Re: [Paddlewise] landing a victim through surf

At 11:04 PM 11/10/98 -0500, Scott Ives wrote:
>>  Now a question for you all.  I have paddled through the surf when it
>is relatively light on numerous occasions.  However, I have a real fear
>of either going out, or coming in through big breakers.  Am I the only
>one with this fear?  My fear is that a wave will send me end over end,
>and my spine will snap like a twig.  Don't laugh, I met a 30 year old
>guy confined to a wheelchair for life for this very reasons.  Do you
>guys ever think about this problem?  A sit upon wouldn't bother me.  I
>can handle the surf, I just want to make sure I can fall off in a hurry!

Scott,

I have been slammed back onto the rear deck more than once and will not use
any kayak in the surf that impedes my ability to lay back on the rear deck.
This includes high volume designs where the rear cockpit coaming hits high
on my back, high seatbacks and gear on the back deck. It also rules out
carrying a "bail-out" waist pack.

With proper technique, "getting slammed" should be quite rare. In my case
it has always been from getting tired or lazy and having a large wave break
on my chest. Generally you can time your passage through the surf zone to
avoid this. If not, you can capsize and let your hull take the beating or
become a needle and adopt a forward tuck position (kiss the deck) with the
paddle held close to one side of the boat. This is an unstable position but
with practice you can tuck and untuck very quickly and literally shed quite
powerful waves.

When capsized I instinctively tuck forward and hold the paddle tightly
against the hull. There can be some strong turbulence at first and you
don't want to lose the paddle. Novices to the surf zone often try to roll
up too quickly. Assuming you have enough air in your lungs, it is usually
best to "hang out" for a few moments for the turbulence to subside and then
roll up. There are always exceptions though. Sometimes you can roll back up
immediately by a slight pressure on the paddle depending on the conditions.
This is a difficult skill to describe, with practice you will simply know
the correct sensations that will either favor a roll or require some wait
time.

A sit-on-top is not a panacea in the surf. Most instances where you are
forcefully slammed against the kayak deck happen much to quickly to bail
out beforehand. If you do manage to "eject" keep in mind that while you are
in the salt water "wash-cycle" your kayak is tumbling right in there beside
you.

Greg Stamer
Orlando, Florida


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