RE: [Paddlewise] Safety Warning

At 08:28 PM 3/7/01 -0500, Robert Woodard wrote:
> > From: "Matt Broze" <mkayaks_at_oz.net>
> > Subject: [Paddlewise] Safety Warning
> >
> > I recently learned of two separate incidents where paddlers were
> > trapped in
> > their kayak upon capsizing because they were wearing neoprene gloves.
>
>Thanks Matt for this insight. Teaching safe wet exits is one of my
>obsessions within our club. While it seems a no brainer 99.999% of the time,
>all it takes is one entrapment to take your life if you panic, or haven't
>thought through the possibility.
>
>During wet exit practice, I encourage folks to 'pretend' that their grab
>loop is folded under. Think through how they would handle that situation,
>and then try it. Leaving the grab loop exposed, but pretending it is folded
>under, allows them a way out in the event their alternate method doesn't
>work.


Thinking about anything besides "I've got to get out of this boat and
breathe" probably helps.  As a member of our local college outdoor club
I am often called upon to witness the mandatory wet exit at pool
sessions before new members are allowed to paddle the clubs kayaks
(actually, they're not given a paddle until a wet exit is demonstrated).
If the new members are first time kayakers I'll explain the sequence of 
events in great detail, then demonstrate a wet exit.  When I demonstrate 
mine I make
sure that I am very deliberate with each step and really take my time
getting out.  Then I'll ask each of the new members to describe the
sequence verbally.  I'll make sure that they repeat each step back
to me before they demonstrate their wet exit.

Inevitably, what happens is someone will tip upside down and forget everything
I said, and I'll witness a mad scramble to get out of the boat and
breathe.  When that happens, I'll make them do it again.  Only after
they've done a wet exit in a controlled deliberate manner are they
given a paddle.  For those that seemed to panic at first I'll often
ask them to do another one near the end of the pool session.

Last weekend I lead a pool session for the club and had everyone
do a wet exit at the beginning.  One woman said, "I hate this part"
and I said, "that's why I'm asking everyone to do one".  I told her
that capsizing in a kayak is inevitable so you might as well feel
comfortable doing it. Practicing a wet exit after an intentional
capsize will provide the experience to keep you from going into a
panic when (not if) you capsize unintentionally.  Once you've unintentionally
capsized and wet exited a few times you won't "hate this part" but
just accept it as part of the sport.

Oh, the steps that I go over go like this:

1. put your forehead to your knees. (I explain why this is
very important if you're paddling potentially shallow water)

2. reach around and slap the hull three times (this has the
effect of thinking of doing something else before pulling the
spray skirt, and also serves a real world purpose of alerting
other paddlers in your group that you've capsized)

3. move your hands toward your hips to the cockpit rim and
then slide them toward the grab loop.

4. find the loop and pull toward the bow first, then away
from the hull.

5. slide the fingers between the skirt and cockpit rim
all the way to the back until the skirt is completely
free.

6. put hands just behind the hips and somersault forward as
if you're taking off a pair of pants.


I realize that one does not need to go through each step to
successfully wet exit but going through a series of steps seems
to help people be more deliberate, and thus less likely to
panic, when they tip over.

One final step that is often not mentioned is to stay in contact
with the boat (and paddle if you can) after exiting the kayak.
If wind driven waves were responsible for an unintended capsize
that same wind can quickly blow a kayak across the water faster
than a human can swim.

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