SAFETY
Sea kayaking is a sport where people occasionally die. Generally speaking experienced paddlers who have training and good judgement on their side are very safe. Beginner paddlers and those pushing the envelope of what’s humanly possible are most at risk. Experienced paddlers can also become sloppy in their safety routines so we all need to stay focused on safety.
I don’t intend to cover safety here as a subject in it’s own right, only to address the concerns with fit and entrapment that new paddlers often have. This is a common concern for new paddlers, getting stuck in the kayak. This is a valid concern but it’s actually very easily overcome with a little bit of training. If you’re a new paddler, GET TRAINING. It doesn’t matter if you do it through a club or a commercial instructor. As Nike say “Just do it”.
While many beginner paddlers worry about becoming trapped in their cockpit after a capsize, in the real world, staying in the kayak is much more important than getting out of it.
The best recovery from a capsize is to roll up. The rougher and colder the water, the more important this is. In really rough water, rolling may be the only viable self rescue option. Indeed it may be the only viable rescue option if your companions are struggling too.
People often regard the eskimo roll as the pinnacle of paddling skill. It isn’t really that hard but there are quite a lot of movements to put together. A good instructor can teach you to roll in a matter of hours if you’re comfortable in and under the water and don’t have any mobility problems. It’s very important to practice regularly though and to practice in rough conditions as this is where you will usually go over.
To roll up you need to stay in the boat (or be able to get back into the boat). Even experienced paddlers have become separated from their boat at sea. So if you do have to come out of the cockpit, your priority is to hold onto the boat. In windy conditions it will blow away faster than you can swim. The paddle is in the water and generally doesn’t move as fast so the boat is your absolute priority. Ideally, holding onto both boat and paddle is a very good idea.
It’s much easier to stay in the boat if it fits you and that brings us to boat fit
