A woman and a young girl rescued two boys after their kayak capsized off the coast of Malibu Monday afternoon.
The boys, who were around 10 years old, were part of a group of 10 to 12 campers. They were with a couple of the other campers, who were in a separate kayak, when their kayak capsized, said Lifeguard Capt. Dan Atkins, headquartered in Zuma Beach.
The other campers went for help when the kayak turned over, according to second-hand accounts from the two victims. However, after waiting for more than an hour, one of the boys decided to swim to shore to get help, leaving the other hanging onto the kayak.
Heather Valinsky, 20, and Nikki Robinson, 12, were coming back from kayaking east of Carbon Beach when they heard a cry for help.
“We looked around and didn’t see anything,” recounted Valinsky. “We waited, then saw a blue kayak pretty far away. We started heading for it, but then heard a yell again.”
Valinsky said she and Robinson then saw a boy, about 10 years of age, in the water with a red cap on.
“He was foaming at the mouth, he was so cold,” described Valinsky. “We picked him up and put him in the kayak between us.”
The boy told them that his friend was hanging onto the capsized kayak. They paddled over to the overturned kayak and from their kayak turned it upright and held onto it until the other boy climbed in. Valinsky then climbed into the boys’ kayak and Robinson jumped into the water so she could climb into the back of their kayak and paddle. Then, with one oar each, Valinsky and Robinson proceeded to paddle back to the pier. However, Valinsky said they heard sirens from lifeguard rescue trucks and she yelled at Robinson to head for the shore.
“There were these huge waves coming at us, knocking them [Robinson and the first boy] over,” said Valinsky. “[The waves] knocked us over, and kept throwing us against the kayak.”
Valinsky said she and Robinson first got the boys onto the beach and then dragged the kayaks up. Lifeguard rescue teams could not immediately reach them because they were on Carbon Beach, which is fronted wall-to-wall by homes.
“If she hadn’t done what she did,” said Atkins, “lifeguards would [probably] have been out there searching for bodies right now.”
Atkins said the instructors from the camp, who had been searching for the boys, were found on the beach halfway between Carbon Canyon and the Malibu pier.
Valinsky, who is from Granada Hills, and Robinson, whose father is currently working on the movie “Men in Black II” as assistant director, had rented a kayak across the street from the pier, where the boys had also launched their kayak. It is the second time Valinsky ever kayaked and the first time for Robinson.
Atkins said that people should use common sense when going out on a kayak or any other type of craft. He recommends that people obtain information about weather conditions and recommendations on where to go out into the ocean from the nearest lifeguard station. Atkins also cautions that people should leave information with someone as to where one is going and when they’ll be back.
And “if you’re having trouble with whatever you’re on, don’t leave the craft,” he said. “People get a strong urge to leave, but if you’re not a strong swimmer, or if the water is rough,” a person could get into serious trouble. Also, “It’s difficult to find a person swimming as opposed to [someone] hanging on a craft,” he said.