Non-Witness Narrative by Chris Aidan on 2007-05-29 (okay to publish): Four people where kayaking at Longhorn Dam, a popular park-and-play wave in Austin Texas, the paddlers where John Grover, Tony Powell, Brett Franson, and Jerry Fant. The dam has consistent irrigation releases during the late spring which provides great surf opportunities. The group had paddled this location many times and where familiar with the strange phenomenon known as “the bubble†that occurs on the entry to the wave. After waiting for the bubble to surge and flat line to appear, Grover went for it, took a couple of well placed strokes but the bubble reappeared underneath him, having surfed this wave hundreds of times before he assumed the swell would just push him onto the feature, instead he was pulled back into the dam release gate. I his words “once I fully realized just what happened I knew that I was in for a major beat down , there was no paddling outâ€. The other three quickly realized what happened and jumped into action, unfortunately none of the boaters had carried their throw ropes (which is all too often the case) , so Tony paddled to the shore and called 911, Brett and Jerry paddled as close as they could in hopes that Grover would be washed out of the spillway. After watching in horror as their friend recirculated for over five minutes they finally saw him get pushed out. Brett seeing Grover’s helmetless head (it had been ripped off during the incident) called Grover’s name and he faintly replied, at that time Brett paddled over to him, pulled out of his boat assisted him in the 100 yard swim to the shore. About this time three ladder trucks, four ambulances, two Search and Rescue trucks, one inflatable craft, one helicopter and several Austin Police cars had arrived. Grover later explained that he was somehow able to catch a couple breaths during the ordeal, at one point he rolled into a ball got pushed to the bottom was able to push off and was released from the current. Those that paddle there on a regular basis know that there is a possibility of getting sucked backwards into the spillway; the bubble forms just below the dam at the end of the concrete pillar (just upstream from the wave). Many locals can recite stories of others getting sucked into the spillway. Paddlers that venture too close to the concrete pillar are in danger, when the bubble forms it creates a reverse current capable of submerging a boater and pulling them into the spillway. Grover is an excellent paddler and this event should serve as a warning to us all.