What if I flip over?
The first thing to do is tuck. You should practice tucking when you flip over even in the lake or swimming pool because you want to do this without thinking about it even when you are in a stressful situation. The next thing you should do is called a wet exit. See Kayak Skills for an explanation of a wet exit or to learn about skills that will enable you to flip yourself back up.
Will I get stuck when I tip over?
This is one of the most important questions for people when they start kayaking. It is primarily of psychological nature and a positive answer is key to feel comfortable in a kayak. In the Lake Lesson you will do what is called comfort training. An instructor is standing next to you and you flip over. You hold your breath and the instructor rolls you back you. You will get used to the idea of being upside down and get trust to your instructor to roll you back up. You have had an explanation and short practice of the wet exit on shore. Again, key element is that you feel comfortable under water and trust yourself to perform these steps:
- Tuck forward to protect you face.
- Grab your grabloop and pull on it (first forward and then up (or if you are upside down then down))
- Remember to first get your butt out of the boat - if you have tight hip pads it helps to put both hands on the cockpit next to your butt and push your butt out (remember to stay in the "tuck" position).
- Pull your legs out of the boat. Imagine you are wearing concrete pants and you have to take them off. Other people prefer to think about it as a Summer Salt forward.
All these steps require you to be patient and relax. Your instructor will be close to help you if needed. At Sac there are a ton of intermediates around just waiting for someone who needs a rescue. Help will always be there. However, there are a few point for beginners to watch out for:
- For your first couple of trips choose a boat with a little more space. The smaller boats might look hotter, but a larger boat might give a little more comfort (however, it might also appear similar to a bath tube, while a smaller is easier for you to handle).
- For your first couple of trips outfit your boat a little loose. If you already get bruises from your hip pads, you might have some minor issues getting out too. Again this is a comfort point, will not influence your ability to exit the boat.
- Avoid wearing tennis shoes, sandals or other footwear with a stiff sole. Especially in smaller boat you can really jam the sole into the tip of the boat and be stuck in it. This is a real safety hazard.
- Some boats (e.g., Piranha InaZone, Piranha 6x, Piranha H3) have a ratchet system for easily adjust the back band while sitting in your boat. If you tighten the back band down while sitting in it make sure to know how to release it when you are upside down. Also if you want to get in one of these boats and the back band is really tight, release it before you get in. If you don't know? - ask one of you fellow paddlers and they will either explain it to you or guide you to a more knowledgeable paddler.
Avoid wearing shoes with leashes or laces. Leashes have slings in them and can get stuck on bolts inside the kayak.
To summarize, key to the successful performance of a wet exit is you feeling comfortable doing it. It is explained in your lake lesson. If that is not enough, ask your instructor to help you with another wet exit. Also you can talk to one of your fellow paddlers to meet up on the lake the next day and practice wet exit, Eskimo Rescues, etc. There are a few points to watch out for as stated above. Be aware of them will help you to avoid trouble.
