Before You Go

We'd like to welcome you to sea kayaking with a word of caution. It can be a safe and rewarding activity if common sense prevails and certain precautions are taken. Before you put to sea for a day's paddle, check that you have the following:

• plenty of secure buoyancy, fore and aft
• a good, sound hull & deck and spraycover
• a personal flotation device and whistle
• a flare pack, in your pocket
• a bailer or pump
• a waterproof flashlight (even if you are only planning a daytime trip)
• a spare paddle, accessible on rear deck
• a wetsuit
• self-rescue aids, if appropriate
• rain gear, and warm clothing in a waterproof bag
• a length of rope
• charts and tide tables
• a compass
• a knife
• some matches
• first aid kit

PRECAUTIONS

Without wishing to alarm anyone, we want to make it clear that sea kayaking is an activity that demands sound judgement and caution. This is always the case, no matter how experienced you are. Not surprisingly, your most vulnerable time is when you have most to learn, as a beginner.

Here are some basic cautions and precautions to help you through the early stages.

• The greatest single danger to sea kayakers is hypothermia. Cold water kills. Wear your wetsuit. Learn about hypothermia.
• Start gradually in moderate weather, close to shore, with an experienced companion. Experiment with strong winds only when they are blowing towards shore.
• Thoroughly familiarize yourself with your boat. Capsize it and discover how easily you can exit and how difficult it is to re-enter.
• Develop your paddling skills - turning, bracing.
• Learn and practice a self-rescue method appropriate for your boat. By all means, learn to roll your boat but don't depend on it. Practice a reliable rescue such as the Mariner self-rescue: this utilizes a float at the end of a paddle outrigger to stabilize a flooded kayak for re-entry.
• Practice a group rescue so you can help others.
• Make a habit of always carrying your safety equipment. This is easier to do if it is always stored in one bag.
• Let someone know where you are going and when you are planning to return.
• Read all you can on the subjects of sea kayaking, weather, oceanography and cold water survival.
• Get a weather forecast each day you are out.
• Avoid paddling alone.
• Be sure you are using a boat for the purpose for which it was designed.
• Like any mariner, you must know the principles of navigation and seamanship.

HAZARDS

Most accidents occur when people misjudge conditions.

WEATHER

Wind. Avoid paddling when whitecaps are visible until you thoroughly appreciate their effect. Wind can a) upset a kayak, b) make it difficult to turn, and c) slow you down.

Side wind gusts

1. Brace to windward while leaning low.
2. Use an unfeathered or narrow blade paddle.

Turning. This varies greatly with different boats, wave lengths and loading.

1. Use sweep strokes, with plenty of headway; lean into the sweep.
2. Use the rudder.
3. Use assistance from a skilled paddler in another boat.

Unmanageable waves

1. Paddle into, or quarter the waves.
2. Brace into a breaking beam sea.
3. With very large, steep waves, you may have to concentrate on holding the bow into the crests while controlling backwards wind drift.

Holding a course. A rudder is a significant energy saver; otherwise, use sweep strokes and/or leaning the boat away from your turn.

Fog. Fog can result in sudden and total disorientation. You will probably need a compass, but you may gain some orientation from sounds of beach surf, bells, fog horns, etc., as well as from steady wave and wind direction.

CURRENT

You will encounter two principal types of current on the sea: a) tidal current in constricted waterways and b) ocean currents between islands offshore.

Strong currents can aggravate conditions caused by adverse weather, particularly when current and wind are opposing. They can also cause difficult eddy and wave conditions even on utterly still days, from the sheer force of the flow.

Precautions:

1. Read your chart to identify danger points.
2. Calculate slack tide and time your passage or crossing for that period.
3. Paddle in currents under controlled conditions to familiarize yourself with your boat's performance in current.

TOPOGRAPHY

The land affects conditions via shallow, beach surf, headlands, cliffs and river mouths.

Shallows. Waves steepen and break heavily on shallows. Avoid those areas when waves are large or strong currents are forced to flow over them.

Surf. Waves steepen and break on beaches and shoals. Generally, try to avoid landing in surf with a loaded kayak. If you have to, come in across the break, bracing into and leaning into the breaking wave. Avoid surf on rocky beaches.

Headlands. Conditions are frequently more difficult off headlands with increased wind (funneling), accelerated current and rebound waves. Seas become chaotic. Best handled by rapid paddling or avoiding rips by either going wide or, occasionally, in close.

Cliffs. These restrict landing sites and cause chaotic rebound wave conditions.

River mouths. Difficult wave conditions occur when a river outflow runs against the waves. A bar with breaking surf and obstructions such as tree stumps may also occur.

PEOPLE HAZARDS

Power boats, ships, tugboats with barges. Make yourself visible but never assume you have been seen or have right of way.

LAKE PADDLING

With the exception of the tides, large lakes pose most of the difficulties and danger of the sea. Wave lengths, however, are shorter than on the sea, and water temperature is frequently lower in the Spring and Fall.

FINALLY

The basis of safe sea kayaking is sound judgement, self-responsibility and technical competence. Remember too that where you paddle, others will follow. Leave your campsite as you would like to find it.

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CONTACT US!
320 Main St, Box 620, Tofino BC Canada V0R 2Z0
Phone/fax toll free 1-800-TOFINO-4 (1-800-863-4664)
Phone local 250-725-4222, fax local 250-725-2070
E-mail paddlers@island.net

© 2005-2008 Tofino Sea Kayaking Company