Kayaker in critical condition after being swept away by 'most treacherous part' of Kings River

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A kayaker was rushed to the hospital after he was pulled from the Kings River in Fresno County on Friday.

The man fell into the water just after 2 p.m. near the Pine Flat Dam.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office A man in his 60's was kayaking near the Pine Flat Dam when his kayak turned over and the current sucked him under water.

Sheriff's Deputies were not far as they were actually out doing dive training nearby at Avocado Lake.

Before deputies could arrive, a group of about six good Samaritans sprang into action and tried to use a rope to pull him out.

"They had him at one point. He had a hold on the rope, but I think he had been there for so long that he's been struggling, that he just tired out, and pretty much after that he just went under," said Virginia Schuk, a witness.

After about 20 minutes, the man's body floated down the river.

A deputy was able to pull him out, and first responders performed CPR before transporting him to Clovis Community Hospital.

Sergeant Chris Tullus with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office took Action News over the bridge and showed us just how strong the currents are at the base of the dam.

"You can just hear how raging the water is right now. Oh yeah, and this is not full power. This is not full power in the river. This is the most dangerous section of the Kings River," said Sgt. Tullus,.

The sheriff's office usually wraps up its swift water rescue training this time of year, just in time for the warmer months.

Right now, they have about 30 trained deputies on the force.

Tullus says the kayaker was wearing a life vest, but it wasn't fully fastened.

His main message ahead of Easter weekend is to just stay out of the water in this area.

"All the different colors of water right here, that's called air ration. There's no traction. There's no way to swim in that. If you get stuck in that, you could be wearing all the life jackets in the world. It's going to pull you down and shoot you back up," said Tullus.

Tullus says the good Samaritans did everything right in this scenario, that it could've been much worse if one of them had gone in to try and save the man, they might've needed saving themselves.

He says if you're in this situation, remain calm and call 9-1-1 and do not get into the water.

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