A pair of younger kayakers were paddling the Lower James River through town today Feb 12th. Level was 15.9 feet, very high. One flipped in Hollywood rapid around 4:40 PM and did not roll. His partner pushed him and his boat to shore and began CPR. Richmond Fire/Ems arrived quickly and patient was transported to Hospital and is in critical condition at this point. No names have been released. Posts in the James River Homosapiens FB group suggest that the kayaker got hung up in a large strainer just below the Hollywood rapid. Someone posted a picture of the following strainer in relation to its mention. The posts also suggest that he was held underwater for a while before being extracted. 17-year-old kayaker pulled from James River has died FEBRUARY 14, 2018 BY ALIX BRYAN AND JASMINE NORWOOD WTVR Channel 6, Richmond, VA RICHMOND, Va. – Christian Wood, a student at Trinity Episcopal School, was taken off life support two days after he was pulled from the James River at Belle Isle, according to school officials. Captain Earl Dyer with Richmond Fire said they pulled the 17-year-old from the river at approximately 5 p.m. on Monday, after his kayak flipped. Authorities said his kayak capsized after he became stuck in a churning section of water near Belle Isle called a hydraulic. Rescue crews said the teen’s friend pulled him from the water and started CPR. He was in cardiac arrest when he was pulled from the water and was rushed to the hospital. Firefighters credit Wood`s friend who was riding the waves with him Monday for performing CPR and giving him a fighting chance at life. On Monday the James River crested at 15.4 feet and was at moderate flood stage. When water levels are at 9 feet or above, no one is allowed on the river without a high water permit. Emergency officials and river experts advised Richmonders to avoid the water because of dangerous runoff and debris in the raging river. Wood was an avid kayaker, who documented on Vimeo his kayaking runs and travels. Robert Short, Head of Trinity school, was given permission from the family to share news of the student’s death with CBS 6. Short released a statement that read: “The hearts of the Trinity community go out to the Wood family during this time of unimaginable difficulty. Our school is in a period of mourning, as we process this loss. We have provided counseling resources to any students seeking emotional support, and have communicated to parents that those resources are available. It is at times of intense emotion that our community is strengthened. I know that we will support our grieving students, parents, teachers, staff and broader community in the days and weeks to come.” Sisters Virginia Randal and Mary Ann Walton have spent decades photographing along the James River. They were said the river was full of debris and kayakers on Monday. “It`s a shame something this beautiful could be so treacherous and dangerous,” Walton said. They witnessed the river rescue and said Woods’ friend jumped in to help. “I`m wondering how their friends feel that were with them,” Walton said. “They were smart, they did what needed to be done.” Kayaker in cardiac arrest pulled from James River near Belle Isle BY VERNON FREEMAN JR. FEBRUARY 12, 2018 ICHMOND, Va. – Richmond Fire and rescue crews have pulled one person from the James River near Belle Isle Monday afternoon. Captain Earl Dyer with Richmond Fire says at approximately 4:50 p.m., crews were called to Belle Isle for a kayak that had flipped in the James River. When crews arrived at the scene, they rescued a kayaker, who was in cardiac arrest, from the water. Capt. Dyer says medics are working on the person and crews are confirming that there are no other victims are in the water. Stay with CBS 6 for the latest on this developing story. BY LUCIE HANES 05 JUN 22 After four years, the Richmond kayaking community continues to mourn one of their own without losing love for the water. CHRISTIAN WOOD WAS PREPARED FOR THE WATER conditions on his last day out on the James River. That’s the part that’s been the toughest for his friends and fellow boaters in the Richmond kayaking community. As a teenager, Wood put in the effort to master his skills and dedicated himself to the sport from day one with unprecedented vigor, according to Michael Stratton, director of the Outdoors Program at Trinity Episcopal School, where Wood first began kayaking. “I have never met someone as committed to a lifestyle as he was,” said Stratton, who taught Wood how to roll and knew right away that he would be an influential part of the river community. “He was all in. He watched every outdoor video, followed everyone on social media associated with outdoor adventure sports, and knew every single gear item that was trending. He was the most knowledgeable student