Being able to calmly release your sprayskirt while underwater will build your own confidence for the inevitabililty of having to bail out while overturned. It is famously followed by another important skill to practice: the self rescue. Wet exits happen to all kayakers, no matter how good of a roller, river kayaker, or adventurer you may be. However, it’s not just something you learn and think that you can always summon up once you know, coyly avoiding demonstrating that you remember what to do. You need to practice it on a regular basis to actually be competant, especially if you are paddling a good distance from help from another paddler.
Wet exits happen to all kayakers, no matter how good of a roller, river kayaker, or adventurer you may be.
Joining a local paddling club, taking courses and if you access to one, pool sessions are all excellent ways of learning how to safely wet exit.Â
The technique is typically as follows: while upside-down, first bang on both sides of your overturned hull to announce that you’ve capsized. Slowly blow bubbles out of your nose to prevent water from going in your upturned nose. With one hand on your paddle,use the other to slide along your sprayskirt towards the front until you reach the pull strap (affectionately known as the holy-crap-strap). Grab the loop and pull it first a bit forward and upward from the cockpit rim, and then back towards you, releasing it from the cockpit lip. Then slide your hand swiftly to the rear and release that part of the skirt from the lip. Finally, you can against the cockpit rim while summersaulting forwards toward your paddle hand and you’ll pop up beside your kayak. If you can’t grab onto a deck line to keep hold of your kayak, raise one foot into the cockpit area to keep your kayak with you.Â
The next steps are to either perform an assisted or self rescue, which are subjects all their own.
Accidents happen, and the more you practice this basic skill, the more your body will remember what to do without thinking as much. It’s a valuable skill you need to paddle safely and perhaps to help others with.
