r/boating • u/Ecstatic-Ability5242 • 1d ago
Boaters: How often do you encounter partially submerged logs or “deadheads”?
Hi everyone,
I’m a UBC Mechanical Engineering student working with a team on a design project focused on deadheads, meaning floating or partially submerged logs that can create a collision hazard for boats.
Our project is specifically looking at coastal British Columbia, but I’d be interested in experiences from anywhere, especially if this is also a problem in your area.
I’m hoping to hear from boaters about things like:
- How often you encounter floating or partially submerged logs
- Where you tend to see them and under what conditions
- Whether you’ve ever hit one or had a close call
- How difficult they are to spot, especially at speed, at night, in waves, or poor weather
- Any damage or safety issues you’ve experienced
- What you currently do if you see one
- Whether there is any system in your area for reporting or warning others about them
- What you think could be improved about how these hazards are detected, reported, prevented, or removed
- If a better system existed, what would you actually want it to do?
- Any ideas for potential solutions, even if they seem unconventional
We’re still at the problem-definition stage, so we’re not trying to push any particular solution. We’re mainly trying to understand what boaters actually experience and what would be useful.
Even short responses like “I see them all the time but have never hit one” or “I hit one once and damaged my prop” would be really helpful.
Thanks!
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u/doc_holliday112 1d ago
As a long time boater in and around the lower mainland the worst place for deadheads is definitely the mouth of the Fraser, particularly the stretch of river past McDonald beach by yvr. There’s a ton of logging activity there and honestly they do a pretty shit job of keeping it in check, especially after a king tide. Spring run off compounds the issue. The area around steveston is quite a bit better but the side channels around westham island and ladner get bad after spring run off but thats mainly due to all the beached logs freeing and floating down the river. Funny enough the only place I hit a deadhead and damaged my boats skeg was on the Okanagan lake. As far as reporting systems go I’ve only used my navionics marine gps to mark hazards I come across. Overall, the Salish sea is pretty good. The only other area I’ve had to watch for a lot of deadheads is by the harmac pulp mill by Nanaimo. Also an area with a lot of logging activity. Oftentimes the strong current through Dodds narrows (between mudge island and Nanaimo) carries the logs through there and spreads them through the bay becoming quite hazardous.
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u/fitek 17h ago
Those logs move pretty quick with the tides, I've come across one in the morning and then found the same log a few miles away later in the day. But agree with you, mouths of large rivers are where they come from, then they float around, wash up somewhere, but get disturbed again by storms or king tides.
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u/604whaler 22h ago
BC boater here.
Seeing actual deadheads ( vertical floating logs ) is not nearly as common as it once was due to the huge reduction in logging activity.
I remember being a kid in the 1980s and fuel docks had small orange flags on metal rods that were given out free. You would carry these flags and pound one in to a deadhead so it was more easily seen.
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u/Repulsive_Client_325 21h ago
On the northern tip of Lake of the Woods in NW Ontario, they used to boom logs here as one of the methods of getting trees to the pulp and paper mill in Kenora. As a result there are thousands of sunk logs on the bottom of the lake.
They stopped log booming like 50ish years ago but we still get deadheads that pop up.
Sometimes one end of a log that has sunk and is laying on the lake bed rots enough and creates trapped gas such that it becomes buoyant so it floats up, but the log isn’t quite long enough to reach the surface. So you end up with an angled or vertical log just slightly below the surface that’s impossible to see.
The lake is large, but many many people have hit dead heads here and damaged lower units or props or both over the years.
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u/Canuckleheadache 1d ago
Lots of deadheads between Vancouver and the island. You’re unlikely to not see one nasty one everytime with a good scattering of driftwood and branches that can be menacing. Driving a faster boat 35mph plus can make this a treacherous situation. However for every impact and throttle down/check there’s usually no sign of damage beyond the sound of the impact on the hull. Generally spotting is more by chance at varies by each one and how they are floating. The bobbers definitely aren’t as scary as big logs as the bobbers are like hitting a needle in a haystack vs a log
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u/PM_meyourGradyWhite 19h ago edited 19h ago
Salish Sea boater (San Juan Islands, Bellingham Bay).
I see logs all the time. Bellingham bay can be bad after a flood event and outgoing tide.
I’ve learned to be extra cautious crossing tide rips where all kinds of flotsam gathers (eel grass, scum, twigs, kelp). Logs will be in there with them.
