did he get caught in the current?

I hadn't heard that story from the Mouth of the Brazos. I knew about the one with the kayak guide and one of his clients getting into trouble there.

I've kayaked there a couple of times. Always when the Brazos didn't have much fresh water runoff and that's rare for the Brazos. Even then the channel is so relatively narrow and so much tidal action generated water moves through there as it pours into and out of the ICW and river inland it's pretty hairy. Then some swells from the gulf find their way into the channel well inside the beach line when the gulf is just a little rough. Add to that the wind generated chop and then have the current flowing in direct opposition making for a mess. Anytime a major current is flowing Southeast and the wave/swell action is moving Northwest it makes for some really nasty wave action. It's hard to see that type of set up from shore. Once you are in it it's too late.

It's bad enough even in a large bay/inshore/nearshore type boat out there if you want to run out beyond the breakers. If the gulf has its usual 2-3 waves, at some point to get out or back in a boat will have to pick its way through the ever shifting bars and have the boat at the right speed to time the swell that can suddenly become a breaker. I've known of several power boats that got caught up in it and gotten swamped or flipped.

Let's say you do end up in the water there after your kayak or boat capsizes. You won't find a place with more bull and plenty of tiger sharks around. I'd hate to be bleeding and bobbing up and down in that spot. But you survive that and find yourself able to make it to the opposite shore. Here you have a place with Yoo-hoo water and stingrays galore. As you thrash and swim for the blessed shore hoping to just lay on the golden sand your naked feet and legs contact razor sharp oysters. You heard me, it's the only surf zone that has anchored reef, not broken shell, that I've ever come across. So bleeding and bruised from that encounter you crawl onto the thin ribbon of sand. Feet away are the giant piles drift wood trees and the Western Diamondbacks rattlesnakes that call them home. It's not if you will see a rattlesnake there, it's when.

Sounds great, I'm all in. Let's go Butch!

All of the stuff I mentioned has happened, but not to necessarily to the same people. My neighbor's cousin jumped out of a boat there in the minimal surf and landed right on the razor sharp shell cutting himself pretty badly. I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen the shell first hand. My neighbor's brother, dad, and their friend capsized out in the same basic spot and darn near drowned. My dad's friend capsized out there. I think that was a Grady white. That was pretty ugly.

Another friend pulled his kayak up onto the opposite shore and almost on top of a 5-6 foot rattlesnake. Nothing really bad has happened to me personally there other than some hairy near swamping breaker action trying to come back in. But it is one place I won't kayak alone. That might be just about the only place I won't.

San Luis Pass------currents and shifting sand bottoms caused by all the water that exits the bays through there.

From a boating perspective, Baffin.

Add Rollover Pass to the list.