Part of it
Swimming a cool Class II is part of whitewater kayaking and it’s not as bad as it sounds if you have a vest, float with your feet downstream and don’t panic.
Until you have a reliable roll, this will happen. Cold weather gear helps, and a wetsuit does offer some padding from rocks.
Even with a roll, this can happen, so learn how to swim the rapids safely and be comfortable with it.
jim
I paddle the metro Hooch all the time,
– Last Updated: Sep-22-10 3:55 PM EST –
and I'm sure the OP was being trained on the section down near Atlanta, not up by the dam. The temperature of the water at this time of the year is in the 60s. It can seem cold if some recently released water comes down, but this is the time of the year when the warmest temperatures are encountered. [Note- see below. The section in question *was* that just below Buford Dam.]
The Metro Hooch is an excellent training river, but it is rather wide, and if someone flips and wet-exits, getting both to shore can take time and effort. Almost all the rock outcrops slant upstream, but fortunately there haven't been foot entrapments that I know of.
The experience described does not suggest lack of proper clothing, but only that training may have been rushed a bit.
It’s a very low class 2 river at summer
levels, and if an instructor shows the proper routes, beginners have no problem. Except for the river being rather wide, I can’t think of a better place to train beginners. Ideally, though, there should be at least two instructors, with at least one just downstream of each practice point to catch the unlucky.
OP Response
– Last Updated: Sep-22-10 2:09 PM EST –
First, thanks to everyone for your helpful comments. I guess it was good to "fall off the horse" quickly and get it out of the way. Now I just need to get back on and work on my skills.
We did indeed start at the dam and later I checked with Dam authorities I was told it was an even 50 degrees F. Just standing in it made my feet hurt. We were not encouraged to wear anything more than shirt and shorts but we were admonished not to wear cotton only poly, which I did. I really was impressed with the instructor and his experience and we spent an hour on the shore going over basic kayaking and emergency procedures before entering the water. All of the rapids we encountered were cat.1 and the one I turned over in was the only cat. 2 and a low level cat. 2 at that. I just blew it, was slightly embarrassed and shaken...but again,I think the 50 degree water had a greater negative impact on my recovery than anything else.
Thanks again, I appreciate you thoughts and encouragement.
But we’re not talking Helen Georgia.
And we’re not talking about the cold water coming out of Buford Dam. We’re talking about the Chattohoochee just NW of Atlanta.
Nope: he/she is right -not bsing
– Last Updated: Sep-22-10 2:11 PM EST –
I trained in the Hooch weekly (year round) in fact we have established a Time Control/Race every Tuesday nights and long workouts on Saturday mornings, so I DO KNOW what I am talking about.
The water of the hooch is coming from the deep pool of Lake Lanier which is at a constant temp of about 45º +/- 5 year round (see below link)
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?02334430
Water at the shoals tend to quite cooler than water at some of the gauges, so this person is not BSing. I live in the Lake Lanier, and one of the key reason I keep driving to the Hooch on Summer is because of the cold water!
Regards,
PS: it's not nice to judge someone credibility without knowing the facts...
Which dam? Buford Dam, or the dam
downstream at “Morgan Falls”?
I do not think that the rapids below Buford Dam are appropriate for training. If the dam is “off,” the rapids are likely to be shallow with limited training options. If Buford is “on,” there is way too much water and training opportunities are washed out.
Below Morgan Falls, there are few rapids for the first few miles, until one gets past Johnson Ferry Road and also past hwy I-285.
If your instructor started you below Buford Dam, I question his/her judgement.
Get use to
not kidding, take a few swims and get use to it. After very long and intensive workouts like 6/8 hrs long. I have been able to seat on the shoals at the hooch for 20/30 minutes to lower body temp (just before hypo sets in) believe me after a while is not that bad (it’s bad) but not that bad 
Feet hurting = very cold water
Yup, if your feet hurt, then the water probably IS at or below 50 degrees. I can get away with using short neoprene/mesh slipper-boots down till the water is that temp. But 50 and below makes the bones in my feet ACHE.
If you plan to paddle a lot in that cold water, a drysuit is the way to go unless you know you can get up/out quickly.
Otherwise, wear snug-fitting neoprene. If it were me, I’d go for a full wetsuit plus booties over the ankles plus a skull cap that covers the ears. You still won’t want to lounge around in 50-degree water in that, but it’ll be much less unpleasant than t-shirt and shorts!