At night (morning before sun up) I go about half throttle. Depends on moonlight and or fog. Figuring at off-plane speed (13-17 mph) if I hit a log, I’m going to survive. Plus at that speed I have time to react and avoid it.
I have hit a few logs regardless. All have been in ideal visibility too. 🙄 All have glanced off the hull. I check my hull occasionally when washing and see a few nicks in the chines or strakes. Whatever they’re called.
When I took the USCG boaters safety course, the USCG auxiliary instructor said if we see a significant hazard, we can get on the VHF channel 16 and announce SECURITY SECURITY SECURITY (actually French Securité) and USCG will note it. But in the next breath said “no one’s coming out to pull a big log to the side unless they need training”
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u/WANGHUNG22 17h ago
I have considered shooting around my area of the puget sound and pulling logs to the shore. Maybe add a Facebook page for people to report them in my area so I can go grab them.
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u/idealistdave 18h ago
This matches my experience seeing periodic floating logs around Edmonds, WA. As for deadheads, only dangerous ones I've seen that could use more marking are north ends of both Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington. Though I note you're focused on coastal waters.
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u/thedrabtwenties 1d ago
Seeing doc_holliday mention the Fraser mouth gave me flashbacks, that spot is a minefield after a good storm
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u/YourFriendlyPlumber 23h ago
The logs can be really bad in a section of the ditch (intracoastal waterway) in the Florida pan handle, especially after a big rain. Tight water way with steep hills on either side full of large trees. Due to erosion and hurricanes, a lot of trees have already toppled over or close to it and then big rains will send them down into the water. Had a buddy run into one the other day while moving a yacht for the recent hurricane. I am constantly scanning the water when driving through that section to make last minute adjustments if needed.
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u/Meersbrook 22h ago
In the sea? Very seldom. Up rivers... Depends where. If it's dredged no, in the slightly less regulated places yes... Undocumented concrete blocks, broken down docks, tree trunks... I absolutely did not skint a propeller on one such object.
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u/Muli-Bwanjie 21h ago
FLooded reservoirs where water rose in a wooded area because of hydro damming typically have tons of dead heads. Additionally, river systems historically used for logging can be bad too as a certain percentage sank or become stuck below.
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u/Ok_Might_7882 20h ago
I boat in Georgia strait often. Grew up running a boat out from Steveston and all up the Fraser to hope. There is always debris in the lower river. Upper river tends to have massive logs floating, especially during freshet.
I fish the other side now, primarily Nanaimo and in Barkley Sound. There are often logs or small branches floating. They are normally pretty visible. There will be a ripple or a shadow created. Sometimes you’ll see a bird sitting on top of a log. I have never hit anything that did any damage.
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u/va3awd 18h ago
I’m in southern Ontario, sailing on Georgian Bay. In this area typically they’re found in anchorages or other out of the way places. I had a run in with one this summer at an anchorage that used to have a saw mill nearby and they’re littered everywhere. Unfortunately I wrapped my anchor line around one and had a hell of a time getting it off. I had to pull it as close to the surface as I could and motor it to shore into shallow water so I could fight to get it off in knee deep water. A challenge for sure.
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u/va3awd 18h ago
https://reddit.com/link/pghu8eq/video/d768fvgz29vh1/player
This is the remains of the old saw mill
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u/Ok-Entertainment5045 1d ago
When I’m out in the marsh in my duck boat 100%. When I’m cruising the lake in my pontoon 0%.
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u/JitteryTurtle 1d ago
(M59) Hit a log in the Detroit River in the late 70’s. My dad and uncle were both seasoned Coast Guard. Lost the prop, freighter almost smashed us had it not been for locals who heard our distress call and towed us off in the nick of time. I sold my boat in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina because there were so many houses and appliances in Lake Ponchitrain after the storm. Back in Michigan now, we pay attention to weather. Spring brings trees down the Great Lakes. Wind direction plays into that. There is a fb page for Lake St. Clair hazard mitigation that try’s to help with all of that.
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u/Blakesdad02 1d ago
In the Northeast, specifically the Chesapeake Bay, post hurricane when the dams need to be opened, I've learned to not fish for 5/7 days. Debris includes, entire trees, a plastic porty potty, picnic table, tree branches remnants of several docks, a canoe, oars and ghost crab pots.
