Getting Trapped in a Kayak
Kayakers call this type of accident ‘Entrapment’ (which in regular English is a juridical term…)
However, in the world of kayaking entrapment is described as a situation where the paddler’s lower body, or a part of it (E.G. leg, foot) is caught inside the hull while the kayaker is trying to retrieve it from there during a ‘wet exit’, that is while attempting to leave his or her kayak and swim.
Imagine yourself in turbulent water, your kayak overturned, you’ve been ‘pumped out’ of it (by gravity) or you’re just trying to perform a ‘wet exit’ - and you’re ‘entrapped’.
It’s not merely a stupid situation - it’s actually a very dangerous one.
How can such thing happen?
It’s a fact: Whitewater, sea and surf kayakers who paddle monohull sit-in kayaks (SIK) attach themselves to their boats with a watertight accessory called ’spray skirt’. This garment is made from strong fabric, usually Neoprene reinforced with rubber, and it’s tightly secured both to the kayak as well as to the paddler’s body by various mechanical means in order to prevent water from leaking in, or the skirt coming out of its place. Being well secured is especially important during a recovery maneuver that such SIK kayakers perform called ‘Eskimo Roll’ - when their kayak is upside down.
As in other outdoor sports the rule of thumb in kayaking is ‘Stuff Happens’. Since kayaking accidents are by definition events characterized by the reduced control the kayaker has over what’s going on, it can happen that SIK kayakers remain attached to their kayaks against their will, I.E. they are ‘entrapped’ inside to some degree.
Such situations are particularly hazardous if the accident occurs in turbulent water (E.G. big surf) and ‘rock gardens’ (beaches with underwater rocks), which is often the case.
Why am I talking about this?
W Kayaks are not equipped with such spray skirts, and W kayakers don’t perform Eskimo Rolls, and so far no one has ever reported any W Kayak accident involving any degree of ‘entrapment’.
Nevertheless, I feel it’s important to explain this issue and discuss it because it highlights the necessity for accelerating the paradigm shift in paddlesports safety: Most paddlers today wouldn’t even consider using kayaks equipped with spray skirts anymore, and they have chosen to paddle stabler kayaks rather than ones requiring paddlers to have a ‘Bomb Proof Eskimo Roll’ (I.E. 100% reliable under all circumstances). In other words, people have generally voted against those sit-in monohull kayaks (SIK) that demand a high level of expertise in this overrated recovery maneuver that too few people can actually depend on. The problem is that too many kayakers out there still use that type of spray skirt without possessing a ‘Bomb Proof Eskimo Roll’, and by that are exposing themselves to the danger of being ‘entrapped’ in their kayaks.
Tags: accident, entrapment, hazard, kayaking, paddling, safety, spray skirt
January 29th, 2008 at
Wavewalk, I suspect you’re not genuinely concerned about kayakers’ safety and your real motive for publishing this pseudo article is to promote your own product.
Quebec Seakayaker
January 29th, 2008 at
You bet
Yoav
January 29th, 2008 at
The eskimo roll worked fine for thousands of years and saved many lives. Why replace it?
January 29th, 2008 at
Isn’t it a bit too late to ask this question? Most kayakers don’t use spray skirts anymore.
April
January 29th, 2008 at
You need to approach this question from a historical and economic perspective: The native peoples living in the Arctic zone had to develop their kayaks as means to survive in a particularly harsh and poor environment. Their traditional kayaks were used as means to exploit a natural resource in their environment, namely animals and birds who live there. Some of the Inuit people used to roll their boats as means of recovery, and some didn’t.
Other native people who were in contact with the Inuit for millennia could have copied that particular design but never did, simply because they could use other boats that were more suitable for them in their respective environments.
Nobody needs kayaks to survive these days (at least I hope so), and all kayaking activities are recreational in nature.
