A man and his 11-year-old son have been rescued from the Kern River near the Park at Riverwalk in southwest Bakersfield. Jason Pannell was kayaking around 1:00 Monday afternoon when they got out to get by a low-head dam, then got into what they thought was calm water only to find it was not. Fire rescue says the river may appear calm on the surface, but is treacherous below. They advise staying out but Pannell says it’s important to be prepared and to wear flotation devices like he and his son did. City and county fire crews were quickly on scene to fish them out unharmed, rescue units have been stationed nearby for faster response times.

Sean Michael Lisle