St. Petersburg, Florida — The boating whistle. It's a sound George Papabeis with the Auxiliary Coast Guard in Tampa Bay doesn't ever want to hear.
"That means distress," he said.
With thousands of spring breakers here or on their way, he says, "I'm probably expecting to see a lot more problems with people paddle boarding."
The sport is getting so popular that the Auxiliary Guard said this year and last year they have seen a visible uptick in the amount of contacts they've had with paddle boarders. Several per month, and Papabeis says he's expecting that to go up exponentially once more spring breakers hit the water.
It's tidal currents, Papabeis says, high winds, or fatigue that can put boarders in jeopardy.
"When I turned back around to come back to the island, there was actually a 10 or 12 mph wind that I was paddling into," said Keith Quien with Fun Unlimited St. Pete.
Quien's company makes and rents paddle boards, and he's had years on the water. He says he knows how hard it can be if you get stuck.
"You definitely want to avoid going out too far," he said.
But if the worst happens and you're stuck in a high wind, Quien says to get down, make yourself less of a sail and paddle back small.
That's why Quien and Papabeis say in addition to the whistle it's best to bring a flashlight and of course your life jacket. Either wear it or put it on the board.
"Even the best athlete can become overwhelmed by this," Papabeis said.
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