I have ever met.” He also emanated enthusiasm for all aspects of kayaking, while paddling on his own time or as an instructor at Passages Adventure Camp. “I think of Christian as endlessly energetic, but always knowing where that energy needed to go,” says Geoffrey Gill, the kayaking site director at Passages while Wood served on staff. “You could see it in his paddling style, just throwing in every move and every trick he could, but what stood out to me was how he directed it. He would take the lines he wanted to take, stop and play where he wanted to play, but still have an eye out for where the group was. I trusted his judgment to be in the right place and respond the right way.” But paddling whitewater is unpredictable and carries inherent risks for even the most experienced boaters. On February 13, 2018, not long after his 18th birthday, Wood headed out on the Lower James with another equally experienced boater and friend. Both he and his paddling partner held valid high-water permits, which are required for everyone on the river when it rises above flood stage. Though the James presents a serious threat at such a high level, the pair had enough experience under the same conditions to feel confident in their decision to enter the water. Wood eventually collided with a log concealed under the surface, lost consciousness and endured the battering of the waves while his friend fought the current to attempt a rescue. Wood’s partner managed to reach him, pull him above the water, and tow him back towards the shore—all against a raging current that most kayakers wouldn’t have the strength or the courage to face. He administered CPR on Wood until River Rescue showed up within minutes to take over. But after being taken to a nearby hospital, Wood later died. “This was a tragic accident, but an accident no less,” said Kevin Tobin, the director of Passages Adventure Camp and owner of the Peak Experiences climbing center. Water levels presented dangers at the time, but the two boys knew the demands of the river in those conditions. “I believe Christian in no way acted rashly or took risks that he and his paddling partner were not prepared to take on. He was a talented and intelligent kayaker who knew his limits and trusted his skills to take him down the river successfully, every time.” The Richmond kayaking community has had four years to sit with Wood’s death. All losses leave a mark, but this one cut especially deep, in large part because of his competence as a boater. The greatest challenge for the community has been coming to terms with the harsh reality that the water doesn’t always care about expertise. “We like to think that we’re in control of things,” said Tobin, “but at the very best we only have some influence when it comes to whitewater.” In the wake of his loss, kayakers close to Wood reviewed their habits on the water to double down on safety measures. “We’ve taken everything that we do and how we do it and put it through a new filter,” Tobin says. They’ve mainly opted for a change in perspective rather than a change in practice, and many are more careful both about how they personally approach risks and how they represent the sport. “I definitely view the sport differently after Christian,” Stratton said, “though I think the change is not in my perceived danger, but in the danger exposed to others. I am more hesitant to do anything that I think someone else may see and think they can try.” Some local boaters took time off from the sport over the past four years to give themselves room to grieve and reflect. But Tobin can’t think of a single person from Wood’s inner circle who has walked away entirely in the aftermath. The community has realized that awareness doesn’t necessarily translate to avoidance. If the outcome had been different that day, Wood’s friends believe he wouldn’t have hesitated to get back out on the water. “Christian would never want this tragedy to frighten anyone from pursuing their own path through the communities and sports he loved,” Tobin wrote in a letter to the Passages staff following Wood’s death. “He would never want anyone to miss out on these deep and formative experiences on account of him.” Wood’s friends ultimately understand that the best way to honor his legacy is to pick it up right where he left off. Gill looks at one moment from his first day back at Passages after the accident as the sign he needed to do just that. He had a conversation with staff and campers about fear on the water, and he eventually found himself arm in arm with his coworkers, tears cropping up alongside the memories. “At some point, one of our kids said, ‘Well, should we go kayaking again?’ and we all kind of realized that there really was nothing else to do but exactly what would have made Christian happy.”