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u/GenXray 23h ago
Fraser R., south of Bowen Island, north of Gambier. Encounter them 1/10 trips. Rarely in the Gulf Islands, Desolation, west coast of the Island. Occasionally up by Campbell R. There was one in Coal H., north of the gas dock last week.
Hit one at speed only once (Howe Sound). Extensive outboard damage.
It’s great if boaters stop to tag them. The Coal H log had a tag for a short time, but it must have come off. I’ve occasionally reported a deadhead
as a navigation hazard to the coast guard on Ch 16 if it’s been in a particularly sketchy position.
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u/EMDReloader 23h ago
In about 20 years of boating a heavily-forested Adirondack lake, I have encountered significant debris in the water just once. None of the pieces were large enough to do major damage to a boat, even at speed. Might have scratched the hull or lower unit a bit.
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u/PolPotDomeScandal 22h ago
Been lake boating my whole life (mid-50s) and I have encountered them exactly zero times.
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u/BCMMF 21h ago
Boating on the Ottawa River in the valley is also a hotspot for dead heads. These logs are over a hundred years old and were lost and leftover from the lumber boom as they used the river to move the wood downstream. In the spring with high water or when the dams open and close these old logs make their way around the river. Very common and locals take their time. You just never know when you will encounter one until it’s too late.
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u/itsDANdeeMAN 21h ago
I boat on the Delaware River in the Philadelphia area and they are all over the place. We call them torpedos. After rain storms, the river will have tons of logs, branches, railroad ties, stumps, etc all big enough to ruin your day and season. There are local guys who post torpedo reports in Facebook groups cause if there’s a lot out there people will avoid going out until they clear the area. I’ve never hit one, but people that have will at a minimum destroy their prop. I’m always keeping an extremely close eye on the water in front of me since they can be visible if floating but at times they’ll be just below the surface.
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u/needmorefishes 21h ago
Around the North Rip at Block Island after a storm, I’ve come upon large trees drifting, as well as all kinds of other things, dead porpoises, construction debris, etc. we call the Coast Guard on 16, they put out an alert with the last known location.
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u/Cold-Conversation-42 21h ago
I live in Northern Saskatchewan. They aren’t super common in most lakes. I did live on a large ( like Massive) reservoir for awhile. They had historically risen the lake level for hydro power and there were lots of dead heads there!! Thankfully been able to avoid them my whole life!! Hope that continues.
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u/Rustydog60 20h ago
Elk Lake and the water is very clear. A little unsettling. I think a long time ago the dam was built which raised the lake level.
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u/Jumbotucktuck 20h ago
Lots of them in spring on the Potomac River in Maryland. Spring floods make them an annual hazard. I have a small 18’ boat so i just keep a watch out and steer around them. Boat is also aluminum so if i bump one it is ok.
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u/boatdaddy12 20h ago
I was on a CG buoytender on lower miss river, in spring flood they were too numerous to count, and you would see some giant old growth logs that were huge
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u/hurdeehurr 20h ago
In the ocean? VERY rarely but also i'm more nearshore. In rivers? It's part of it.
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u/redheadedcanadian97 20h ago
Muskoka & Kawartha Lakes region in Ontario
Water levels drop in the fall and surge in the spring with the melt, this usually washes debris into rivers and lakes.
• How often you encounter floating or partially submerged logs?
- Fairly regularly between when the ice melts (late March early April) and tapering off until about the end of May.
• Where you tend to see them and under what conditions.
- full on floaters out in the middle of lakes, and then partial floaters with just the top of the log at or above the water in narrow channels.
• Whether you've ever hit one or had a close call
- we have bumped one with our pontoon boat, was about 1.5ft under water and water clarity was poor
• How difficult they are to spot, especially at speed, at night, in waves, or poor weather
- nearly impossible to spot at any speed over 45mph, no chance at night unless you have someone spotting on the bow with a powerful spotlight, waves can make it easier as they tend to bob out of sequence with the waves.
• Any damage or safety issues you've experienced
- chipped prop, nothing major
• What you currently do if you see one
- go back with the pontoon boat and drag it to shore, or mark it with a bouy and notify relevant authoritys
• Whether there is any system in your area for reporting or warning others about them
- honestly local Facebook pages are the best for notifications
• What you think could be improved about how these hazards are detected, reported, prevented, or removed
- not sure
- not sure
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u/CrimsonKing32 20h ago
Tons of deadheads at stave lake. Impossible not to hit them this time of year.
