how old are you?
In six years of instruction I’ve seen a range of personalities and what she is describing is not unusual.
scuba
i am a diver for many years been in a lot of stressful conditions with no problems but the first time the instructor ask me to do awet exit i had a fear of being trapped upside down (i am not claustaphobic i have dived some caves) but thanks to a special instuctor elizabeth from long island n.y. it went smooth
Math problems underwater???
– Last Updated: Jul-08-04 1:21 PM EST –
WOW! I can't do math on dry land. Don't think I want to try it upside down underwater!
Elizabeth is cool!!
She has helped me as well. I’ve gone to quite a few classes where she has been instructing.
Lou
i am not an instructor but…
if she is really that HORRIFIED (to point of tears ?) of being underwater, why kayak ?
why put yourself through 6 hours of stressful intense horrifying paddling times ?? want to do weekend trips ??
everybody knows that its not “IF” u take a dump but “WHEN” you take a dump into the waters. She cant roll and even horrified of doing basic wet exit. She even QUESTIONED why the first thing they do in class is techniques on exiting a kayak.
DO you all sincerely believe kayaking is for her ?? WOuld she be safe ?? can she think calmly during a wipeout in the middle of the ocean ?
I still say, stay away from all Watersports and stick to land sports. She would be healthier, happier and live longer.
I also sense that she is being “FORCED” into the sport, most probarbly by a spouse.
dx, read before you rant
they have no fear of doing a wet exit, just can’t bring themselves to flip the boat. It’s not the major dramatical event you’re making it out to be, and telling someone to get out of the sport is COMPLETLY off base and quite arrogant (not to mention making you sound like a !%$% prick)
Me, I’d LOVE to try bungee skydiving, but you would have to physically SHOVE me out of the plane. After that, I’d be fine and have a great time. Just that first step. Lot of people have the same problem, just varied events.
Oh…and before you try to go off on me…I’m a NAUI certified SCUBA Diver, and I also have a slightly hard time bringing myself to flip my boat, yet I can submerge to 25’ and do somersaults until I’m dizzy, or hold upside down and examine crap on the bottom until I my tanks run out.
Next time someone asks for help/advice, leave your adolescant arrogance aside and either give them the support/tips they ask for or shut the hell up.
I work on the same problem
Robin,
I think you’re on the right track. One of the ways I’ve been working on it is to use the side of a pool (with the boat in it of course) and hang upside down just to get comfortable and nothing more. I’m still not there yet, but I figure I’m in no race, but I’ll get there eventually.
I am encouraged by my prior experience with judo. It took me several years before I got reasonably comfortable (not completely, but reasonably) with someone picking me up and throwing me. I was patient and I didn’t give up.
Good luck, you are not alone…Lou
you know. …
quote “But to me it’s like jumping out of a perfectly good airplane…why the hell would anyone want to? I took the classes to learn how to keep the boat upright, but the first thing they had us do is a wet exit. I was a nervous wreck, almost to the point of tears. I understand the necessity of having the skill, and if I ever HAD to wet exit …”
Get out of the Sport before you kill yourself. Honey, people practise rescue techniques consistantly all the time. I never known any paddler that managed NOT to take a dump into the water in their life.
Quote “I practice paddle float entries at the lake, and I have taught my daughter to do it.”
TROLL, TROLL, TROLL
You all can say whatever you want about my call and me , i dont give a h00t, but she sure is not WELCOMED TO COME PADDLE WITH ME AS SHE IS A WALKING LIABILITY.
Here’s Something I’ve tried
While practicing near a dock, I looped my stirrup rope to a cleat on he dock and let the other end dangle in the water. I’ve since added a kid’s pool diving ring to one end (you know the go fetch the ring type) so the stirrup will sink better. I used the rope to pull myself up, kind of like the edge of a pool.
Lou
Similar Feelings
I am very comfortable in the water (more so than on land it seems!) and have boated most of my life. I’ve never been one of those who would tip a boat over for fun, though. Boats should stay upright! When I practiced my first wet exit, the tipping it over part was the hardest because I had years of upright boating ingrained in me. It wasn’t really fear, but I had to go against everything I had learned. I did it, but it was a really weird feeling.
