The instructor I had when I took a bunch of ACA lessons (basic skills, surf zone, tides and currents, etc.) the year I got serious had a requirement that you practice rescues as part of each lessons, so I did many wet exits as part of that (especially the surf zone practice).
This practice continues, though not as serious. For example, when we are in new boats, we will make sure we know how to rescue ourselves in that boat.
Plus lot of wet exits while I try to learn to roll (still learning).
In 4 years, I think I have done maybe 2 or 3 unintentional wet exits.
Oh, we’re counting those If we’re counting those, then I have to add a few. Including the time in front of a bunch of people we were giving a tour to. The other guide says to them, check out what Bryan just did. Don’t land like that, as I was standing up out of the water.
Well, if entering/exiting… I have a few of them. The Vela makes the point that I am being too cavalier once a season, and once a year I start getting out of the boat thinking a foot is going to land on bottom but oops still a little too deep. As above, always in front of lots of people.
At least seven or eight times I swum quite a bit before learning to roll while surfing. But once I learned to roll it took me at least another 3-4 nasty swims to combat roll. My most recent was last year in November on lake michigan. Gloves + white water paddle = no indexing, (which totals out to a swim). I did handroll up though, but was subsequently capsized again and then swam.
Like a lot of people who paddle moving water (surfing/white water) I take a more pragmatic view of my rolling. It is not roll or die, it is just durations of time between swims. Everyone has a bad day. But I consistently practice and challenge myself to ensure that I stay inside the kayak under all but the most extreme situations, i.e. losing your paddle in the dark in a surf boat with no spare, in 30 knot winds and 38 degree water is fairly extreme. So I learned a big lesson there.
Wow. Hard to say Not a late lately. Not counting practice. I think I did two last year. Not swims, but fell out of the boat when intentionally exiting. D’oh! Last swim in whitewater was two years ago. Had two that day. First time in a ducky. No thigh straps - sucked. I’d have had more, because I’m busy and haven’t been on whitewater but a few times since then.
Before that, a lot. Had three swims one day by not paying as close of attention as I ought while getting used to a borrowed tandem canoe and a new partner on the same day.
Took a bunch of swims when I was instructing intro canoeing. The newbies had a hard time remembering to keep their body mass over the center line. Oh look at that cool… SPLASH! That’s not counting the nasty little game I used to make them play with tennis balls that was intended to make them either remember to keep motions controlled or swim. LOTS of swimming then. That was fun. Mostly flatwater. Took the newbie classes on rivers when I could have someone else lead and I could paddle sweep. Got to pick up a few folks. Had a wonderful day on the James River that I recall to this day. River had gone up a foot overnight and we almost scrubbed. Glad we didn’t. It leveled out, was running a good volume, and all I had to do was keep the bow pointed downriver while the bikini clad passenger stretched out with her wedged in paddle as a backrest. But now I’m old and married instead of young and single.
I don’t know. Maybe 100 swims. Most from canoes. Only a few from kayaks. Maybe 5 or 10 if you count falling out at the takeout.