The past two weeks have been full of exciting thunderstorms, giving us Mono Basin residents a generous helping of precipitation, lightning, and rainbows. Unfortunately, the storms also bring with them greater risk to those recreating in the open spaces of the Eastern Sierra.
This is especially true for people wishing to enjoy Mono Lake via watercraft, such as stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) or kayaks. The Mono County Sheriff Search & Rescue (SAR) team has had their work cut out for them over the past week-and-a-half: since July 13, they have rescued nine individuals who were stranded in the water, on the islands, or on remote stretches of shoreline. Luckily these people all survived, but that’s not always the outcome when people get caught in windstorms out on the water.
The reason so many people have gotten into trouble on the lake recently is that mountain storms cause high winds, pushing unsuspecting watercraft users out into the lake in whatever direction the wind fancies—which usually isn’t the direction you want to travel. In one of the recent rescue incidents waves were 3–4 feet high, a level of wave activity too intense for anyone to paddle through. To make matters worse, the windswept spray from these waves fills the eyes with salt and makes breathing more difficult. All these factors mean that Mono Lake, which is so inviting on a calm morning, becomes outright deadly when the wind is strong.
The summer thunderstorms that frequent the Sierra Nevada happen like clockwork. Nine times out of ten, the morning is calm and sunny, and cloud activity starts building up in the mid-to-late morning. First large, puffy cumulus clouds dot the sky, and over the next several hours the clouds grow larger and more numerous. Usually by midday, if there is a storm brewing, at least half of the sky will be covered by clouds, and some of the cumulus clouds will have developed into large cumulonimbus clouds. The storm might strike at 12:00noon or it might hold off till 4:00pm, but if you notice that clouds are increasing in number or size, be cautious! Every one of the recent SAR rescues occurred in the afternoon, reinforcing the wisdom of paddling on the lake in the morning and getting off the water by noon.
Does this mean that you should steer clear of Mono Lake? Not at all! It means that you should prepare accordingly and practice situational awareness when planning your trip. Paddling on Mono Lake is one of the most beautiful ways to experience the lake. Following a few guidelines when you go out on the water will make sure you have a memorable and safe time in the water:
- Wear a personal flotation device (PFD, aka life jacket) any time you go out in/on watercraft. If you do end up in an emergency, a life jacket could mean the difference between life and death.
- Read a detailed weather forecast for your trip. Use a weather service with hourly data, such as NOAA Weather or Windy.com. Modify your itinerary based on how windy/stormy it is expected to be.
- Always plan to go out on the lake in the morning and to be off the lake by noon. Calm mornings are common on the lake, whereas calm afternoons are a rarity.
- Practice situational awareness. If significant winds* are already present, don’t go out on the water. If the wind is mild, pay attention to which direction it is blowing—will it push you towards shore or away from shore? In the past 10–30 minutes, has the wind increased? Have the waves become bigger? Is cloud activity increasing and at what rate?
- Stay close to shore if the conditions are anything less than ideal. If you’re 100 yards from shore when the wind starts making it hard to paddle, it will be much easier to get ashore than if you are 400 yards from shore. Most of the cool stuff to see is close to shore, anyway!
- Respect the wildlife. Mono Lake is an important nesting location for numerous bird species; the two you need to be aware of when boating are California Gulls and Osprey. Tens of thousands of gulls nest on Mono Lake’s islands, which is why you cannot go within 1 mile of the islands between April 1 and August 1. The Osprey nest on tufa towers, and nesting parents get disturbed when paddlers get too close. If you are paddling near any tufa towers, give the osprey nests a wide berth (200 yards is the legal limit). Be extra careful if you’re on a SUP: SUPs are more startling to the ospreys than low-riding craft like kayaks.
Remember, boating on Mono Lake is free and a lot of fun when you do it safely on the right day. Just don’t mess with Mono when it’s looking moody. If you have your own SUP or kayak, bring it down to Navy Beach and paddle over to South Tufa, as long as you observe the guidelines and rules outlined above. If you want to get in on the fun but don’t have your own watercraft, you can reserve a seat and join us for a weekend canoe tour!
*A quick guide to observing wind on Mono Lake
The easiest way to gauge the severity of the wind is by observing the waves. Long, slow ripples on the water mean the wind is very mild. As the wind gets stronger, tiny crosshatch waves develop, and if the wind continues to increase a wave swell will develop. Once there’s a swell, be very careful! If you are out in the water, head back toward shore and reassess when you’re close to the safety of shore. High winds can come up very quickly on Mono Lake because there aren’t any obstructions to the wind on the lake. The wind can pick up from 5 miles per hour (mph) to 20 mph in only half an hour, and suddenly it is much more challenging to return to shore. Keep this in mind when making decisions. Finally, use a consistent weather service, such as NOAA Weather or Windy.com, to check the hourly windspeed forecast. Any wind speed above 10 mph should set off alarm bells in your head.
Top photo by Elin Ljung.