Sea kayak rescues
Introduction
This web page has a look at various aspects of deep water sea kayak rescues. Youtube.com has quite a few videos about these rescues - some are worth watching, some aren`t. I`ve linked to some of them that are worth looking at.
However watching videos is no substitute for getting out there and doing them - and yes that means getting wet !
It doesn`t hurt ! ( too much ).
Practice, practice, practice.
Assisted rescues
To start with, here is a typical rescue that is frequently taught. There seems to be some difference of opinion about what it is called - I have seen references to it as a T-rescue, an X-rescue, and a XT-rescue ( or was it TX-rescue ? ).
I have reservations about the type of re-entry shown in this video, there is more about this further down the page. However it is a good video.
This next one is for when you have a paddler who is injured, but not unconscious - perhaps with some kind of upper body or limb injury. In this video, the paddler can more or less get back into the cockpit whilst the kayak is held over at an angle, then the rescuer does all or most of the work in righting the kayak.
This kind of assisted rescue has some advantage in the "T" shape, as it provides some stability in difficult conditions.
There is another kind of assisted rescue which I haven`t found a video for - it is called the curl rescue, and is a way of draining out a very swamped kayak. The basic idea is that the rescuer comes alongside the swamped kayak, the victim goes round to the opposite side of the rescuer`s kayak, leans over the rear or front deck, and with the swamped kayak lying on its side, he slowly lifts the swamped kayak up, letting the water run out. It is the rescuer`s job to hang on to the end of the swamped kayak, and to keep it level, so that the water can run out of the cockpit, rather than running down into one end.
The rescuer can also do the emptying by holding the swamped kayak by the cockpit rim on its side, and slowly letting the water run out. Slowly the swamped kayak floats upwards. This does require that the rescuer has a good sense of balance, and it is quite difficult to keep the swamped kayak level.
Getting back into your kayak
There are several different ways to get back into your cockpit, after the rescuer has drained your kayak.
There isn`t really a best method, it really depends on you, and which method you find easier. I think it is important that the rescuer doesn`t insist that a swimmer uses one particular kind of re-entry, as the swimmer may not be able to do that particular type of re-entry.
The original classic method is come up between the two kayaks, lie on your back on the surface of the water, then lift your legs up and into the cockpit, then slide in. It is a very inelegant procedure for the victim, and the rescuer has a lot of difficulty in keeping the two kayaks together, as the victim is pushing them apart. One of the reasons it often fails is that the swimmer gets their legs into their kayak, then tries to sit up. All that happens is that their kayak tips over, fills up with water, and they fall back into the water. It is very important that you don`t try to sit up until you are actually in the seat. Your head should be last thing to leave the water. Your back needs to be able to bend the wrong way. This type of re-entry requires that the swimmer does the complete opposite of what he really wants to do - which is get his head and body out of the water. I don`t know why, but this method of re-entry was for many years taught as the standard way to do a re-entry. There are better ways. The YouTube video referred to above as "typical assisted rescue" shows this method of re-entry, here is the same link again.
A good method is as follows - usually, the rescuer sets up the two kayaks the opposite way round ( ie, bow to stern, stern to bow ), but I`m not sure that this is strictly neccessary. The swimmer starts on the outside of his/her own kayak to the rear of the cockpit, kicks his/her legs, and "swims" up and over the rear kayak deck, so ends up lying diagonally across the two kayaks face down. Then lifts first one leg, then the other leg into the cockpit. Then turns round and sits up, dropping into the kayak seat. This is quite a good general purpose re-entry method. It is reasonably easy for the rescuer to keep the two kayaks together, and the victim can use the two decks as a platform for support - this also helps to pull the two kayaks together. However in rough conditions, you`ll get a bit of water washing into your face. This method may be harder if you have central bouyancy in the cockpit.
It has a couple of advantages as way of getting somebody back into their boat - firstly, it doesn`t take much skill, so fairly inexperienced paddlers can huff and puff their way back into their boat, and secondly, it allows the swimmer to do what they are desperate to do - get their head and body out of the water.
