Swimming with Your Kayak

Sooner later, it happens . . . your kayak capsizes and you are in the water.

Often kayakers rely on other people to assist them with getting back into their kayak, but sometimes it is necessary to be able to swim your kayak to shore or to swim to your paddling team for assistance. Usually in ocean rock gardens, you will want to swim away from the rocks and toward deep water.  On the river, you usually will be swimming to shore.

The number one thing to do when you capsize is to hold on to your kayak and paddle.  For more on this check out Hold on to Your Kayak.

The second thing to do is to gain your composure and figure out what to do.  Often this means swimming with your kayak away from the hazard that capsized you, swimming to a safe spot, swimming to shore, or swimming to where a friend can help you.

Here are some tips for when you need to swim with your kayak -

1. Right the kayak.  Kayaks move more efficiently right side up.

2.  Get to the end of the kayak (bow or stern).

3.  Grab the carry handle or swim toggle on the end of the kayak with the same hand that you are using to hold onto the paddle.

4.  Choke up on the paddle so that it is streamline and out of the way.

5.  Use your free arm and legs to swim to safety.  We usually use a side stroke similar to what life guards use.

As you are swimming, figure out if you can use wind, waves, or current to help you.

If your friend is swimming, call out to them with encouragement and simple directions.

Practice these skills in easy water to perfect your technique.

Hold on to Your Kayak

Capsize happens!

When your kayak capsizes, do you know what to do?

Kayaks capsize in all conditions. Do you know what to do if your kayak flips over?

Most expert kayakers will roll their kayak upright after a capsize.  It only takes a few seconds and is the safest and fastest way to recover from a capsize.  BUT do not despair if you do not know how to roll your kayak or if you are not being successful at rolling.  There are other capsize recovery techniques that are easy and effective. 

The cowboy (cowgirl) scramble is one of several techniques to o get back into a sea kayak after a capsize.

The number one thing that you need to do is to HOLD ON TO YOUR KAYAK.  This is especially important if you are in the surf or in water where there is wind and/or current.  Kayaks can be swept away quickly in these situations.  If your kayak gets away from you, it can be difficult to retrieve.  You have heard the saying up the creek without a paddle.  Imagine being out in the middle of a lake, ocean, or bay without a kayak, swimming on the river as your kayak rushes down river away from you, or being in the surf as your kayak becomes a projectile rushing toward waders (often kids) on shore.  Lesson learned - HOLD ON TO YOUR KAYAK!

Hold on to your kayak to make for a faster recovery and so that it doesn't get blown or washed away.

Kayak Coach Christopher Lockyer of Committed 2 the Core Sea Kayak Coaching is doing a series of videos called Lessons Learned.  Video number one is HOLD ON TO YOUR KAYAK.  Check it out here and stay tuned for more videos in the series.

So you have held onto your kayak and hopefully your paddle too.  Now we can work on strategies for capsize recovery - getting back in the seat and on with your day.

Check back for videos and photos of capsize recovery techniques for a variety of kayaks - sit on top, sea kayaks, fishing kayaks, whitewater kayaks, and sit inside recreational kayaks.  If you have seen any good instructional posts or videos online, please post them below in the comments.

Okay!

Communication is a key skill in paddling (and all aspects of life).  There are many means and needs for communication on and off the water.  One is to check in with someone.  Sometimes, a paddler has taken a spill, is swimming, or is just a little bit spaced-out.  A common way to see if that person is okay is to use signals.

When using the okay signal on the water it is a question and answer.  One gives the okay sign and if the others are okay, they give the okay sign back.  Close up, we use the universal hand signal for okay.

This tells us a couple of things.  First being that the person is okay.  Second that maybe they really are or aren't okay.   If the person is slow to respond or doesn't make a clear okay sign, we need to investigate a little bit further.  When someone doesn't make a clear okay sign, they could be a little bit shaken or could possibly have issue that they are unaware of.  For example, one of the signs of hypothermia is a decrease in fine motor skills.  If they aren't making their index finger touch their thumb, hypothermia could be a concern.

From further away, we use one tap or a fist on the head.  Again, we make sure that we close off the "O."  The fist on the head forming an "O" is a universal sign for okay among the US Coast Guard and other Search and Rescue teams.

From larger distances or when view may be obstructed by swells or waves, we make a big "O" over the head with both arms meeting above the head.

Many paddlers use a tapping motion on their head to signal that they are okay.  This is often understood in the boating community but is not universally recognized.  It also can look like a signal for help.  We encourage paddlers not to use the head tap but to make closed "O" with a fist on the head, a hand signal, or arms overhead.