Re: [Paddlewise] wet exit? why?

Hey Julio:

For many new paddlers, flipping can be 'upsetting' (sorry, I couldn't resist).
Practising wet exits in a benign environment can help novices relax, and start to
think of the boat as a big water toy.  When they are relaxed, it is much easier to
help them learn further skills, and leave them with a happy feeling and desire for
more.

For example, learning to float one's body on the water with hand or paddle or
float assistance without exiting the boat is something I cover when teaching
bracing and rolling, and dogpaddling usually comes along when students are
practising their rolls the first few times.  Teaching these things right off the
start, when a novice might be very nervous, would not be as effective, and for
some would be off-putting.

As far as you comments concerning the Innuit and your noting that most drowned
boaters are found out of their boats, I believe that they are not particularly
relevant.

Take for example the Caribou Eskimo kayak.  Fathers would build small ones for
their sons, and would help them learn in shallow water.  Swims by the novices were
commonplace.  This is no different from how we teach sprint kayaking today.  Let's
not confuse novices learning at the beach with serious trips, be it historic
Innuit culture or contemporary Western culture.

As far as finding bodies outside of boats, I believe that this has more to do with
it being very difficult to stay in a boat when either in great distress or when
dead, so I don't find your mention of such statistics to be at all useful.  It's a
bit like saying that most people die in bed, so one should not go to bed.  Being
knocked out of a boat, dragged out of a boat, or sucked out of a boat are all very
common, and have little to do with whether or not a paddler makes a conscious
effort not to swim.

While I share your concern that paddlers should learn not to swim because they
usually will stand a much better chance in their boats, I think that a staged
progression, starting with wet exits/water-play/relaxation/basic motion will
usually make for a better learning experience than having novices dogpaddle from
the start.  I would suggest that the techniques you have mentioned are inherent to
learning and practising other skills, such as rolling and bracing.

Cheers,

Richard Culpeper
www.geocities.com/~culpeper

Julio MacWilliams wrote:

> I recently read an article by John Heath that explains how lethal
> it is for the Inuit people to get out of their kayaks (wet exit), and
> how ironic it is that the first thing that it is tought to sea kayaking
> beginners is the wet exit. The same article has some statistics that
> show that in almost all fatalities the kayaker is found (if found) out
> of the kayak.
>
> There are two ways to remain in the kayak after a capsize without
> rolling.
>
> The first on is to grab an inflated or solid paddlefloat that
> one carries in the aft deck and put it behind your neck; that keeps
> your head comfortably out of the water while inside the kayak.
>
> The second method is to use a dog swimming stroke to take a breath
> every two strokes. This second method is the same one used to
> retrieve a paddle that has fallen away from the kayak. It takes
> about four sessions of practice to learn how to swim that way without
> getting exhausted and conserving energy.
>
> Neither of the two skills explained above is tought at any sea kayaking
> class around here, beginning or advanced.
>
> I suggest that those of you who are serious about sea kayaking start
> practicing those two skills to the point where you can wait for rescue several
> minutes until you get bored.
>
> Another skill I suggest that serious paddlers should practice is to
> roll with a float (an inflated or solid paddlefloat are good), and make
> that roll your 100% bomb proof roll. Not only that would allow you
> to say good bye to wet exits, but would make it much easier for you
> to learn the paddle rolls, also known as eskimo rolls.
>
> - Julio
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