for Ben Wescott, of Webster City.
He spends many days out there for hours at a time. So Thursday’s nearly three-hour trip wasn’t out of the norm.
“I decided to go out and catch some waves with the kayak for the thrill,” Wescott said.
But what was out of the norm was when his kayak flipped over with his lifejacket stuck inside.
“I knew it was going over,” Wescott said. “I knew there was no saving it, so I just pushed myself out.”
He was in the water, half a mile from the shore, with no one else in sight.
“I swam on my back, that’s the only way I can swim in the direction of the tree,” Wescott said. “Occasionally flipping over to see if I’m going in the right direction.”
But that swim wasn’t easy with the branches in the water – and the waves.
“The second time that I was pushed under the water, I thought that was just it,” Wescott said. “I thought I was gone.”
But then he remembered something his drill sergeant would say to him.
“He’d just tell me to keep going and that’s what I kept doing,” he said. “I just kept going.”
He went 400 yards until he reached a tree. One hand clung to a branch – the other he used to type typed a Snapchat message on his water-filled phone asking his friends to call for help.
He blew on his phone’s speaker so he could dial 911.
Conversation Officer Bill Spece was one of two DNR officers to respond.
“My first thought was, thank goodness we had the boat hooked up and we gotta’ get there and get him out,” Spece said.
Once they got to the ramp, it took three to four minutes to reach Wescott.
“Matt got hands on him and I put the boat in neutral and came up and we got him onto the boat,” Spece said.
“I was relieved,” Wescott said.
Spece says Thursday’s winds caused 2-foot waves making it difficult for kayakers.
“You need to stay in a secluded area where there’s a small bay out of the wind,” Spece said.
As for Wescott – his message is simple – life jackets:
“No matter how geeky it may seem, it is definitely worth it, having it on,” he said.
More from Kayla James:
