Victim, an expert ocean surfer visiting Salida from California was rented in town a softtop surfboard, quick release snap shackle leash, CGA Type III pfd (correctly sized), and helmet. Hi intent was to learn to surf the river despite a pulled abdominal oblique from a rafting trip the prior day. After a few attempts of side entry pushes onto Scout Wave at ≈1,200cfs with a powerful hole directly behind the surf wave, the victim fell and was carried over the wave into the hydraulic and was pushed to the bottom where the victim hit their face on the bottom and possibly the front top of their helmet.
A river surfer (the eventual "rescuer") who happened to be tubing and waiting for his tube to be released from the hole getting ejected from his tube after going over th Scout Wave. Was downriver about 300 yards when the tube finally released after a couple minutes stuck in the boil. As the eventual reducer was about to retrieve the tube the rescuer noticed the victim attached to the board unable to swim to the eddy or shore while yelling for "help". The rescuer jumped into the river and advised the victim to lay flat as the rescuer pulled the victim to shore.
The victim asked to be sat up once on shore because the blood from an apparent broken nose was making the victim feel like as was drowning in blood.
Your reporter of this "near miss" accident (an 8 year experienced river surfer) was in the line-up watching the tube recirculating and release from the hydraulic boil, glanced up down river to see a surfboard floating 300 yards down shore with no surfer (the victims surfboard) and then the rescue occur. It appeared to be a drowning, so I jumped into the river from the top of the Scout Wave, turned back to the line ups and gave 3 loud mouth whistles and motioned for help to follow (only one possible person observed the call) and began to run down the side of the river. As I paddled to the victim and rescuer, I shouted "give two quick rescue breaths"; however, the rescuer sat the victim up and I could see the victim moving her arms and was breathing. It took me approximately 20 to 30 seconds to get to the victim in total.
Myself, the rescuer, and arriving helping river surfer from the line-up assed the injury to the stunned victim who's face was bloody from what appeared to be broken nose. The victim was complaining they could not breath due to a pulled abdominal muscle the prior day rafting. It did not appear victim was coughing any water or blood. The victim's helmet and vest were carefully removed and the victim's chest entry full suit (owned by the victim was unzipped). After about 10 minutes the victim was able to stand and walk to friends. It was advised that the victim visit the local ER at the hospital.
Lessons learned:
1) Don't under estimate the power of the river waves. They may look small to the ocean surfer or complete newbie to river surfing but river waves are powerful with many concerns such as strong recirculation that can fpush a surfer to the bottom of the river.
2) If something looks strange such as in this case the observing surfer noting the victim checking their helmet, an "are you ok sign" (tapping the helmet with a universal tap of helmet back of "I'm ok") should have been done. If the return sign is not given, then the surfer should be watched closely. It was only the quick action of the rescuer at the right place and time that prevented a possible drowning.