YOU DON NOT NEED A ROLL
In good paddling conditions. Period.
I Think You Won The Max Reply Award
You got everyone’s attention and I think 71 replies of a sustained thread might be the record. I would say print all this out, think of a good title, have the book printed in China and you’ll pull in a good chunk of change. Please send me 20% of the gross for the idea, thanks. You’re doing great, just keep paddling and have fun!
Naw…
The max was over 100 something a couple of years ago. I can’t remember exactly but it I think it was “troll like” post and before the creation of “bicker and banter” forum. So, maybe this thread, takes the the record for the longest with serious responses.
sing
If I tried that
I’d rebreak my collarbone. Bad advice!
comma
,if you’re in a kayak with thigh bracing that’s DESIGNED to be leaned for steering control and the TEMPERATURE of the water is such that immersion/clothing is an important time issue for exposure THEN knowing how to roll will increase margins of safety.
When I was learning to dive
I realized quickly that I had a problem enterring deep water from the pool edge. We had an exercise where we had to doff our gear and jump into the deep end with our reg in our mouth ONLY.This allowed us to breathe underwater of course, but we had no mask on, no fins on and our BC and tank was in our hand as well. Once at the bottom you put your mask on and cleared the water out so you could see and become oriented. Then you put your BC/tank on and finally your fins. After this we had to buddy breathe and swim laps for about a half an hour! Trust me this was much more gruelling at first than doing any wet exit/roll! I found out that I had a fear of jumping in the deep end! I could swim laps or anything else but to jump in like that it scared me half to death! I took private lessons to overcome diving into the deep end and I’m okay with it now.You WILL be able to accomplish your goal-it just takes time and patience.
dx-treme and styles of communication
I participated and assisted in a few ACA Sea Kayak Instructors Development Workshops and Certification Exams,IDW/ICE,in them I’ve seen some people become emotionally upset in some accident scenarios to the point it affects their judgement and others do fine,irrespective of skill levels. Here’s a general observation in communication styles that I’ve found has held up in various Xtreme activities. Men tend to over estimate their capabilities and women tend to underestimate them. So while a person may say they’re “horrified”,in fact,on the water,their performance/function may not match your description of the actions of a “horrified” person.
If you’ve ever gone paddling with a group of paddlers in potentially rough conditions,and in an informal check-in to make sure everyone knows where each others skill is at,some young guy (age 16-60) says “sure I can do self-rescues, I gotta roll and am comfortable in these conditions”
But when the poop hits the fan you discover they,or you,didn’t know s**t from shinola,and then you’ve really got liabilities.
Sometimes there’s a big difference between what people perceive of themselves and what others see in them.
Have you tried to roll in a pool
I see 1001 posts here, I look at it this way, I would be weary as well to roll, but heck, it can save your life (rolling). Try it in a pool, with a person on either side…then in a river/lake/ocean with a person on either side…hope it helps…
wally
Upright
Boats should stay upright? In my young Sunfish-sailing days part of the fun was coming up with exciting new ways to capsize the thing, or at least getting your friends to fall overboard.
now i dont know …
For all i care, LeeG, you could be a 250 lbs 5’ 4" male with your $2850 NDK Explorer that paddles once a month in your local lake with a big ice chest and ding dongs.
I’ve seen a nerdy hiker looking guy that came to our climbing crag soloing 5.11 face and i also seen a college kid that runs around the mall every weekend with his mtn bike and kayak on his roof rack with all outdoors decals sticking on his truck.
Point is, i dont know you LeeG, so you dont see me make that judgement publically. So please dont assume that “i dont know shit when the poop hits the fan”, before you come to know me personally and my paddling abilities.
Through all the posts that i made here in the forum, i tried not to make any personal comments towards anybody. Life is too short and real for me to go on making enemies and making myself felt good through some internet online forum.
NOw i gotta thank everybody for thinking i am still in my 20’s 