Most people today have chosen to paddle kayaks that are stabler than the traditional, narrow sit-in kayak. Most modern kayaks require neither spray skirt nor the Eskimo Roll that goes with it for two reasons:
1. Modern paddlers are not compelled to paddle kayaks in order to survive or for any economic reason. They do it for fun.
2. Modern paddlers can choose from a variety of kayak designs that better suit their needs and capabilities.
Yoav
January 29th, 2008 at
Yoav, you’re kicking in an open door. I enjoy paddling my 17′ [edited: narrow, monohull sea kayak] and I always use a spray skirt because you can’t paddle this boat without one, at least not in open waters. According to you is there something wrong with me?
January 29th, 2008 at
I see no problem as long as you have the skills required to paddle such a kayak - ‘bomb proof’ Eskimo roll included. I hope you’ll never find yourself entrapped in this or any other kayak
January 29th, 2008 at
I wonder how can you promote kayaking safety while your website features a movie showing you performing dangerous paddling stunts in ice covered water while wearing jeans and a sweat shirt?
Concerned Kayaker
January 29th, 2008 at
Dear Teargas,
I very much enjoy ice paddling but there is another dimension to consider: It’s my job (I.E. professional duty) to test the performance of the W Kayak and present the results to the public.
Whatever risk I’m taking it’s a necessary, professional risk, and it’s only natural that I should be the one to take it.
As for not wearing a wetsuit or dry suit on the day we shot that particular video, the reason for it was that the shooting took place in a pretty warm spring day, and most of what I’m seen doing is hard to do, especially paddling through thin ice; so I was really too hot and decided to work without my wetsuit in order to avoid overheating.
We did all the shooting very close to shore and we were prepared for any problem, such as capsize or falling through the ice.
That video is presented together with extensive warning, and if you think we omitted mentioning anything please let me know and I’ll be happy to consider adding it.
Yoav
January 29th, 2008 at
OK, so sometime sea kayakers can get entrapped but in the end they all manage to rescue themselves don’t they so what’s the big deal?
January 29th, 2008 at
I think the answer to such question should come from people who either got entrapped or watched their friends get entrapped and suffer from trauma and injuries. You’ll find such stories on sea kayakers’ websites and in sea kayaking books and magazines.
Yoav
February 2nd, 2008 at
Wow, the wavewalk is under attack.
Have you ever tried the WW???? If you did, you would know,
that the Eskimo roll will never be needed in this yak.
It won’t roll over, ever!!!!
Well, you’d have to try real hard to dump yourself.
I can’t use a standard kayak, due to health issues, nor can I Eskimo roll.
The WW allows me to enjoy fishing, sitting or standing, without the fear
of being rolled over in ruff waters while paddling or fighting a fish.
I am a very Happy Customer and Proud owner of my Wavewalk kayak.
You shouldn’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
Tight Lines
Rox
February 2nd, 2008 at
One more thing, I’ve have tried most of the stunts with my
with no problems.
Wavewalk kayak, all except for the sliding down a hill into the water
or the ice trip, (thats only because I’m chicken)
In fact, I think the Wavewalk handles even better when standing
and paddling.
I get all kinds of looks while I’m paddling, and always lots of
questions on “What the heck kind of yak is that”, at the launch.
Thanks Yoav, for a great fishing machine, without it, I would be stuck on shore.
Rox
February 3rd, 2008 at
Hi Rox, it’s great to hear from you again!
I hope you’ve replaced your lost camera by now
Yoav
March 6th, 2008 at
The river I currently run in my SIK has some Class II and Class III rapids, but I want to set up a kayak for fishing. So far my best choice seems to be a SOT. Have you tested the W in any kind of rapids? Results?
March 6th, 2008 at
Note that SOT kayaks are generally less stable than SIKs of comparable dimensions because you sit on top of the deck and several inches above waterline, while in the SIK you sit lower, and therefore the boat’s center of gravity (CG) is lower too. The SOT doesn’t offer better means of stabilization in ergonomic terms (I.E. posture) than the SIK does, so altogether it’s less stable than the SIK design.
