South Carolina QB Chris Smelley disappears while kayaking in Florida
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Hopefully he’s ok and just got blown off course a bit.
kayak fishing in the ocean always scares the crap out of me. If you catch something, chances are it’s being followed by something even bigger. Or if you catch something big it can just drag you out into the deep stuff.
kayak fishing in the ocean always scares the crap out of me. If you catch something, chances are it’s being followed by something even bigger. Or if you catch something big it can just drag you out into the deep stuff.
Scary. What's concerning is the recent population spike of Great whites in the Gulf. A large GW just washed up on shore a few weeks ago close to where he was kayaking. They're notorious for hitting kayaks around the globe. Prayers for him and his family.
Found safe
www.wafb.com
Former SEC quarterback found safe after missing for hours in Gulf of Mexico
A former college quarterback has been located after reportedly going missing on a fishing trip.
www.wafb.com
He sounds like a moron. No cell, no life jacket, blue kayak? Not a smart guy.
Some info about the rescue:
Posted: Mar 28, 2024 / 04:22 PM CDT
Updated: Mar 28, 2024 / 09:40 PM CDT
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UPDATE (9:38 p.m.): Pelham High School head football coach Mike Vickery and Chris Smelley are friends.
Vickery spoke with News 5 about Smelley’s disappearance Tuesday.
“I kept sending him text messages hoping maybe he would, maybe he would get one and respond but didn’t hear,” Vickery said. “Obviously haven’t heard anything from him yet. And you know, just happy that it sounds like there is a positive outcome. And, you know, that’s all we were hoping for.”
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Vickery said he was worried because of the Gulf of Mexico waters.
“A lot of times you don’t get those positive outcomes when there’s water involved in the Gulf of Mexico involved,” he said. “But thankfully, thankfully, this is one of those that sounds like we’ll have a happy ending.”
Ultimately, Smelley was found around 7:12 p.m., more than five hours after they began searching for him.
“Sometimes you forget the forces of mother nature and how it can turn really really quickly in a negative way, so you always got to be alert,” Vickery said. “And I know I can’t wait to hear his story on how this happened. And, you know, definitely a long day for him and the Smelley family.”
UPDATE (7:50 p.m.): News 5 has learned more about the rescue of Chris Smelley, the Sylacauga High School head football coach who went missing after a fishing trip in the Gulf just off Grayton Beach.
Here’s what we’ve learned from the U.S. Coast Guard:
UPDATE (7:31 p.m.): The Walton County Sheriff’s Office has posted on Facebook that Chris Smelley has been found, and he’s safe.
“SMELLEY HAS BEEN LOCATED SAFE BY THE UNITED STATES COAST OUT OF MOBILE,” the post, updated at 7:28 p.m., said.
News 5 is working to learn more about this development. We will share more information, right here, as it becomes available.
Pelham High School football coach reacts to Coast Guard’s rescue of Chris Smelley
by: Thomas Boni, Kendra Day, Alexa Daly, Haylee Kennedy, Pat O'DonnellPosted: Mar 28, 2024 / 04:22 PM CDT
Updated: Mar 28, 2024 / 09:40 PM CDT
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UPDATE (9:38 p.m.): Pelham High School head football coach Mike Vickery and Chris Smelley are friends.
Vickery spoke with News 5 about Smelley’s disappearance Tuesday.
“I kept sending him text messages hoping maybe he would, maybe he would get one and respond but didn’t hear,” Vickery said. “Obviously haven’t heard anything from him yet. And you know, just happy that it sounds like there is a positive outcome. And, you know, that’s all we were hoping for.”
ADVERTISING
Vickery said he was worried because of the Gulf of Mexico waters.
“A lot of times you don’t get those positive outcomes when there’s water involved in the Gulf of Mexico involved,” he said. “But thankfully, thankfully, this is one of those that sounds like we’ll have a happy ending.”
Ultimately, Smelley was found around 7:12 p.m., more than five hours after they began searching for him.
“Sometimes you forget the forces of mother nature and how it can turn really really quickly in a negative way, so you always got to be alert,” Vickery said. “And I know I can’t wait to hear his story on how this happened. And, you know, definitely a long day for him and the Smelley family.”
UPDATE (7:50 p.m.): News 5 has learned more about the rescue of Chris Smelley, the Sylacauga High School head football coach who went missing after a fishing trip in the Gulf just off Grayton Beach.
Here’s what we’ve learned from the U.S. Coast Guard:
- A Coast Guard helicopter from New Orleans spotted Smelley around 7:12 p.m., still on his kayak. He was found 2 miles off shore of Grayton Beach.
- A friend of Smelley’s happened to be in the area on a boat, and overheard chatter about the 37-year-old coach’s disappearance on a radio. The Coast Guard guided the friend to Smelley’s location.
- That friend came to the scene and they were able to get Smelley on their boat.
- Smelley reportedly has no medical concerns.
UPDATE (7:31 p.m.): The Walton County Sheriff’s Office has posted on Facebook that Chris Smelley has been found, and he’s safe.
“SMELLEY HAS BEEN LOCATED SAFE BY THE UNITED STATES COAST OUT OF MOBILE,” the post, updated at 7:28 p.m., said.
News 5 is working to learn more about this development. We will share more information, right here, as it becomes available.
Two things:
So happy he was safe.
He's a dumb@ss.
So happy he was safe.
He's a dumb@ss.
Weird. I read a news story that he was picked up by a friend who was searching for him in a boat.
Link
Link
I've been scuba diving for over 30 years. I always had a fluorescent surface marker buoy, and some type of reflective tool (old CD's worked great) as part of my gear, because you know SH*T HAPPENS.
I would add a mobile phone at least and ideally a Garmin inReach for communications and easy, reliable tracking without cell reception. I hope there are lessons learned from this potentially deadly experience.
Reminds me of this incident https://www.counton2.com/news/where-are-they-now-charleston-lost-at-sea-survivors-10-years-later/
Depending how far one is intending to go out, a mobile phone may be beyond the reach of a cell tower back on shore.
These easily range over 20 miles over open water (the specs say 38 mi, max), but you'd need a buddy with another one set to the correct channel to communicate of course. Cobra RX680 Waterproof Walkie Talkies for Adults - Rechargeable, 60 Preset Channels, Long Range 38-Mile Two-Way
