Hang On
October 29th, 2009 | 
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Hang on, help is on its way,
I'll be there as fast as I can,
"Hang on", a tiny voice did say,
From somewhere deep inside the inner man.
- the little river band
So here it is direct from the American Canoe Association to you: “The following proposals were submitted, have been approved and all associated documentation on the website has been updated. . .” (Get ready for it….) “Removal of the Paddle-float Rescue from the Level 1: Introduction to Kayaking Instructor Criteria. This change was requested and approved due to the fact the Level 1: Introduction to Kayaking course is conducted in close proximity to shore where more basic rescue self-rescue techniques can be utilized and the type of paddlecraft that can be used in a Level 1: Introduction to Kayaking / QuickStart or SmartStart Kayaking courses may not be suitable for teaching this rescue.” Comments?
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This begs three questions:
1) What kind of “paddlecrafts” may be used?
2) Is the problem with such paddlecrafts, rather than with the rescue method itself?
3) What is the alternative method recommended, and is it as effective?
I understand BCU has abandoned this technique in the past saying it is ineffective in raging waters. I disagree with the recommendation. It is in quiet waters, not far from shore, where the beginning sea kayaker and the rec boater need a technique for getting back in their boats. Swimming even a moderate distance to shore with a pfd on is not all that easy. Anything these folks can have in their bag of tricks the better. My $0.02.
On one level I agree with it. If you can use lots of different boats (sit-on-tops, rec, ww), it really doesn’t work which can easily lead to confusion and frustration for the participants.
It’s funny that you wrote about this, I was thinking the other day if we would do a better service to students if we focused on teaching beginners 1 or 2 rescue techniques so they work on those really well rather then the shot gun approach of 4-5 (just in case scenarios). It’s a lot of learning for beginners to really understand well when they are stressed out.
The other thing I was thinking about is that we teach solo rescues to beginners but at the same time tell them to go out without a partner. Wouldn’t we be better off saving solo rescues to an intermediate level and spend that extra time teaching beginners deeper knowledge in tandem rescues as well as more time on prevention and risk management? “An ounce of prevention…”
On the other side of the coin, if it’s the only course they ever take we should be arming them with the most knowledge. Good argument but how much is to much?
Anyways, I’m just thinking out loud.
David J.
While I think the paddle float rescue sucks, there is still value in having intro students play with it. First of all, they get to play in the water with their kayak which helps their comfort level and secondly, they begin to comprehend the ramifications of capsize by struggling to get back in the kayak.
Granted, in my level 1 curriculum, it go as follows:
1. Learn to wet exit
2. Learn to roll
3. Learn to paddle
I’m mixed, because it’s a good exercise that beginners can learn–it adds a sense of accomplishment. But learners, like sea kayakers, that may need it can jump to a Level 2 class without having to go through Level 1, so it’s really not limiting instruction. More likely, it’s just making the Level 1 class more appropriate to the reality of students that are going to take that class.
Wouldn’t it make sense to teach self-rescue techniques appropriate to the type of “paddlecraft” that the student is using rather than dropping the subject altogether? A significant number of kayakers paddle solo at least once in a while, and an “all-in” situation is not that uncommon with a pair of relatively inexperienced kayakers attempting an assisted rescue. As far as swimming your boat to shore, with a strong offshore wind, you can be ten feet off shore in deep water and not be able to swim your boat back to shore. The BCU’s position is equally misguided in my opinion. In “raging waters” pretty much any self-rescue may be ineffective. How many times can you roll up and be knocked over again before this too fails. Perhaps just teach fatalism and the value of a good will? Regarding rolling, it should be pointed out that some “paddlecraft” are not designed to roll.
Great comments. I like especially what David questions (Does the shotgun idea work or waste time and lead to confusion or poor learning?) and what Alex says about a beginner course’s priorities: Wet Exit. ROLL. Paddle strokes.
New mandatory warning signs we won’t be seeing:
“This paddle craft is (can be) impossible to self-rescue. Use only close to shore in calm conditions or on small lakes and calm rivers.”
“This kayak is considered to be unrollable. Take additional precautions. Paddle only on small bodies of water with other paddlers.”
“Paddle sober.” This one is found on many manufacturer’s general safety stickers.
“When you go paddling take your wit and intelligence with you.”
Imagine if the really short and really wide rec boats came with a sticker… “If you buy this paddle craft and capsize, your craft will no longer be a safe floating rescue situation.” How many would the big box or paddling shops sell?
“This paddle craft is completely lacking in any hand-holds or methods of getting back on if you were to find yourself falling out of or off of this craft. If your hands are cold and wet and you are at all tired, you haven’t got a prayer. How’s the water temperature?”
We return to the quandry of getting a buyer of a three to five hundred dollar cheapie to pay a hundred bucks or more for a beginner class. They won’t usually. They don’t regularly. The question I’m discovering is: How much do we scare them into taking a course before we scare them off the water?
Fun Paddling!
MarcP
The ACA has long held that instructors should assess at a level higher than the level they are certified to teach, yet they seem to have abandoned that principle here. I have no problem with the p-float rescue being dropped from the L1 curriculum. As others have pointed out here, this introductory class is designed to be taught in anything that floats: inflatables; sit-on-tops; rec boats; sea kayaks; etc., and a p-float may not be appropriate for some of these craft (some may argue it’s not appropriate for any craft, but that’s a whole other can of worms!). But it seems to me that an INSTRUCTOR should be familiar with the rescue, at least in order to field questions about it or demonstrate it if asked.
But that’s my two cents.
L1 standards are no longer part of the Coastal Kayak Committee’s oversight, so this was news to me. On the other hand, we’ve made great strides in harmonizing the instructional and assessment tracks for L2-L5 sea kayaking. More info is on the ACA website: http://www.americancanoe.org
–Mark Pecot
L4 IT, ACA Coastal Kayak Committee