PLEASE NOTE: This Cache is only available during DAYLIGHT hours. Gate to the car park is locked at night.
I see plenty of kayaks on roof racks and boats on trailers going through town. This cache is designed to encourage you to take them off and get them wet.
The title of this cache is something is important to remember when you're on the water. I still remember it from my Royal Life Saving Society training over 2.5 decades ago.
If someone needs rescuing, our natural instinct may be to just jump in the water after them, but this can be very unsafe. The safest way to proceed is in the order of Reach, Throw, Wade, Row, Swim, Tow.
- First try to reach them (eiither by hand or with a long tool).
- If they are out of reach, you can try throwing them something (either a rope or a floating device).
- If it is shallow enough you may be able to wade out to them.
- If that doesn't work, you may have acccess to some sort of water craft or floating device that you may be able to use to paddle / row / motor out to them.
- Only if all the above fails, then consider swimming to the person. (It's best to take a floating device for them to grab and encourage them to swim/kick to safety, rather than letting them grab hold of you - otherwise they may drown you in their panic).
- If none of the above works, and the person has become unconscious or is totally incapable of swimming, you may have to make physical contact and tow them back to safety.
This list also offers some suggestions for retrieving this cache. If you have a long enough arms (like Inspector Gadget) you may just reach it. You could try throwing something to pull it back to shore (but I doubt that will work). If the water level is VERY low, you could try wading out. But my preferred method is always to paddle to this spot. Motor boats can also launch from the boat ramp, but you will need to pick up a key card in town for a small deposit.
If you don't have access to a water craft you could walk around the lake (perhaps picking up a few other caches along the way), and then swim a short distance. (Dogs are allowed on the walking track on a leash.)
Whichever method you choose, be careful of ski-boats in this area of the lake.
And whatever you do, once you've signed the log book, don't just throw the cache back. Ensure you hide it above the high water line and cover with camo.
(There is a bit of light tree cover in the area, but I was surprised how well the GPS settled, so hopefully you won't find it to hard to locate.) I hope you enjoy the find as much as I enjoy paddling on the lake.