You might also want to wear noseclips while on the river. With capsizes likely, you can at least prevent the pain from very cold water blasting up your sinuses.
And always remember this: What other people find cold doesn’t matter. If YOU feel cold, follow your instincts and wear warmer paddling clothes.
a few points
Not sure why this ww class didn’t start with a capsize and wet exit?
Sounds like your first capsize was in rapids and you were in an unsafe position for longer than necessary.
The idea is you already know how to wet exit and get in the safest position and get your boat to shore.
A splash top, short or long sleeve, will help a lot with the cold shock, then in the summer you warm back up pretty quick.
It’s kind of a balance between not over heating and protection for the conditions. At 50 degrees some neoprene and a more water tight jacket is a good idea. But a splash jacket under your PFD would have gone a long way to keeping you comfortable.
Agree that you can get more used to it
I doubt it’d ever feel comfortable but it’s possible to get less fazed by very cold water. When in Alaska, I forced myself to sit in icy stream water almost every day, and I dunked my head in it. At first I could tolerate only a short session. Gradually the sitting periods got longer and less shocking upon first entry. Only when we got to the end of the trip (farther north), did the water again feel horribly cold.
Oh, yeah, the effect wears off if you don’t keep doing it!
Polar Bear Swim
I was told the whole point of the polar bear swim contest is to get people use to cold water temp:
http://www.lckc.org/ArchivesPressResults/PolarBearSwimLinks.htm
This link is from the Kayak Sprint Club at Lanier, last year these kids were jumping on upper 30’s to low 40’s waters and low 30’s air temp (a very cold winter for the area).
Because currently air temp is high (high 80’s low 90’s) here in ATL, it’s not possible to dress for immersion without having a head-stroke, so I think the safest thing to do is to use a PDF and get ready for the cold water…
Good motivation to start work on a roll!
All in all, you live to tell about it. And you were not put off by the experience. That’s good news.
I signed up for a roll class after my first river run! The reason being, after TWO capsize, I was totally wasted from the swim/drag boat to shore/empty water out of boat routine!!!
And after acquiring a shaky roll in the class, I didn’t capsize for quite a long time.
Give it a thought. Maybe it’s a good thing you got trashed on your first time out!
Strangers to Atlanta
– Last Updated: Sep-22-10 3:45 PM EST –
It is clear that the majority of posters do not live in the Atlanta area and are not familar with the Hooch.
1. The water below Buford dam to 10 miles below is limb numbing and painful cold after 30 seconds in the middle of summer. The section is also used for tube floating that can freeze your butt depending on the water release.
2. That section is also used for various beginner [i.e, lack of correct clothing and equipment] trips for people that have no expectation of taking a swim. When it happens it is a painful and discouraging experience. If no swim, then it can be a fantastic trip with crystal clear water [depending on recent rain]!
3. It sounds like the original poster was in a rec kayak, not white water kayak.
It wasn’t possible to judge until he
made it clear that he was talking about just below Buford Dam, see posts below. In summer, that is the coldest water in the region, and a strange place to train beginners.
The whitewater just below Buford Dam
is limited and mediocre for training. Better places to train include at Jones Bridge, and at Island Shoals, but the best is Powers Island to hwy 41.
Yes
Learn to brace and roll.
the water is cold!
Last weekend I was trying out my newly-acquired Necky Zoar Sport on the Hooch. I’ve been taking sea kayaking classes and have had quite a few wet exits. At Gerrard’s Landing, which is a recomended site by the Chattahoochee Upper River Keeper, I decided to go upstream which meant paddling through a section where about half the river is dammed up and the water is fast. It didn’t look that bad-- some rapids. I thought I could handle it.
Unfortunately, I tried to enter the current at an angle and before I had gone half the boat’s length the water flipped me violently. As someone pointed out, I had my flotation device on and I gather my gear and righted the boat with no problem. Unfortunately it was too swift to get back on it and attempt to pump out the water so I had to swim to shore to empty the boat. No problem except that I was very chilled the rest of the day, even in the 90 degree heat. I did manage to lose my Ray Bans (2nd pair) so I bought a cheap floating pair at Go With the Flow.
It was amazing how I completely misjudged the water and found myself out of control. It would have been a good day to be wearing a shorty.
Shorty 2mm is a nice compromise
Cold water, hot air = shorty 2mm wetsuit. Full wetsuit is warmer but too hot in very hot weather. Been there, done that, and then you have to roll to cool off…frequently. My shorty 2mm suits get more use than any other paddling wear.