First ....cough....wet exit....

vftt.org

Help Support vftt.org:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

coldfeet

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 9, 2004
Messages
1,340
Reaction score
82
Location
Long Island NY
Excuse me for sniffing but after 6 times of rolling over to practice wet exiting I still have water coming out of my nose, or I caught another cold....think it's probably both....

So I went to the club safety class at a college pool and I was sent to an instructor who talked to me and showed me what to do....I was wearing a Johnny suit and used my pdf, paddle and paddle float....got into his kayak and rolled over.....I let go of the paddle, waited app 3 sec while upside down, tapped on the bottom of the kayak and got my butt out and up to the surface....pretty good except I didn't have the paddle with me...tried again by holding the paddle but that screwed up my head and it was an ugly exit, but i guess the idea is to breathe so I must have been successful if i'm typing...I tried a few more times but it seems like the paddle was messing me up....but I did it correctly on my last try.

Then I inflated the float, slide it on to the paddle, got it into the bungi on the stern, hooked my foot on the paddle and slide my belly up, went in backwards and turned around....instructor told me that I need to work on my weight, my reply 'I lost app 20lbs since new years", his reply, not your physical weight, I need to learn not to move around so much because of the balance.....ok....next lesson, helping another kayaker right their boat.....

So my partner goes over, I paddle over, make the "t", start shimming his bow (front) onto my kayak, he pushes down while I lift and flip....presto, no water and I bring my kayak over to him and he slides in....very good, my turn....no problem.....now we do it a second time....uh oh....instead of me shimming his kayak on mine, I grab the stern, lean to the right, give a nice big pull, and oh crap, here i gooooooooo......roll and splash!.....so instead of helping him we both go for a swim......I had a great time!.....then i went to an afternoon canoe/kayak meeting at another college and took 4 workshops....first aid/hypothermia.....river otter program.....coast guard safety class and a rolling class verbal demo......overall a great and informative day......also heard sad news about a canoe fisherman dying last week in Long Island due to exposure...I gotta be careful.....
 
Doug, someone suggested that before the class but I figured, na...next time (June) I'll know better...
 
thx for info...little out of the way....app 100 miles but very interesting to see the cost....$60 i believe per person...pretty expensive...thx again
 
As with anything else,you will find it gets easier with practice. Most of doing a wet exit is a head game,staying relaxed enough to do it right. Try using a snorkel mask a few times so you can see what's going on. When I teach people wet exit or rolling,I have them hang upside down in the boat with a mask,and I stick my watch in the water,so they can see how long they are under the water. Plenty of time for at least 3 roll attempts,or a leisurely wet exit.
And if you feel a little panicky going over,you're not alone. Lots of people just can't do it because of fear.
 
KayakDan said:
......When I teach people wet exit or rolling,....

Dan,
I'm a relative novice kayaker ..... would you like the challenge of teaching me to roll?
 
Funny thing about rolling. Everybody wants to learn,but unless you're going out in open ocean conditions,it doesn't have a practical use.
Mostly it's just the feeling of accomplishment-there! I just defied gravity! :D

I usually use it for lunchtime entertainment when we take a group of kids out kayaking.

Step right up..rolling lessons begin now. Ok,now hold the paddle like this..... :D
 
But then I need to buy a helmet....hmmmm

honey!....guess what I want for my next birthday?
 
DougPaul said:
Rolling can also be highly useful in white water.

Doug

OOps...my bad. I'm a sea kayak kinda guy,and forgot to mention white water.
Somehow,hurtling down a river upside down,dodging rocks coming at my head just doesn't have the appeal of being trashed by a roller on a beach landing! :D
 
KayakDan said:
OOps...my bad. I'm a sea kayak kinda guy,and forgot to mention white water.
Somehow,hurtling down a river upside down,dodging rocks coming at my head just doesn't have the appeal of being trashed by a roller on a beach landing! :D
The trick is to stay upright and miss the rocks. :) You can play in the eddies, holes, and waves for extra credit. And if you do it correctly, the river does most of the work for you.

Furthermore, you don't even have to wash the salt off when you are done!

Doug
 
KayakDan said:
But then ther's that problem of tryin' to get an 18ft sea kayak down through the rocks! :D
I managed to pilot a 17ft open canoe through lots of rocks--the extra foot shouldn't be too much of a problem. (However, the hull design might cause some difficulties... :) )

Doug
 
Top