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u/Efficient_Gap4785 20h ago
I’m on Lake Champlain and where I’ve commonly seen logs and deadheads is at the mouth of the Winooski River. They tend to be most common at the beginning of the season, which is late May to June because of snowmelt, but if we get the occasional big storm with substantial rainfall then it’s wise to be cautious for the runoff but it’s not a massive issue overall on lake Champlain.
I think it’s not a huge issue is two things: One there aren’t that many large rivers that feed the lake on the Vermont side. Off the top of my head there are really only 3, the Otter Creek, the Winooski and the Lamoille. The Otter Creek is pretty slow moving, so my assumption is any trees that end up in it don’t make it into the lake. The Lamoille River empties into a large bay that’s mainly cutoff from the lake from an old railway causeway, so it doesn’t impact the lake, but even in the bay I can’t recall ot being an issue. The Winooski though can definitely be a problem and I’ve been on boats that came close to hitting some big ones, that were barely visible.
But to my second point, the snowmelt will mainly be from late March to May, and boating season doesn’t really start until late May or June. So by the time people are boating, a lot of the logs and debris has washed ashore somewhere.
To more directly answer your question they are extremely hard to spot, and I haven’t had a ton of close calls but maybe one or two instances.
There is a local marine and salvage business that posts sightings on their facebook page, and will typically provide location and in some cases will tow it away.
Not sure if this info is helpful for you but that’s my experience on a pretty big lake.
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u/No_Cut4338 20h ago
Its my understanding that in some regions deadheads can be quite profitable to harvest if you have the right equipment. A mapping software might prove quite helpful for folks in that line of work.
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u/NSAscanner 19h ago edited 19h ago
Around Vancouver, Nanaimo, Victoria and the Southern gulf islands, logs are so common I have never counted them. I would quickly lose count. Deadheads I will see a few times a year. I’m on the water a lot. The rest of my comment is mainly referring to logs.
Sea conditions don’t really matter. I’ve busted a prop on one and have nearly hit one also countless times. Rough seas make them harder to spot. Lighting conditions and the colour of the log is also a factor. Some blend into the ocean.
If I see one I take action to steer around it.
I could call a security on 16, but never have - if people actually did this the radio would never be silent around here.
The only solution I’ve thought of is to fine the logging industry for any of this debris, whether it’s in the water or on the beaches. Get the logs on the beaches cleaned up. Maybe put some form of monitoring at the mouth of the Fraser.
For an idea of how bad the problem is, see this satellite image of a nearby beach (if you can, use google earth to view older photos. This is the cleanest one I’ve ever seen):
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u/Clamdigger7 19h ago
Years ago I was captaining a 42 foot sportfisher to the NorthEast Canyons. About 50 miles off the beach running at 25kn I saw something strange pass by within 10 feet. I shut down and circled back. It was about a 16 inch diameter steel pipe with a welded top bobbing strait up and down and only barely breaking the surface between waves. I think it was a spud from a work barge. I attempted to tie a life jacket to it so other could see it but it was impossible. That think likely would have floated like that for years just waiting to sink someone if they ever hit it.
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u/Notgreygoddess 19h ago
We see lots of deadheads going down Spanish River to the North Channel. As others have mentioned, this used to be an area with lots of logging on the river.
They are difficult to spot if there’s waves or poor lighting. So far, we’ve been lucky. We do tend to be cautious. 30’ cruiser with two and a half foot draft.
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u/MadeMeStopLurking Bennington pontoon / Starcraft Delta 19h ago
Western NY here.
We call them prop goblins. Average about 2x per year seeing them. Our small fishing group tracks them usually.
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u/Fit-Cat6835 19h ago
in the last 5 years of boating the Southern Gulf Island area i can remember seeing 2 traditional ‘deadheads’ ie 8-12” of a 50’+ log sticking out of the water. I reported them both through the coastguard phone line by giving a lat/long position. both were seen in a calm sea-state as spotting them above a 2 would be pretty tough and im never out beyond that anyways.
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u/PropOrange 18h ago
I used to get the ferry from HK airport into mainland China. For what ever reason that stretch of water had loads. The ferry was a quick one not huge and it always made me nervous.
