Yesterday, I was out in the Pacific - my happy place. As I was slowly heading back, at the edge of my vision I saw what looked like flares being shot from a boat on the horizon. Flares mean a vessel is in imminent distress - not like it has an engine failure, but it is sinking or on fire with imminent risk to life. It was just at the edge of my visibility so wasn't exactly sure I saw it. My eyes were glued to that region and a few minutes later I saw another flare...and then another. But there were no calls for Mayday (Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications). I was conflicted as to what to do because these now seemed to clearly be flares several miles offshore but there were boats closer to where the flares were fired.
I kept an eye on the vessel then heard something very scary..."Mayday, Mayday, Mayday...sailing vessel Sundancer reporting a vessel on fire at (coordinates)". The Coast Guard immediately responds asking for details such as do they see anyone in the water. The sailing vessel was too far away to see. I jumped on the radio and said "I see the boat on fire!" The boat that shot the flares now was engulfed in smoke!!! Shyt! It was an emergency I saw. I gave the coast guard more specific details including that I saw flares and that they were approximately five miles off shore due west of the marina. The Coast Guard scrambled emergency vehicles and even Baywatch (coastal life guards but they have multiple high speed boats).
Then someone got on the radio saying "This is a vessel and we are NOT in an emergency situation...we've been cleared by the Coast Guard to conduct flare training and have deployed a smoke bomb (this is a location marker that emits dense smoke but meant for helicopters to find you from miles away)". So since multiple rescue boats were now underway, the Coast Guard said to continue and report all clear. A few minutes later, the all clear came on the radio and stand down order was given. It was a huge false alarm. Someone screwed up because they didn't announce a "Notice to Mariners" that live flares were being used for training and not to interpret those as signs of distress.
It was an exciting morning for sure but emotionally exhausting. On September 2, 2019, I took this predawn picture looking West. The picture looks so peaceful and serene but unbeknownst to me, that morning in the direction of my picture was a great tragedy. 34 people sleeping on a dive boat off the coast of the Channel Islands burned to death in a boat fire. I'll never forget learning of this fire on my way home from the morning photoshoot because that island is just 20 or so miles away and I was right there on the closest land to where they lost their lives. They were all so young and beautiful...a daughter having her 16th birthday with her parents, nature lovers, adventurers...all died. I had a terrible feeling of survivor's guilt that I was enjoying such beauty and peacefulness at the exact moment others - possibly in my picture - were experiencing such suffering and misery during their final moments of life. Spending so much time on boats, you are always aware of the possibility of fire onboard and how scary that must be when you are many miles away from anyone who could help.
https://www.npr.org/2020/12/02/940997136/california-dive-boat-captain-charged-in-fire-that-killed-34
I kept an eye on the vessel then heard something very scary..."Mayday, Mayday, Mayday...sailing vessel Sundancer reporting a vessel on fire at (coordinates)". The Coast Guard immediately responds asking for details such as do they see anyone in the water. The sailing vessel was too far away to see. I jumped on the radio and said "I see the boat on fire!" The boat that shot the flares now was engulfed in smoke!!! Shyt! It was an emergency I saw. I gave the coast guard more specific details including that I saw flares and that they were approximately five miles off shore due west of the marina. The Coast Guard scrambled emergency vehicles and even Baywatch (coastal life guards but they have multiple high speed boats).
Then someone got on the radio saying "This is a vessel and we are NOT in an emergency situation...we've been cleared by the Coast Guard to conduct flare training and have deployed a smoke bomb (this is a location marker that emits dense smoke but meant for helicopters to find you from miles away)". So since multiple rescue boats were now underway, the Coast Guard said to continue and report all clear. A few minutes later, the all clear came on the radio and stand down order was given. It was a huge false alarm. Someone screwed up because they didn't announce a "Notice to Mariners" that live flares were being used for training and not to interpret those as signs of distress.
It was an exciting morning for sure but emotionally exhausting. On September 2, 2019, I took this predawn picture looking West. The picture looks so peaceful and serene but unbeknownst to me, that morning in the direction of my picture was a great tragedy. 34 people sleeping on a dive boat off the coast of the Channel Islands burned to death in a boat fire. I'll never forget learning of this fire on my way home from the morning photoshoot because that island is just 20 or so miles away and I was right there on the closest land to where they lost their lives. They were all so young and beautiful...a daughter having her 16th birthday with her parents, nature lovers, adventurers...all died. I had a terrible feeling of survivor's guilt that I was enjoying such beauty and peacefulness at the exact moment others - possibly in my picture - were experiencing such suffering and misery during their final moments of life. Spending so much time on boats, you are always aware of the possibility of fire onboard and how scary that must be when you are many miles away from anyone who could help.
https://www.npr.org/2020/12/02/940997136/california-dive-boat-captain-charged-in-fire-that-killed-34
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