What Happens If I Flip? (Episode 7)

hi I'm Paul and I'm Kate we've talked about how to paddle safely including the importance of always wearing your lifejacket dressing for conditions and a few essential items to bring with you every time but you may be wondering what happens if I put paddlers often say that we're all between swim flipping is always a possibility and if you end up in the water paddlers call that swimming there are many ways to get back with practice you can do some of these on your own and some require the help of a buddy we're going to quickly demonstrate a few different methods for getting back into a kayak if your paddling is sitting on top this video may be sufficient but to master some of the more advanced techniques especially for sit inside kayaks getting some professional instruction is a great idea getting back on a sit on top kayak is the simplest situation first be sure your kayaks floating right-side up if it's not turn it over by pushing on one side and pulling on the other next if you're paddling with a buddy ask them to stabilize your boat even if your friend isn't right there don't worry you should still be able to climb back aboard your kayak by yourself especially if you've practiced the technique before swim to the back of your kayak and pull your chest on top of the boat it helps to start by floating your legs behind you at the surface then kick with your legs as if you're getting out of a swimming pool slide your body toward the cockpit by pulling yourself towards it with your arms while staying low allowing your legs to hang off either side for stability once you reach the cockpit sit up straddling the boat and swing your legs through the water until you can sit low in the seat and pull your feet on top grab your paddle and you're ready to go another variation is to climb on from the side just in front of the seat where the side of the boat is the lowest again start with your feet at the surface and kick to pull your chest onto the boat scoot your hips up and then twist into the seat this works with more stable boats or when gear on a deck makes it hard to scoop down from the end remember to practice in real-world conditions since you're most likely to flip in wind and waves don't just practice in a calm harbor with a sit inside kayak things are more difficult often they're less stable and when they flip they can fill with water which makes them way less stable we don't have time to fully teach these skills in this video but we want you to know what's possible the most common method is called an assisted re-entry and as the name implies it relies on two motors the paddler who is still in her go helps the swimmer by studying this kayak in once things are secure and the situation allows pump out the water you can also drain the boat before helping the swimmer back in Laos it's a reliable method but again require some practice and teamwork to pull off especially in rough conditions make sure that your sit inside has bulkheads watertight compartments in the front and back to keep it from sinking even when the cockpit fills with water if it doesn't get a set of inflatable air bags at your local paddling shop these techniques are easy and fun to learn if you take a class and if you have a sit inside kayak we recommend you take one check with your local paddling shop or go online to find instructors in your area and remember with any of these techniques it's important to practice them in the places you'll actually use them that's what happens when you flip it's nothing to worry about if you've practiced what to do so remember be smart be safe have fun you

Channel: Paddling.com

Views: 68,124

Rating: 4.8048782 out of 5

Keywords: kayaking, how-to

Id: VVGgLUivfpk

Length: 4min 5sec (245 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 31 2016