Why Learn To Swim
It has long been said that accidents on the water are not the failure of a single event, but a cascade of problems which eventually overwhelm the paddler. This is why I use the following analogy.
Think of you skills, judgement, and gear as your defense against disasters, much like the moat, walls, troops, and keep are preventions against attack. A castle isn’t defeated instantly, but falls as each element of the defense falls. Incidents on the water are much like that, as well.
Your moat, your first line of defense, is your judgement. The better your judgement, the safer you are. If you go on the water without assessing whether you can handle the conditions, the risks go up. If conditions are bad, or you are feeling sick or injured, you have to make the decision whether it is safe to paddle before you hit the water.
Your castle walls are your skills. You need these to be sufficient to handle the current conditions, and probably, a bit beyond if there is a risk of the conditions changing (there usually is, especially when sea kayaking). Swimming is one of these skills. If you cannot swim, you need to have much better boat handling skills so that you won’t find yourself in a situation that you cannot handle. If you can’t swim for more than a few seconds, this is a critical skill that should be improved. A good paddler, swimmer, boathandler, etc. can challenge conditions a lesser paddler wouldn’t consider.
Your keep is your gear. If all else fails, and you have to rely on your gear (PFD, in this case) to survive, you are in a bad situation indeed. If you can’t swim, especially if you’ll be on cold water, you need to have REALLY good (ie. expensive) gear, such as a dry or wet suit, PFD that won’t absorb water, etc. By going out on the water without a swimming skill, you are missing a critical element of your safety.
Your troops are, of course, your paddling partner(s) and shoreline support (people who know you are on the water and who know your paddling plan), if any. If you are alone, this safety valve just isn’t available, but it has often been a lifesaver for those who can survive long enough to be found and rescued. If you’ve been on an organized trip, river or ocean, you will find that the organizers spend a HUGE amount of time on this. Trust me, over the course of a multi-day trip, this is vital.
Rick
yes, divers MUST swim
The first pool session in either NAUI or PADI SCUBA diving classes requires that you demonstrate being able to swim (style and stroke don't matter) several laps without stopping. No swim, no certification, it's that simple. You must also be able to float, back and front, and tread water for at least 10 minutes. It is crucial that you be comfortable and feel in control of yourself in the water. I've found most if not all non-swimmers are afraid of being in the water and freak out, tense up and flounder when they end up in it. Not a good situation for them or anyone around them.
I didn't learn to swim until I was an adult either, despite spending every summer on Lake Michigan with my cousins as a kid. It really is not hard and, in my opinion, is a basic life skill EVERY adult and child should have. Your local YMCA agrees and that is why they and other organizations offer free or cheap classes.
I would not paddle with anyone who could not swim -- have been involved in too many situations in my life with panicked people in over there heads, jeopardizing the safety of those trying to help or rescue them.
Another reason to learn to swim
Some people have had kayaks take off after being beached with too much boat in the water. Whether due to waves/wakes or wind, it’s good byyyyyyyyeeeeee boat.
If nobody is around to go after it in their own boat, you might have to swim to GET the kayak, never mind getting back inside it.
No and Yes
No, you don’t have learn to swim first. But yes, you should learn to swim. You can learn both.
I’ve been paddling since I was a teen, but never learned to swim until last year(at age of 49). After learning to swim, I feel more comfortable in the deeper water and I believe that improved my paddling abilities greatly. I still wear my pdf 100% of the time in the boat.
I wish I had learned to swim years ago, I really enjoy it and it’s great exercise.
Learn to swim…PERIOD
As a person who grew up in and around water (competitive swimming, lifeguarding, teaching swim lessons to kids and adults), you need to know how to swim - period. If you are throwing into the mix, a water based sport, swimming IS a prerequisite. I’ve been involved with countless accidents of someone who did not know how to swim and decided that fishing from a kayak/row boat, or standing waist deep in water was ok because they had the sense of security from the boat or from standing on the bottom of the ocean/lake. This is a false sense of security.
Anyone who says swimming is not essential for kayaking or any other water related sport, needs to carefully think about what they are saying. What if the pfd fails or falls off, what if the pfd is not currently being worn? The pfd will provide some buoyancy but do you want to rely on your equipment or skill?
Just my two cents. I certainly don’t want to come across you struggling in the water and have to save you which puts both of us in danger. Then again, that would probably be better than having to do a body recover on you! Now sign up for some swim lessons - it does a body good.
probably
I cannot swim and have paddles for over a decade.
Been pulled from my kayak in a whirlpool
Rolled my kayak in rapids beyond my skill-level
Tossed from my kayak into the ocean by a rogue wave.