PS - this video seems to have gone from YouTube now !
There is another method sometimes known as a heel-hook re-entry - the swimmer hooks the heel of one leg over the cockpit coaming and sort of rolls up onto their back deck. It is not an intuitive procedure, the swimmer has to be well practised in it, or it just doesn`t work. In addition, it is more difficult for the rescuer to hold the two kayaks together than for the previous method, as the swimmer puts a lot of weight on the outside edge of their kayak. This YouTube video shows two kinds of re-entry. The first one is the same re-entry method as immediately above, the second one is the heel-hook re-entry .
Another possible way is to do a ladder style re-entry or a cowboy style re-entry, as seen above, whilst the two kayaks are either alongside each other, or in a "T" shape. The kayak remains upright on the water, so water doesn`t flow into the cockpit.
A method I evolved many years ago when I was teaching two star classes in a school works well if you are light and agile, but otherwise may not be useful. Teenagers are all arms and legs - at least they used to be, before obesity grew arms and legs !
Start in-between the two kayaks, but using both kayaks, support yourself vertically. Bounce down into the water, and as you bounce back up again, spin round to end up sitting on the back deck of your kayak. Lift your legs in, and slide down in to the seat. It is very quick to do, and if you can do it, a lot easier than lying on your back and trying to lift your legs in. It also means your kayak stays flat, not tipped over, so doesn`t take water on board.
Some solo rescues
The paddle float solo rescue is one possible way to do a solo re-entry, but it has limitations - it becomes increasingly difficult as the sea gets rougher. And since a capsize gets more likely as the sea gets rougher, this is a significant limitation.
An additional problem is that once you are back in the kayak, you still have the paddle float on the paddle. However it is a useful self rescue technique to know about.
YouTube - paddlefloat solo rescue
YouTube - paddle float solo rescue
As far as I can see, the only difference between the ladder rescue and the cowboy rescue is the way the paddler climbs onto the rear deck. Thereafter I think they are the same. They may show good skills, but I`m not sure I would want to rely on them as a self rescue method in rough conditions.
The underwater re-entry and roll self rescue is widely regarded as one of the better ways to a solo rescue, but it does require a fair bit of self-confidence, and a good reliable roll, as well as the ability to set up for a roll whilst underwater.
It isn`t perhaps very clear from this video what the paddler is doing - the basic idea of the classic procedure is that the paddler is alongside the upturned kayak, facing the rear end of the kayak, holding the cockpit on both sides, ducks down underwater and does a reverse somersault into the cockpit. Then he ( or she ) sets up for the roll whilst in the kayak upside down, and rolls up.
You don`t need to do it this way, you can be beside your kayak facing forward, flip your kayak onto its side, lift up your legs and slide them into the cockpit. As you push more of your legs into the cockpit, the kayak tends to roll over on top of you, so you end up somewhat underwater anyway. If you have got enough flexibility in your torso, you can just about keep your face out of the water for the whole process. Doing the entry this way, once in the kayak, you are set up in the right position for the roll.
When you are practicing either of these two methods, be sure to work out on which side you want your paddle to be, ready to do the roll, once you are in the kayak upside down. If you normally roll with your right hand blade, then your paddle should be positioned alongside the left ( or port ) side of the kayak, when the kayak is upside down.
Incidentally, this method works well if you have an ocean cockpit - ocean cockpits are a pig to get into and out of when you are launching and landing, but when you are lying in and supported by the water, you can just slide in with straight legs with no problems.
YouTube - re-entry and roll-up solo rescue
A fallback solo rescue
Sometimes, a solo-re-entry and roll just doesn`t work, for any number of possible reasons. If the first one doesn`t work, the second one is harder, and if that doesn`t work, with each attempt you are getting colder and stiffer. It is useful to have a fallback method, even if it isn`t ideal in some respects.
A re-entry and roll with a paddle float is a useful fallback technique.
