A kayaker was pulled from the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay on Thursday after a multi-agency response that deployed drones, boats, and emergency crews near the Bay Bridge.
The San Francisco Police Department’s Marine Unit and its Drone as First Responder (DFR) Team joined the San Francisco Fire Department for the afternoon rescue, which began with two separate 911 calls. The first caller reported an overturned kayak near the San Francisco Ferry Building, according to video posted on Instagram by SFPD. Drone footage captured the capsized vessel at approximately 2:41 p.m.
A second 911 caller provided a critical update: one kayaker, who was wearing a life jacket, had managed to reach shore safely. But the boater’s companion was still in the water, and the situation was growing more urgent.
The SFPD drone quickly located the overturned kayak, and a San Francisco Fire Department boat followed to the scene. Officers recovered the kayak and a paddle behind Fire Station 35. Then came the breakthrough: one of the callers reported hearing someone beneath the westernmost column of the Bay Bridge.
SFPD Marine Unit officers reached the man in the water and pulled him to safety, then transferred him to the fire department’s boat for further care. The coordinated effort marked another successful deployment of the department’s drone program, which has increasingly served as a first-response tool for emergencies across the city.
“This rescue is a reminder to prepare before heading out on the bay,” SFPD wrote on Instagram. “Conditions can change quickly, and cold water and strong currents can put even experienced paddlers at risk.”
The department used the incident to issue broader safety guidance for anyone planning to paddle in the bay. SFPD advised kayakers to always wear a life jacket, carry a cell phone in a waterproof pouch or dry bag, check weather conditions along with tides and currents before launching, and inform others of their trip itinerary.
The rescue came at a particularly busy moment for the SFPD Marine Unit. The incident occurred just one day before the city’s Fleet Week weekend began Friday morning, an annual celebration that draws massive crowds and heavy maritime traffic to the waterfront. After the Thursday afternoon rescue, the unit returned to the water the following morning to help kick off Fleet Week with the traditional Parade of Ships.
The kayaker’s survival in the cold, current-swept waters underscored both the dangers of the bay and the value of rapid interagency coordination. Neither the identity of the rescued man nor his medical condition was released by authorities.