Been rolled by inconsiderate kids in a speedboat.
rolled and dunked by an underwater rock that rose when a wake caused by a large boat lifted and dropped me.
etc.
Still cannot swimm
Still paddles
Sometimes wears a PFD.
But then, I crazy, chronically depressed and mildly suicidal.
You, however, just might have a family that wants you back.
interesting opinions
most of the fishermen I know that spend their lives on the water in boats DON"T know how to swim . I’ve never been dropped off in the water a mile from shore , so I don’t really know if faced with that situation what the outcome could be . I ALWAYS wear my pfd . and am very profitent in self/group rescue .
M
interesting stat
Based more on folks I know I always assumed over 90% of the population knew how to swim. So either I’m way off of fishermen are very different than most in this regard. I wonder what the real percentage is in the US.
I bet a lot less than 90%
It is generations of tradition that fishermen don't swim - maybe after spending all day working on it taking a casual lap or two isn't so interesting? But a lot of it is because they are often in at least pretty cool water, and used to be wearing clothing that was a fast route to drowning anyway. It is huge that even the smaller fishing boats often have survival suits on board now - the younger generation is not quite as fatalistic about it as their parents.
But as to the overall percentage - in order to swim most people have to have had access to someplace like a Y or a lake with lessons in the summer when they were young. That goes to dollars and access that many don't have. Where the parents are swimmers, as in my case, they'll make any sacrifice necessary to make sure that their kids are able to at least stay afloat in water. But where the parents aren't, that doesn't happen.
I just looked up the numbers and found out I was pretty close. I would have guessed at least 30% of the US population couldn't swim, and it turns out to be 36%. And consistent with the access question, the stats say that 58% of African-Americans in the US can't swim.
Luckily it is rare for non-swimmers to decide to kayak.
Scary Numbers
I’ve heard the low numbers of people who can swim and I have always tried to emphasize how important I think it is. If you are on the water, particularly cold water, you will probably survive, but this is about improving your chances. Good gear, including immersion protection (PFD, wet/drysuit, etc.) can buy you time, but that is all it does. If you cannot swim, you are not only endangering yourself, but your potential rescuers as well.
I used to be good enough on the water (NCAA swimmer/water polo player) to pretty much ensure those around me were safe, but I graduated college 30+ years ago and I’m not that good any more. The odds of encountering someone with even my degraded degree of skill on the water is very low. I always paddle in a pfd (and usually my wetsuit). I no longer paddle alone.
Why? This enables me to pretty much guarantee my safety and to improve the safety of those I encounter. I’ve rescued several people in the past (including 2 SCUBA divers AND their gear). I can’t predict how many people I’ve rescued may have died, but I’m pretty sure the number is >0. All of these rescues were in cold water, some on really hot days (100F+ with 52-55F water).
Frankly, I watch people put themselves and others at risk, constantly. I’ve seen drowning victims nearly kill potential rescuers (I’ve certainly seen novice rescuers grabbed about the neck by drowning swimmers) and had to rescue both. I’ve seen drunks go out on boats and fall out of the boat miles out at sea. I’ve seen accidents turn beautiful days into life threatening situations (example: exploding boat + fire = 2 non-swimming fishermen in 55F water on Monterey bay on a sunny, warm day. Though I was the closest to them in my sea kayak, I must say that the Coast Guard cutter got there first, even though I was only about 200 yards away. These guys were really lucky they were so close to a coast guard station. That was amazing to watch, by the way. You would not have believed how quickly fire on a small boat can spread. Very scary.
So, if you go out on the water without the ability to swim, you are performing a disservice to yourself and to others. Some people will sacrifice themselves to save others, some will not. I’ve not yet had to make that decision, but I can see where my declining skills will eventually put me there. Yes, I will still rescue the idiot non-swimmer in 55F water 1 mile from shore (I’ve done this, by the way), but I can no longer guarantee that I can tow that person to shore with relative ease.
Rick
Slowpoke…
you are da man. I have friends who can swim but are afraid to kayak. Some kind of entrapment / claustrophobia thing I guess.
Yes and no
Floating certainly is essential, but a pfd can do that for you.
Kayaking is one of many sports enjoyed by people with rather severe disabilities. People who have no use at all of their legs and/or very limited use of their arms kayak.
Speaking as a former strong swimmer who is no longer able to swim due to a frozen shoulder, I will never give up kayaking even if my arm falls off. But knowing my limitations, I’m cautious about where, when, and how I kayak, and I make sure I have other self-rescue skills and equipment.
