Larry Bliven wrote, in response to Scott: > your [Scott's] rescue experience demonstrates that > swimming is a practical approach for surf landings. > > however for that technique to work, kayakers need to be able to swim. My > local paddle club puts its emphasis on paddling gear and rolling. the > subject of swimming is rarely discussed... [snip] i wonder > if swimming skills are an important part of kayaking... > > Are swimming skills a part of kayak training programs that offer > certifications? Not that i put emphasis on certificates, but i wonder what > importance those groups place on swimming. Larry's post made me think about my "head set" when paddling on the ocean. I now realize that my comfort in paddling just outside the surf zone is attributable to my high degree of confidence that, worst comes to worst, I can swim to shore, through big surf if I have to. What I had not thought about, until Larry's post, was that negotiating big surf probably terrifies most people, just as serious whitewater terrifies me. Good illustration of how we each have our own set of blinders. Re: should kayakers be able to swim WELL? Absolutely. That's the last line of defense -- not that it's much use well offshore. But, because most of us paddle within 0.5 miles of a shoreline, swimming could be the last resort. Aaah, well, not in those 5 meter waves on Georgian Bay, I guess, hey John W? -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Nov 11 1998 - 07:46:02 PST
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