WAVEWALK FISHING KAYAKS BLOG » SUP

More About Dangers To Kayakers and Kayak Anglers in Warm, Fresh Water

W kayak — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:43:06 +0000

So, you’re paddling your kayak, or fishing from it in warm, fresh water, and you may think to yourself that nothing could happen to you if for some reason you’d have to ‘take a swim’ because you lost balance and fell overboard… Well, you’re wrong.

We’ve already wrote an article about a variety of dangers that kayak paddlers and anglers are exposed to in different water conditions, and here is some more about this important kayak safety issue:

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed that a deadly amoeba, which is commonly found in lakes and rivers is the cause of the recent death of a Florida swimmer -
Health officials in Brevard County, FL, said they believe water infected with the parasite Naegleria fowleri went up the swimmer’s nose while she was swimming in the St. Johns River, east of Orlando.
Once the amoeba enters the brain, it usually causes a fatal infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Initial signs of PAM include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, loss of smell or taste and stiff neck.
The disease spreads rapidly, and usually results in death within a few days.
This disease is not contagious.
A similar case has also been reported in Virginia.
Florida state officials issued a health advisory saying the amoeba proliferates in stagnant freshwater lakes, ponds, streams and rivers, when temperatures climb into the 80s. They said people should take safety precautions when swimming, and avoid swallowing pool, lake or river water.
Officials say 32 such infections were reported in the US between 2001 and 2010.

Does anyone need more reasons to look at traditional kayaking’s cherished Eskimo Roll technique as inadequate and hazardous?
Does anyone need more reasons to look at fishing standing on top of a SOT kayak as taking unnecessary risks?
Does anyone need more reasons to understand why SUP boards are not well suited for stand up paddling on flat water?

Highest Stand Up Paddling Kayak – SUP for Fishing Kayak Stability Demo

W kayak — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:10:20 +0000

This is a new demo movie showing stand up paddling from the top of the W500 kayak’s 14 inch high saddle.
There is no point in paddling this way, and we made this movie just to show another, fun aspect of Super Stability in W kayaks.
Naturally, when you paddle standing you want to stand at the lowest point possible, which in the W kayak means the bottom of the hulls, below waterline. In SOT kayaks it means standing on top of a kayak, several inches above waterline, which is noticeably less stable.
We also show a short “What If” sequence, in which the paddler drops down from the top of the saddle into the hulls, and instantly regains balance and control, seated in the super-stable Riding position.

This was also an opportunity to show the 9ft long, extra rigid and durable W paddle used for push poling in very shallow water.

W500 Kayak Stand Up Paddling From A Paddler’s Standpoint

W kayak — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:25:57 +0000

This is the first W kayak movie shot with a camera mounted on a helmet…

The basic idea is to convey what it feels like to launch and paddle this kayak. I couldn’t resist the temptation to rock the boat a little, to demonstrate some of its stability.

Dennis’ Account Of His First Time Paddling His W Kayak Standing Up

W kayak — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:55:30 +0000

The very first time I went fishing in the W500, I missed the tide, and had the small anchor dragging because I had a very strong tidal flow and a strong wind both in the same direction.
As I headed back to shore I noticed a young guy on long SUP board. I hadn’t tried standing before that, but since the afternoon’s fishing was a right off I thought that I would give the stand up paddling a go.
After paddling my W500 sitting down up wind and standing up down wind a few times, I noticed that the young guy was paddling to shore and walking along the shore before re-launching each time, because he couldn’t paddle his board against both tide and wind.
I didn’t really take much notice of who was faster because I was busy experimenting. I found that if I leaned my weight on one side of the kayak, I could paddle on the other side and didn’t need to change over. It was fun, and if I can do it second time out then most people should be able to.
Dennis
Whakatane, New Zealand

Fishing Kayak Stand Up Paddling Tricks – Demo By 11 Year Old Kid

W kayak — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:52:06 +0000

11 year old (almost 12, actually…) kid performs stand up paddling and kayak stability tricks for the camera:

The paddle he uses is not the typical, 9 ft long Wavewalk paddle, but a shorter, 8 ft long version, and it’;s possible to see that he could use a longer one for stand up paddling.