I’d like to understand just how likely a person is to go into the water unintentionally, on flat water, from a canoe or kayak, so if you have a first-hand account I would like to hear it.
Background: I have been paddling from ice-off to ice-on and dressing for the air temperature + exercise heating for several years and I’ve done fine, but last winter I started reading up on the perils of cold water immersion, and now I’m wearing a wetsuit under my clothes when the water is below 60° and I’m going out less and staying closer to shore. But that’s based on the severity of falling in. Now I’d like to understand the likelihood of falling in.
I personally have never come close to falling in, once in my boats, so I’d like to hear the circumstances where people have fallen in or submerged or been swamped, on flat water, whatever the temperature, preferably from first-hand accounts.
The one time it’s happened to me was paddling the Edisto River a couple of days after an ice storm. The water was 40 deg and running hard.
We ran up on a submerged stump and in we went. We were not dressed for immersion because the air temp was 70 deg. The bank was close and I was able to quickly climb out. Some dry clothes and warm coffee and fellow paddlers were a blessing.
New boat and loss of balance (most common)
Mis-stroke (cavitation of paddle stroke, etc) with loss of balance
Hitting object underwater and loss of balance
Medical condition/emergency with loss of balance or loss of consciousness
Losing balance from distrations like looking around, taking pictures, bugs on you or in cockpit, spoonbill catfish jumps onto/into boat, etc
In a similar category, snagging the paddle between rocks while the boat has significant speed in current, or reaching forward for a draw or pry, also while the boat has significant speed, so that when the paddle blade stabs into an unseen rock, the paddle knob punches you in the face.
None of which has caused me to fall out of the boat, but it’s easy to see how it could happen. And of course none of this is totally within the “flat water” category specified by the original poster, but what the heck, it’s in the spirit of the replies thus far.
So, right now I’m remembering a story. Many here remember Bob, a very capable canoe paddler and all-around good guy to know, who was looked up to by many less-experienced paddlers as someone to copy as they were learning new skills. In the story I remember, a woman was looking at a very easy rapid up ahead, and being a beginner, she was uncertain how to run it. She shouted to another paddler asking for advice. The other person said “Just follow Bob!” She shouted back, “But Bob is upside-down!” Bob had fallen victim to one of those quirky situations such as what you listed, which won’t normally cause one to fall out of their boat, but which absolutely can.
A friend of mine sold his canoe because he could not stop falling out of it on overnight trips…lol. Some paddlers simply have more balance (skill?) issues than others.
Those are good ones and 1,2,3&5 have all happened to me, except that an adequate and reflexive enough brace kept me from going in. So maybe lack of a good brace is also a reason people capsize.
New boat and loss of balance (most common)
eg: going from seakayak to surfski (or, worse yet, K1)
Mis-stroke (cavitation of paddle stroke, etc) with loss of balance
similar: paddling feathered, after pause start up again - forgetting blade is feathered
Hitting object underwater and loss of balance
or - object underwater hitting kayak (large fish (shark or other))
spoonbill catfish jumps onto/into boat,
jumping sturgeon (large) in Suwanee river
Just wait… We are heading into (what I have dubbed ) the annual “killing season” in New England. We inevitably will have news stories of dead paddlers found in the water, out of their canoes and kayaks. Oh, if only the “dead” could talk… Maybe they would share how they ended up in the water. Alas, the dead don’t talk. What we do know is that they were usually found without PFD and/or immersion gear.
Winter is coming but the “paddlers purge” always precedes.
I’ve been paddling for 20-years, and the only time I can remember an unintentional swim on flatwater was a trip down the Chipuxet River into Great Swamp in RI. I leaned over to go from kneeling to sitting, and over I went. Its rare, but it does happen.
The fact that you are thinking about what would happen if you dumped in cold water is good. The three major risks resulting from cold water immersion are cold shock, physical incapacitation and hypothermia. All three greatly increase the risk of drowning. Sing is right - we are now entering the cold water killing season. Folks think it will never happen to them until it does.
As you are wrestling with how to manage these risks, it is definitely better to emphasize severity over frequency. Sounds like you are paddling alone. You don’t mention what you are paddling - canoe or kayak - but it doesn’t matter. If you can’t get back into your boat or to shore in a matter of minutes you are in trouble.