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u/evemeatay SeaRay 18h ago
Oh High Rock lake in North Carolina - we see loose logs quite a bit coming down the Yadkin river and into the lake. Most of them are storm damage but there are a lot of collected logs at the mouth of the lake that occasionally just get nudged free. They tend to float in the middle of the lake a lot because there are many smaller streams, creeks, etc that come together and make a channel in the middle of the main body.
I've hit one, blew up my drive and had to have it replaced - I never did actually see that one. I see a lot that luckily float proud of the water at least enough to spot them and they tend to stay in the same rough area for days at a time in this lake so once I spot them I'm aware of them. The ones that float low and under the water seem more rare, but like I said, I've hit exactly that kind in the past. I tend to stay in well traveled areas and keep a super careful lookout but you just can't be certain about it.
High Rock is under NC fish and wildlife supervision but the power generation and responsibility for things like dock permits is under Cube Hydro, so there is almost no active management of the lake itself. There isn't anywhere to report or track things like this in the water as far as I am aware. Sometimes another boater will undertake to move a log but that's rare and honestly I would be concerned about my boat in trying to attempt it, who knows how big it actually is and how it will behave.
What I would love to see for lakes is something like apple maps/waze where sandbars, shallows, hazards, logs, etc can be reported by other users and show up on the map on my phone/tablet. I don't use any marine nav software on High Rock because it's unreliable and the lake changes due to incoming river flow and storms.
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u/Endles5Earth 17h ago
There isn’t a solution for such dynamic hazards. It’s just a danger of boating and why we have insurance and towing!
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u/H20FOSHO 17h ago
My caveman brain helped me narrowly avoid a 2x4x8 in the southeast Florida interintercoastal this past weekend! Going about 35mph,
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u/D3vilSpawn 17h ago
Mississippi River, IA/IL border. The water moves up and down quite often, and when they open the lock and dams to let water thru, each pool ahead of the lock gets all kinds of debris. When the water goes up, I tend to have to remind the boaters at my marina (especially newer ones) that they need to pay attention for logs and trees floating thru. We're constantly removing them from in our slips and lift well areas. PITA
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u/Mr_Matts_here 17h ago
If this also includes lakes then you need to check out any hydro electric dams that have been built in the last 100 years. Stave lake dam was built in the 1920’s and in 1950 they emptied the water and had prisoners go in and cut down dead heads. If you message me. I know a lot about my local lakes. I live in mission bc.
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u/fitek 17h ago
I'm just across the border from you. I see wood floating around all the time, larger logs mostly after storms. They come down the rivers, but can travel kind of far from the river mouths. They can be quite hard to see in bad weather. Unfortunately striking a submerged log ended our boating season two years ago. Stabicraft, so aluminum hull. There was light chop and I didn't see it until too late. Damage wasn't bad, we hit it on the port side and then it hit the skeg on the outboard and forced it hard enough to the side to snap the steering cable. We were able to rig up a tiller using a hockey stick :) and make it back home at trolling speed. It sure seems like there should be a way to mark larger logs if you come across them, kind of like crab traps.
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u/Holiday-Job-9137 16h ago
Someone commented that "it would be nice if there were some way to mark them, kind of like a crab trap". How about a program making available flags on a sharpened metal shaft that boaters can use to mark dead heads? I know there would be a significant cost, but maybe insurance companies and government could pitch in?
If I see a hazard to navigation, I would mark it if I could.
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u/45Knots 16h ago
spent some time in Marine SAR in the fraser river / vancouver coastal area, with many heavy weather and low vis experience.
this sounds like an interesting and beneficial project, but for obvious reasons i cannot discuss operational details (e.g. call statistics) on a public forum, and others has already contributed a lot. pls send me a dm if you’re interested to discuss.
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u/Ecstatic-Ability5242 6h ago
Thanks, I'd definitely be interested in chatting! I've tried to send you a dm, but Reddit says I'm unable to send messages to your account. Would you mind sending me a message first?
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u/SirBiggusDikkus 16h ago edited 16h ago
See floating and partially submerged logs frequently in Weiss Lake Alabama. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a straight vertical underwater log though. See them more often when there’s been a lot of rain. Mostly can navigate around them because I’m always on alert for them because they are so prevalent. I have a Yamaha jet boat which I suspect helps to minimize damage on the couple times I couldn’t move out of way fast enough. Certainly dark makes that harder and I mostly don’t boat in the dark because of that. Idk if a system is needed there, regular boaters there all are aware of the issue.
