RE: [Paddlewise] landing a victim through surf

If you were faced with really terrible surf to enter, your best way in would
be with a good mask, fins and snorkel---I'm not saying it would always be
fun, but 12 footers are not much challenge in this manner---and this is easy
to store as emergency or fun to use type gear.  As fas as dragging a nearly
unconscious person wth you, I'd do this with mask and fins LONG before I'd
try it on a kayak. The fins need to be very tight fitting so the breaking
waves can't yank them off, and the mask should be a low volume free diving
type, such as a cressi superochio, or an esclapez or Omer freeding mask
 about $45 for the mask)...fins should be easy to get on fast, if emergency
use is your primary reason for them. My choice would be full foot freediving
fins, since they are most efficient and can be worn barefoot or with socks.
If you wear some type of kayak type water proof shoe, several open heel fins
could be pulled on over your shoes, but the strapping system on the open
heel fin would need to be very secure and strong. A snorkel will make
swimming in surf easy--breathing will be easy---if you don't have
snorkelling shills, buy an Impulse by U.S Divers---it is a snorkel that
stAys dry and requires no knowledge of snorkel clearing.
Regards,
Dan Volker


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of Product
> Information Department
> Sent: Friday, November 06, 1998 11:54 AM
> To: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> Subject: [Paddlewise] landing a victim through surf
>
>
> Scott wrote:
> >If they were too far gone that I didn't believe they could paddle, then I
> >think the next option would be to have them climb out of their boat and
> lie on
> >my back deck, arms around my waist with their feet apart and in
> the water for
> >stability. I believe I could land a person through all but the
> hairiest of
> >surf in this fashion. At the very least I could get them close enough to
> shore
> >so that if I did lose it and capsize I could exit my boat and
> swim (walk?)
> the
> >victim the rest of the way in.
>
> Prior to a three-week paddle trip this summer with two friends, we all
> practised various self- and group rescues together. My two companions are
> experienced paddlers in their own right, and have a good sense of how a
> kayak needs to balance. One of the methods we played with was the "victim
> on the rear deck" rescue. Admittedly my boat was unladen and therefore
> tippier than it would be while touring, but I was struck by just how
> unstable the "victim" made my boat, even with their torso pressed to the
> deck. And this was in calmish water. Of course, this may simply reflect my
> limitations as a paddler.
>
> The prospect of bringing someone in through surf this way does not fill me
> with delight. I'd be concerned the additional weight at the back would
> cause the boat to broach very easily. (Although I suppose their legs
> dragging in the water might act as "sea anchors", reducing the broaching
> effect.) While I'm comfortable side-surfing with a brace, my head is above
> water much of the time. Anyone with their body pressed to the rear deck is
> going to have their head underwater a lot of the time - perhaps the whole
> way into the beach - in even moderate waves. Ugly enough if you were in
> good shape to begin with - utterly brutal if you were in bad shape from
> cold. Then too, once you do start to side-surf, you are committed
> until the
> wave lets you go - you can't back off while your passenger takes a breath.
> So that leaves paddling in with them on your rear deck, with the boat
> facing out to sea. While I like playing in the surf, I find being surfed
> backwards down the face of a wave is a very out-of-control, scary feeling.
> And all that weight on the rear deck would make it far harder not to be
> surfed backwards.
>
> So, what I am left with? One possibility would be to inflate my Sea-Seat
> (I'd use a paddle float if I didn't have this). Just outside the
> surf zone,
> my passenger and I would get out of our boats, and swim far enough to one
> side that we wouldn't mix it up with the kayaks in the surf zone.
> Then we'd
> join arms across the floatation and try to ride through the surf
> as quickly
> as possible. This idea assumes a few things:
> That the victim is still able to assist at least moderately in their own
> rescue.
> That they are prepared to enter the water.
> That the beach is big, rock-free and gradual enough that we and the boats
> are likely to get in intact.
> That I really would be noble enough to abandon, however temporarily, a
> perfectly good boat.
>
> Great scenario, very thought-provoking, no easy and certain solution.
>
> Cheers,
> Philip T.
>
>
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