You mention a wet suit, which is good, but a drysuit is better. Even then, it probably only adds a minute or two.
I also paddle year round, but if I am alone I am much more conservative in what I paddle. I wear my drysuit and PFD, and keep it well within my skill level. If I can’t get out of the water quick, I won’t do it. Even then there are no guarantees.
Mostly I have paddled moving water and have plenty of immersion stories. I remember paddling one fine spring day at the Univ of Washington. We had a group with rental canoes. My youngest brother and a close friend capsized in calm water. It was April and Lake Washington was maybe in the high 50s. We had some trouble getting them to shore because the water temp immobilized them.
There have been many times paddling in the wind with loaded boats that I feared capsizing when leading groups. I can’t think of any mishaps, just tense moments.
I got dumped once on flat water by part of a submerged tree I didn’t see because I was looking the other way. I’ve also dumped on flat water when trying to exit onto a slippery dock, and once on a rocky landing.
I am not hardcore enough to gear up for winter paddling. The coldest water I’ve paddled on is probably around 50F with a wet suit. I don’t do that regularly.
The thing I fear the most is autonomous gasping in response to cold shock and inhaling a lung full of cold water.
Much of it depends on the boat. New kayakers often look for the best all around boat - there is no such thing. A boat that’s ideal for speed might not be ideal for touring with gear in rough conditions. One that’s playful in surf may not track well on a flat lake. A Swede form hull will cut through wave and maintain a speed advantage while a a Symmetric hull will climb over waves and plunge into the troughs, which causes the boat to wallow between peaks. The solution to that is to simply slow down. A narrow rounded chine might help you better hold an edge on a curling wave, while a wide stable boat might flip. However, if you rarely face curling waves, a multi-chine wide boat will be more stable and desireable if you paddle mostly flat water.
My paddling trips often coincided with another paddler, and we occasionally arrived at the launch around the same time. It was pleasant to paddle with him because our speed was closely matched. He typically paddled an light blue CD kayak, then the following year he had a red one. I can’t recall the models, but I asled what happened to his other kayak, because I remember him saying it was stable and that he liked it. He told me he got tired of it rolling on him. The new boat better served his purposes. That didn’t necessary reflect negatively on his skills or the boat. He simply found a boat that better fit his expectations. I have to admit that never falling out of my boat has more to do with the exceptional primary stability of my boat than my boat handling skill.
I installed a forward bulkhead in my 140 Pungo and paddled a 21.5 mile trip across the Upper Chesapeake Bay on multiple trips in fair weather, and also paddled it in a 125 Tsunami. I eventually bought the 145 Tsunami and ultimately the 175 model, because they’re better options for harsh weather conditions.
The key to safe paddling is to recognize what you can handle in the boat you’re paddling, and know how terrain, waterway constriction, and channel depths influence conditions. For example, there are certain passages in seemingly protected area that are typically more turbulent than open water. On one trip, I took a shortcut through the mainland and an island. The wave action was more than double the open water channel. Once I rounded a point, there was an anchored power boat with a couple in floating lawn chairs on flat water. Know what you and your boat can handle, and either turn around or go to ground and land. Although I know paddlers who use Tsunamis in the ocean, I won’t paddle there because I don’t feel I have the skill. I believe it’s about knowing your limitations, as well as your ability to recover safely.
My only time was a few weeks ago. I was getting into my kayak, got distracted and unbalanced, and dumped. I got drenched, my cockpit filled with water, and I was mortified.
On the plus side, it was an easy re-entry after I untangled myself from the chaos.
Paddling with a tall non-paddler friend in a tandem canoe. He overreacted after causing the boat to lean more than he was comfortable with. I once ducked under branches at speed and ran up on the tree trunk in such a way that I capsized. I once capsized on perfectly flat water returning the smile of a pretty girl - during an assessment course! Yes, there are things that can make you forget where you’re at and what you’re doing momentarily.
I was paddling in shallow water in a narrow creek and decided to duck down under a tree that crossed. I found myself upside down in a flash having become unbalanced by a submerged part of the tree. A drysuit is the way to go once the water is below 78 degrees. Under 70 degrees should be treated with caution, and 50 to 60 degrees can be life threatening. Drysuits rule!