It has an additional advantage in that having rolled up, you can then do a static brace using the paddle float for as long as you like, so you can gather yourself together, get your breathe back, and bale out your boat with one hand, whilst bracing with the other hand.
There is another advantage of using a paddle float in this way, instead of just doing a paddle float self rescue - after you have done a paddle float self rescue, your paddle ends up behind your back. You have to stop using it as brace, lift it over or around you, then take hold of it in front of you as normal. During this time you are completely at the mercy of what the waves do to you - a wave just at the wrong time, and you are over again. However if you do a re-entry and roll using a paddle float, from the moment you start the roll, you have control of the paddle, and can flow from the roll to a brace with no gaps. So you can resist the next wave or waves at all times.
However the downside of doing a re-entry and roll with a paddle float is that once you are back in your boat and ready to move off, you`ve still got the float on the paddle. Removing it from the paddle is the first problem, then stowing the float away somewhere is the next problem. Foam paddle floats can be quite chunky. With a keyhole cockpit, you can maybe shove it on edge between your knees - with an ocean cockpit that is not possible.
This video goes on to show a nicely done assisted rescue, after the re-entry and roll using a paddle float.
YouTube - solo and assisted rescue
From the experimental sessions I have done in a pool environment, it doesn`t seem to make much difference if you use a foam based paddle float, or an inflatable paddle float. They both work fine for self rescues. However at the time of writing, I haven`t tried a comparison out on the sea.
I`m not sure if it is of any significance, but I reckon it is easier to skull with an inflatable paddle float than it is with a foam paddle float. Also, an inflatable paddle float will take up less room in or on your kayak.
However a foam paddle float doesn`t need to be inflated when you are in the water, it is available for immediate use. Some people have reported that in very cold conditions, it can be very difficult to blow up an inflatable paddle float.
How about a solo assisted rescue ?
A bit of a contradiction there - however it makes sense.
One of the things we found out about during various practice sessions I have been involved in is a way of re-entering a kayak that is good for assisted rescues, as well as all-in rescues.
The swimmer does a re-entry and roll up, but instead of doing the roll using a paddle, he/she does a re-entry and roll up using another kayak for support.
It requires very little effort from the rescuer, as the swimmer does all the work. The rescuer just points their kayak in the right direction, and the swimmer does the rest.
That`s why it is so much easier than any other way of getting the first paddler into their kayak during an all-in rescue, than any other method. A swamped kayak will provide enough bouyancy for the roll up.
It`s fast and easy, and the only thing left to do is do pump out the kayak.
Finally .....
Just because you always paddle in a group doesn`t mean you shouldn`t learn about solo rescues. Sometimes even in a group, you might need to do a solo rescue - if you are in trouble, maybe they are all in trouble as well, and not able to assist you.
Also, if you are at risk of getting blown or pushed onto a rocky coastline with big waves, it may well be faster to do a re-entry and roll ( with or without a paddle float ) than relying on somebody else to do an assisted rescue.
It would be worth practicing paddling with a swamped kayak ( just as if you have just done a re-entry and roll ), both with and without the paddle float still on the paddle, because there is a possibility that it may be quite impossible to hang around to empty your kayak, take off the paddle float, and put on your spraydeck - you may need to paddle away from the situation you are in as quickly as possible, if in fact you can paddle away from it, for example, out beyond the surf line, or away from an area of clapotis.
Lastly - I disagree quite strongly with the classic view that a rescuer should always take charge of a rescue, and tell the swimmer exactly what to do. In my opinion, a rescuer is there to assist a swimmer back into their kayak in the shortest possible time, taking account of the conditions that prevail, and the skills and abilities of both themselves and the swimmer. It`s a partnership, not a master/slave relationship. Combining the skills and experience of both parties will result in the slickest rescues.
PS
Now go practice !
In a group for assisted rescues.
If you ever paddle solo - go find some rough water with an on-shore wind, and practice solo rescues.
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