If you are able bodied you certainly should learn to swim, both for self-rescue and to prevent panic in the water. You also don’t want to become a burden to others in your party if you end up in the water as that will put them at risk as well.
to swim or not to swim
If you can’t swim stay away from water sports. However, if you are interested in kayaking, a water sport, one of the steps to learning the sport is learning to swim. When I suggest swimming, it could be as simple as treading water and breast stroke or modified dog paddle. Bottom line is this, if the water is sufficiently deep or strong enough to prevent you from holding a conversation, you or your rescuer(s) may drown, and possibly at your own hand. I’m glad to see you are interested, but the fact that you are even asking suggests doubt in your mind. Check out the local pools, scouts, Y’s for training. Even if you don’t ever kayak/canoe, you might save your life, or someone else’s in a flood/hurricane. Best wishes.
Swimming/Rescues
The most important swimming skill to learn is, really, how to keep yourself able to breathe in the water, especially if that water is moving or turbulent. As a previous poster said, there are a lot of ways to do this and a strong crawl stroke isn’t one of them, not that it doesn’t have its uses.
Frankly, once I learned to play water polo and developed a strong egg beater, I was MUCH safer in the water than I was before. It is such a strong kick, that I’ve been able to lift 50 lbs. of weight over my head and keep it there for 20-30 seconds. If you have a frozen shoulder, for example, a good egg beater kick can easily compensate for same. What is most important is that you are comfortable in the water and able to keep yourself afloat when the need is there.
You never know when swimming ability alone isn’t enough. Example, one of my rescues was at the national masters water polo meet when a player was kicked in the chest and fractured at least one rib. The injured player, normally a better swimmer than I, was unable to move one arm. His attempt to swim was horribly ineffective (partially due to pain, I would think). When it was clear he wasn’t going to make it on his own, I dove in and hauled him to the side of the pool (the refs didn’t even stop the game, so I may have been the first to recognize the player in distress).
A tendon injury to a paddler could be just as debilitating, or worse. Since most paddling injuries are most likely to the upper body, learning to float and kick strongly can be a lifesaver. I’ve competitive swimmers kick 100 yards in well under a minute - much faster than most people could swim that distance. Note also that kicking doesn’t require a lot of technique nor skill. If I were training people to paddle, I’d train this before I would an effective stroke.
Rick
Addendum
Just another opinion posted by Eric Soares, one of the most competent sea kayak paddlers in the world, as to the value of swimming. The photos alone are well worth seeing, if only to see the conditions in which Eric often paddles.
http://tsunamirangers.com/2010/12/14/swimmer-first-kayaker-second/
Rick
“Swimming” practice
Re what swimming really means for basic safety - a great crawl stroke is efficient but likely not the most important part for self-preservation. There are things to practice in the water that are practical, and that I always found more fun than trying to perfect a stroke. Stroke work is great for developing endurance. But if you are a form-impaired klutz like me it's not all that enjoyable.
So things to mess with, if possible. I admit that, for bigger or very dense, lean people, some of these just aren't going to happen or at least require a PFD with great flotation.
Tread water dropping off a limb at a time - one arm, two arms, one leg... transitioning from partial to full reliance on a float as the the final limb goes limp.
Learn to float with the just the head back, the lungs holding and refilling with air, the body hanging limp. Most people consider floating to mean keeping the body fully on top of the water. But people with enough floatation (fat and air) to their body weight often can get away with just the upper chest and head out of the water. And trying to keep legs etc up chews up energy.
Learn to float per the CG recommendation, curled up in a ball to protect body warmth and coming up for air as needed. This one may not work without a PFD.
Learn at least two strokes that can work to move you thru the water without having all the limbs and both shoulders in operating order. That would be back, least tiring, and side stroke on both sides.
Finally - especially if you plan to mess around in surf - practice spinning around underwater with your eyes closed if they tend to be open, to get a kinesthetic sense of where "up" is. Or go to a friendly sand beach with waves, once the swimming is up to it, and try some body surfing. You will end up being maytagged at some point. (OK, maybe with a spotter.) This helps with rolling too, at least the first time you go for one at night.
Recommend a full-cover suit for the last. Those little ground shells at the dump point can scratch. :-)
thanks, good stuff
I’d only add that the ability to move oneself in the water for a short distance, and ideally not-so-short distances, can also be critical to yourself or others. But I like how you presented that. None of this is rocket science and we’re not suggesting swimming aptitude has to be at a competitive level. In fact, as you infer, most competitive strokes would be pretty useless.
Breathing in the water
Lost skill. I blame evolution
Inspired by this post
I took some swimming lessons a couple weeks ago. Honestly I find swimming a lot more fun as an adult than I ever did as a kid.