Dog Paddle over distance in boat?
Do people really do this? I’ve done this out of desparation looking for my paddle in surf but it did not get me anywhere. Is there a proper technique?
Easier?
Sculling up is easier to learn than rolling? A non-roller dog-paddling upside down? You can’t be serious.
have a friend
stand in the water with you, you in the boat, leave paddle on beach, put your hand in the loop, hold your breath, GO for it!
If you free your mind, your but will follow!
If you can’t over come this fear don’t, do not! go in to the boat!! YOUR FEAR CAN KILL! Allthow we are talking about falling out of a boat.
are you guys serious ?
– Last Updated: Jul-04-04 7:03 PM EST –
She is NOT Afraid BEING underwater but she is afraid to GET Underwater ??
Its like I love TO DRIVE but I an TERRIFIED of turning the ignition key.
U guys think whatever you want.. but this one sure smells like a troll to me.
Now if she was PRESSURED to learn how to roll despite repeated failures, by the surrpunding peers watching her in the pool ... then i understand the anxiety and problem.
A lot of people cant roll a kayak, sea or whitewater and still managed to enjoy the sport fine (Although i think, you must be able to roll to do whitewater).
Fear will cause loss of control and there is nothing worst then being upside down, losing control and freeze frame. Now imagine, her being underwater with a tangle. Do you think she will be calm enough and being in control to take out the knife and cut loose ?
If she has the fear of even doing a wet exit despite her repeately success before ..... she should seriously consider other sports that might be less fatal.
I also found out that scuba divers have less problems being upside down underwater :)
My goodness!
A long reply to a simple matter. Practice if you want to…don’t practice if you don’t want to. I just hate to see so much gravity thrown onto this fun thing we do.
Regards your “fear” comments…that is why I stated the obvious…that I love to paddle.I am an excellent swimmer, I love the water. I fear heavy seas as any smart paddler would. I love calm seas. so what?
Dog paddling
Obviously not over distance. But for 10 feet or so it is quite doable. All you have to do is practice near a dock or similar structure.
I am serious.
Dog paddling is not hard for short distances. Sculling up is easier for some, harder for others, but in general requires less skill. Lean back over the stern and inch out over the water while skulling. It won’t take long to get the hang of hanging out there. Then simply move back and sit up. Another option is Orca breathing (article in Sea Kayaker) which will allow you a large number of roll attempts. Of course the best option is not to practice alone.
Orca breathing
Hey, no Orcas here. Will it work with Manatees? How do you train them?
Sorry…
Get someone to help you flip, slowly
The advice to play around in the water and get comfortable is excellent. Kayaking is a water sport, and the sooner you start to blur the psychological barrier between kayaking and swimming, the better.
Here’s a complementary idea to specifically address your fear of flipping. I haven’t read this entire thread, so maybe this advice has already been offered. But anyway…
Enlist some kind kayaking soul to help you do a progressive, controlled flip. They stand in hip deep water. You hold onto their shoulder and/or they hold onto you as you lower yourself slowly to the side as far as you feel comfortable, and then right yourself. Keep doing it, going a little farther each time, until you get your shoulder in the water, and even beyond. You’ll have to move to slightly deeper water as you proceed.
At some point you’ll get your head under water, and may just be holding onto the friend’s hands. You should be able to pull yourself up when you want, so you can practice just hanging there for a few seconds.
Since you say you are comfortable once you’re upside down, including popping the skirt, that may be all you need. People who aren’t may been to go further with this progressive assistance, such as having the friend hold onto their pfd while they hang upside down. They might also want to start without a spray skirt.
This works. I’ve done it for several people with similar fears who now kayak – and wet exit – with impunity.
Good luck.
–David.
Rolling - why?
I can’t roll but am working on it, but I’m not afraid of flipping, getting wet, or wet exiting.
Here’s my question: If I’m not paddling whitewater, and I only paddle lakes and slow moving rivers in good weather conditions, why do I really need a roll? Granted, it would be helpful, but necessary?
As far as I saw, nobody asked Robin what kind of water and conditions she’d be paddling in. If she doesn’t paddle whitewater, would your answers be the same?
I understand the need to be able to wet exit (I can) and to do self-rescues (still working on it). But rolls?
Donna
it increases your learning curve
– Last Updated: Jul-05-04 9:02 AM EST –
by allowing you to push yourself with out the hassle of haveing to re-enter your boat in the event of a capsize. Things like braces and sculling are fun to practice and usually at least once or twice a practice session I will miss one and flip.
Having a reliable roll allows you to feel free when you want to paddle and the weather is a little closer to the edge of your comfort level.
having a roll keeps you from being a pain in the butt to your paddling friends if you capsize.
if you never plan to venture out of the small pond mode of paddling, having a roll is not a big deal. If you start venturing out in to slightly more extreme conditions, its a good idea to have.
Besides, its just fun to do.
Andrew
p.s. my answer to her would be it depends. heck, it depends what kind of boat she has. Some are pretty well near un-rollable.
She wants to
– Last Updated: Jul-06-04 1:16 PM EST –
which is a good reason.
Folks wh0 do not want to become sea kayakers, or great lakes kayakers (same thing) or WW kayakers do not need to learn to roll. Those who do will lean their boat with more confidence so they will be doing inside leaned turns and other techniques with a bigger lean and more comittment and thus more efficacy. When you can roll you can practice bracing with more committment.
Like other activities, paddling does not require tons of technique, but when technique can serve pleasure (and in the case of paddling, safety) it's good to have it.
Dancing on the water is a pleasure but strolling is nice too.
Great advice! Thanks. (nt)
Rolls
I have never had to roll my kayak. Through luck, modest skill, or good planning, I have always had a solid plan B and C in case rolling up didn’t work.
That said, rolling has added immensely to my enjoyment of kayaking. It lets me work on skills without worrying about swimming. It lets me relax and enjoy playing in waves. It makes it easy to dress for cold water on warm days. It’s a neat link with the history of kayaking. It keeps your partners from having to put themselves at risk. And it’s just fun.
Once you learn, it becomes just another manuever, and you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about.
but
then ya would have fish breath!
Dry Exit Practice
As someone below mentioned, maybe try some dry exits on land, go as far as the skirt and dump the boat in the yard half way and get your bearings and feeling. Certainly don’t give up the sport, but certainly do get comfortable with a wet exit and then you’ll be able top learn the rolls.
Brian
Dry exit
Place the kayak across two sawhorses. Climb in and affix skirt. Flip over, pull skirt and land on the ground. Be sure to wear a helmet.
Wet Entry
Hi Robin - I too disliked learning the wet exit and know it is an important part of kayaking. I was told to overcome the fear by taking your kayak out into the water, tipping it over, ducking underneath it (so your head is in the cockpit) and just staying put for a short spell getting used to the feel of being under the boat. It works. Once you get a sense of where everything is on your kayak it will be automatic to locate it when you do a wet exit. Once I realized I was not going to be stuck head down under the kayak it was okay. Hope this helps.
sculling
I think the sculling thing is a good idea. I was watching a dvd the other day showing class V runs and when the characters would roll, quite frequently there was a bit of sculling to get the last little bit upright due to the foamy/unstable nature of the water I’d imagine.
Fine idea. Will try it. Thanks.
I learned to scull and hang brace first
I learned to scull and hang on a brace till I could dunk my head and come back up before I learned to roll.