Saying Farewell to Carl
We are saddened to have to say farewell to one of our finest, Carl. He and his family are leaving the Oak Island area to assist family members in Maryland and we will certainly miss them all. In case you didn’t know, Carl was responsible for nearly all the posts on the Oak Island Water Rescue page for the last several years. That’s right, all the rip current warnings, explanations of how things work, funny stories and anecdotes, jokes, photographs, training videos, links to useful information on beach safety, life-saving, etc. That was all Carl!
And while he was critical on many of our calls, there is at least one person walking around today that very possibly would not be without Carl’s skill and dedication. He provided life-saving first aid to a kayaker in 2018 that had been hit by a boat, and while the entire team always shares in successful saves such as this, we all know how important Carl was on this call. Decades of experience in emergency medicine and rescues before joining OIWR truly paid off for this kayaker.
Even though he has a lifetime of experience, Carl is always seeking to learn more. He spends a lot of his free time learning how other rescue organizations work, what works and doesn’t work in emergency situations, and keeping tabs on rescues around the world. But he never kept this information to himself, he was always eager and willing to share his experience and knowledge with anyone willing to listen.
As Carl and his family prepare to leave Oak Island, a place they truly love, the entire Oak Island Water Rescue team wants to extend a sincere THANK YOU to him and his family. We are all better first responders thanks to your time here with us. You will be greatly missed and we hope to be able to welcome you back to the team in the future. You will always be welcome here.
So if you see Carl around town the next few weeks before they leave, make sure to say hello and thank him for a job well done. You will be missed buddy.