This fact can become an issue in fast moving water since unlike a SIK you can’t roll a SOT.
We tested the W Kayak in rapids both in the riding (mounted) and standing positions, and so did customers, and the boat is doing as well as in the surf (see various demo videos on Wavewalk’s website)
March 7th, 2008 at
Sik and W kayaks have their advantages but a sit on top wouldn’t fill with water if it overturns in the stream
Moshiko
March 7th, 2008 at
It really leaves the decision to you. Where do you want to place your bets, on a “prevention” or a “recovery” strategy.
G
April 24th, 2008 at
it’s actually a very dangerous one. i’ve never been trap in my kayak but if when i was on that situation i better go for help..cause i dont want to die on a kayak…lol
btw.
thanks for the post!
May 20th, 2008 at
I’ve punched holes through 6 foot waves with my [composite, lightweight] sea kayak… I tucked my paddle in close to the hull, and went on through… to paddle out past a sand bar where the waves were breaking at Longpoint on Lake Erie. The spray skirt kept all but about a few cups of water out… That said, I was at a beach where nothing really bad happened if you turfed it… and I did a few wet exits that day in the best surf I’ve been in on a lake… I got tumbled like in a washing machine while surfing in, got back in and did it again and again! The design of the [composite, lightweight] kayak has a low bow volume which gave it a tendency to submerge the whole bow as I surfed in to the beach, I was afraid of doing an endo at times and the kayak seemed very near 18 feet of verticalness as the breaking waves lifted the stern while the bow submerged! Lean forward and paddle like hell! I bet you get different results with your design with the same volume held right out to bow and stern, and it’s short length… How does your kayak handle the really big stuff, your videos show it handling 2 foot, maybe 3 foot waves alright, show us some videos of how it handles the big stuff… I really like the ergonomics of your design, but that would be my biggest concern… paddling a two pontoon submarine isn’t too much fun… Also, demonstrate how you get the water out of the twin hulls after a capsize or a swamping… can it be done in water over your head? I know, probably rare occurrence, but not impossible. We turned my [composite, lightweight kayak] over and slowly lifted it to get most of the water out… I’m up in Ontario Canada, not too far from beautiful Georgian Bay. Enjoy!
May 20th, 2008 at
I liked your ‘washing machine’ description
The maximum surf we were in was 6 ft, and that was last year - before we had any solution for a cockpit cover. I hope this year we’ll get a chance to play more in such big surf but conditions like that are uncommon where we go, in Jenness Beach, NH, although it’s a big surfers’ beach, and sometime you can see cars with license plates from NY state and Canada in the parking lot.
Many mono kayakers (both SOT and SIK) we see there seem to have problems launching through 3-4 ft surf, and some of them give up, eventually.
We’ll try to shoot as much video as we can.
Yoav
May 21st, 2008 at
Hey cameik, before ‘admin’ graciously edited your message it still had the name of your kayak… and i went to their website where a disclaimer said you should stay away from rocks when you’re paddling their high tech kayak because if it hit a rock it might crack…-Weren’t you scared when you surfed with it? It’s not just a question about being entrapped in a kayak but in a sinking one with a fractured hull that’s leaking! wooo!
May 21st, 2008 at
It’s scary, and assuming you manage to bail out, eventually - you still might not see your expensive kayak ever again because it’ll sink to the bottom.
Composite boats can become brittle in cold water, and thin walled ones are more likely to crack because of stress or impact.
April
May 21st, 2008 at
April,
Polyethylene boats get stiffer in cold water too, especially resins that are used in touring kayaks for their higher rigidity, and they might crack as a result, although it’s less likely to happen than with composite boats that have thin walls in order to make them lighter.
Caveman, - I changed that kayak’s brand name to a technical description simply because I don’t want people to spam this blog with covert ads, and I also wouldn’t want people to badmouth other manufacturers.