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u/SavageKerfuffle 15h ago
We cruised from Seattle to SE Alaska (Juneau, Sitka etc) up the inside passage and back this summer, about four months on the water. The number of logs in BC waters is astounding. I don’t know if it’s the logging practices, the topography or what but crossing the border, especially the AK/BC border, is like throwing a LOGS ON switch.
Basically all the things you listed above, logs of all shapes and sizes, from 2-3 footers to 60 foot trees complete with roots. Some singles but often in large lines probably from tide/current movements. They range from easy to spot (some are large enough to show up on radar) to almost invisible depending on the angle of the light, sea state, weather conditions and wind. We never travel after dark because of them, and heavy fog is even more stressful because of logs.
As far as avoidance, we usually just alter course using the autopilot to dodge, although sometimes the volume of them requires slowing down and hand steering through. They are also often mixed in with kelp, so discerning what is dangerous vs benign can be tricky. Even with a constant watch we hit a few smaller ones, which announce themselves with a loud bonk and an “oh shit” from whoever is at the helm. We typically travel about 8-9 knots but even at that speed a large log in the wrong place can be devastating. We listened in on a radio call between a boat and the coast guard that hit a log and had it wedge their rudders, they had to be towed in.
As far as reporting/notification, other than a “Logs next 500 miles” sign I’m not sure what makes sense. There are a few notices on the charts for channels where it’s even more common than usual (ex. Petrel Channel) but you can encounter them from Olympia to Juneau, but more in BC at least in our experience, and weirdly very few in Alaska. We saw more whales than logs there.
Good luck, hope you come up with something!
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u/rufos_adventure 15h ago edited 15h ago
blaine, wa. deadheads are getting scarce. used to get free 'deadhead flags' at the licensing shops. this will change though, the interior tribes are dumping logs in the rivers to help the salmon restoration. some will end up in the salt water. the article claimed they were dumping 6,000 logs!
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u/Bakerskibum87 14h ago
I in Bellingham and they are quite plentiful hard to see at night or with waves. Not sure I know anyone that hasn’t hit one. Need to vigilant
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u/nuck1014 14h ago
I see them quite frequently boating around Campbell River and Sayward. Have hit one before, wasn't going very fast and didn't suffer any damage, it was an aluminum boat and we smacked outboard pretty good
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u/ottawaPalapa 14h ago
Ottawa River operator here — deadheads are a spring problem for us. After ice-out and high water, we see partially submerged logs for weeks, worst after storms push debris off the banks.
Spotting: at planing speed in chop, basically invisible until you're on them. Early morning glassy water is paradoxically when you CAN see them — that one weird ripple / dark line that doesn't match the wave pattern. At night, assume they're there and slow down.
Damage I've seen: bent props and skeg strikes are the common ones; a direct hull hit at speed is the season-ender. A shared reporting map would only work if it's dead simple — boaters won't open a separate app mid-run. Plotter/chart overlay or it won't get used.
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u/Sh0ckValu3 13h ago
Puget Sound here. Common to hear "Keep en eye out for logs with all this [flooding|rain|spring tides|storms]".
I don't know statistically there are more or less of them during those times, but it certainly would make sense that when more water was moving, it would kick up more debris to navigate.
Luckily at night they all go about 20 feet underwater, so you don't need to worry about them. (that's the snarky way of saying "you'll never see them at night, so you might as well not worry about even trying...." )
We did cancel a fishing trip recently - left out of Tacoma towards Point Defiance. 5 minutes out, hit a log and put a big enough gouge in the fiberglass that we were uncomfortable ignoring it. Turned around and went home.
Can you attach a biodegradable buoy to them?
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u/gooneau 13h ago
Here in SE AK it's generally during high tide cycles or upland flooding that you encounter the most deadheads. I've notice the absolute worst conditions are when you have 1) king tides 2) stormy conditions and 3) non-prevailing winds.
Here we usually have southerly winds during storms. This stacks up logs and drift wood on south-facing coves. Occasionally, usually during winter, we will get northerly wind storms. When those occur concurrently with extreme high tides, the logs/driftwood in those coves is refloated by the tides, then pushed out to sea by the north winds. I've seen a couple times where this caused absolute mayhem on the water for a couple days while all that wood finds its way to a new beach. It's fascinating to visit coves that are generally packed with driftwood, and see them stripped bare. Over the following weeks, usually things find their way back more or less to the normal equalibrium.
