You’re right, I was technically describing a high brace but trying to hold it low. As for the position of the blade with respect to the water. I think I prefer it on the surface of the water (on top) because if it’s below the surface and you try to quickly raise it without first rotating the paddle to a position perpendicular to the water’s surface, you risk capsizing, right? Also, I think when I’m side surfing on a quickly moving wave, it would take a fair amount of force to keep in below the surface insofar as force of the rushing water with the blade held at a slight upward angle is pushing it to the surface. I don’t believe I’ver ever found that I’m not getting enough support with the blade at the surface. If I remember though, the next time I find myself in a some surf, I will play around with this. For now, I’m just running mental simulations from my couch.
I was trying to upload a video I took in my backyard of what I think happened, and a couple of other things, but I gather from the error messages I received that I can’t upload videos made on my smart phone, only pics and GIFs (and I guess I can link to a internet video).
Anyway, no matter, I was just fooling around with high and low braces, and a high brace while leaning back on deck (what Peter pointed out seemed similar to a deep sculling brace - it is), having my wife act as a big wave lifting my paddle up and rotating me around with it/her. I came to the same conclusion that you pointed out - namely that a low brace doesn’t seem significantly safer in the situation I described. I don’t know if I would have the presence of mind in the split second I was being rolled to adjust blade angle to decrease chance of shoulder injury (and I don’t think I fully understand what you’re saying the appropriate course of action is when a breaking wave is rolling you over). I’d like to play around with that, but the opportunities to do so are rare as I live inland and only get to the ocean a few times a year. I continue to be curious about the relative safety of performing a high brace from a position where you are leaning back (as in the deep sculling brace), while side surfing, as your arm has less chance, I would think, to inadvertently end up above your head and behind your shoulders.
Yes, it would take a lot of force to keep the paddle blade below the surface with the blade held at a slight upward angle. This is where blade angle control comes in. You don’t lift the paddle higher, or push it down lower, you let it slice up or down initiated by blade angle control.
“If it’s below the surface and you try raising it quickly, you risk capsize, right?”
In the middle of side-surfing, why would you raise your blade quickly to prevent capsize or maintain balance? You can’t quickly raise your blade and you can’t quickly lower your blade except by changing blade angle, where it will slice up or down very quickly if needed. So you have a paddle blade that’s pretty locked in for up or down support. So I would say no, you do not increase your risk of capsize by having your brace blade slicing through the wave instead of on top of it.
As far as having the presence of mind in the split second you’re being rolled to adjust blade angle to decrease the chance of shoulder injury, this emphasizes the danger of allowing your paddle to ride up on waves, getting your arm in a compromised position. If you always practice keeping your paddle low in the wave, then your arm isn’t in a compromised position in that split second.
When you know you’re going to get rolled, taking the entire paddle across the kayak, tucking forward into a roll position down wave is pretty good. This has nothing to do with preventing getting rolled. This is just knowing you’re getting rolled. I can’t think of anything preferable.
CapeFear, I wonder if we are imagining somewhat different scenarios. When I get turned sideways to a wave and start side surfing, my recollection is that I mostly lose forward velocity (i.e., in the direction of the pointy end of the boat), and am mostly just being bounced rapidly towards shore sideways. So the flow of water across my paddleis from the loom side of the blade towards the tip of the blade rather than from what would normally be considered the leading to the trailing edge of the blade. Since the loom is above water and the blade is in the water, there is necessarily and unavoidably an up angle pushing the blade to the surface, allowing me to brace into the wave with minimal risk of a seaward capsize. If I am following your post correctly, it sounds like you are describing a situation where you have forward velocity such that blade pivots increase or decrease lift.
Yes, I think a lot of things might come together with a little more experience.
Try not to become paralyzed in a train of thought. “There is necessarily and unavoidably an up angle pushing the blade to the surface.”
If there is going to be an absolute running through your mind, try to use “I will not allow my arms to be raised into an unsafe position.”
In your situation with your paddle necessarily and unavoidably being raised, bring back the paddle extension. Rotate the blade so that it dives and evens out. (I think you’ll be surprised at how infrequently you don’t maintain some kind of forward or backward momentum along the wave. when you broach and transition into side surfing.) If you bring your blade right over the top of your deck, you have no lift or support. If you extend it, you have too much and it raises up. Somewhere in between is what you want to focus on.
Rough water is too dynamic to have a specific paddle placement. Your use of the paddle will become as dynamic as the conditions. This is where practicing and practicing all kinds of paddle positions and extensions in a way that keeps shoulders safe pays off.