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u/DominicPalladino 11h ago
I've encountered them most on one more Saturday night, some times when there is a touch of grey is in the air.
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u/Some-Nail-9863 9h ago
Don’t go on the unnavacable side of the east river. Lots of logs/trees and plenty of Coney Island white fish!
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u/FISH_ON_for_life 7h ago
Central Puget sound here. I see logs pretty much every time I go out (around 60 times a year maybe?). Far more here in between September and march due to higher tides and stronger weather.
Most of the time they are floating in tide rips.
Running “at speed in the dark” is for idiots - typically I only see aluminum’s doing this during king season and coho derby days. I personally crawl between 5-8 mph (gps speed), depending on moonlight.
Only system like Flir give you a chance in the dark. And their success is wholly dependent on the temperature difference being great enough to stand out to the camera. Only other way I can think of is if someone were to tag them all with a blinking light.
Eliminate as much of the source as we can. Allow people to remove logs from beaches. Eliminate industrial log movement on the water (see Google images of the inland BC coast - every bay is full of them it seems).
Restore coastal river flood plains so that the natural washdown logs collect there, and don’t just have a straight shot out into the sound.
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u/ComprehensiveBug7007 7h ago edited 6h ago
BC Boater - fishing off Hornby, Denman, and mid Island, I usually see 1 or maybe 2 good ones a summer season. By "good" I mean holy crap if someone hit this at speed it could put a hole in their hull and it's big and hard to see due to how deep it's submerged. I think they used to be more common when I was younger. I recall you used to sometimes see them flagged, but I haven't seen that in recent years. We usually motor right over for a closer look. If you're brave and in the right boat, you can push down hard and see how high it pops back up. If someone was fishing nearby I might warn them if we wound up close together, but they can travel fast with the tide so there's not much to be done.
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u/whiteout82 6h ago
Hit a part of a submerged dock that had partially sunk and broken away after hurricane Sandy. Shattered the lower unit of one engine, and almost the same to the other, with enough left in tact to make it back to the launch and get on the trailer.
Also in this incident was the loss of a windshield, a deckhand with a concussion and myself with 2 cracked ribs and a nice cut on my forehead.
Couldn’t see it even after it brought us from 35kt to a dead stop. All that was noticeable in the water was a little bit of rope floating around after the fact.
Mid day, clear as could be with good water visibility for the area which at that time I had 2 or 3 thousand hours worth of sea time as a skipper.
More recent, had a close call with a large tree with numerous smaller limbs. Again not visible on the surface but it grazed the hull of my boat and luckily missed the running gear. It surfaced as we passed, and it would’ve easily sheared a blade off the prop and/or ripped a rudder or shaft clean off.
USCG notified, and army corp was out later that day hauling it, more than likely due to the fact of the close proximity to a major port.
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u/UncleBenji 3h ago
On lakes, rarely unless it’s that kind of lake and then there’s many. On the Ohio River… pretty often which is why I didn’t put my boat into the river this year. Too much rain and flooding this summer that was washing everything down the river.
Difficulty spotting is also relative to speed. They’re easier to notice as a dark shape appearing randomly if you’re going slow. If you’re going fast it may just appear as a shadow or the back of a ripple. At night, forget about it without a spot light and going slower.
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u/Putrid_Bat_3862 1d ago
I have been boating on Shuswap Lake for the better part of my life. We usually have partially submerged logs and branches that come with the springs runoff in May and June. Usually these logs will clear out and go to the shoreline by early July. I don't typically boat at night so can't comment on how detectable they are then, but I imagine it's not good and you'd want to go slow. When I am boating in the spring I always try to stand as I find being higher up will give you a better view of the logs. As for a solution I bet if you had a pole coming from the bow of your boat with a camera with a Gopro and maybe some sort of AI detection system that would be the best bet. Or maybe some sort of radar could detect the logs. Depending on the speed of the boat you will want lots of notice as it can take a while to turn and avoid it on a watercraft.
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u/Capital-Macaroon-769 1d ago
I've hit one 25 miles off ocean city Maryland. Blew the transom out of my boat. I reported it to the uscg but no one seemed to care. It was glass calm day, not even a ripple on the ocean and we were headed east and couldn't see what we hit even after the impact until the tree moved a little under the water.