|
The Scoop Rescue
by Mike Falconeri August 23, 1997
It started out as a simple 2-mile crossing. It had been a pretty long day for a new
paddler, but the wind was mostly light, with only a little chop on the water, and so we weren't too
worried. Dale, my paddling partner, was getting tired of fighting the wind and so decided to use his
rudder to get some directional stability. As he was reaching back to pull his rudder down, a wave caught
him just right and the next thing we knew he was in the water and out of his boat. We got his
boat emptied and upright with no problem, and I stabilized his kayak so he could climb back in. As he
made his first attempt to pull himself up onto the decks of the kayaks, I could see that he was tired
and unable to lift his weight out of the water. After a couple of failed attempts, I turned and looked
at the shore, a mile distant, and then back at my immersed partner. I could see a look of uncertainty
and the beginnings of panic growing in his eyes as the effects of the cold dark water began to set
in........
Modern Sea-Kayaking is becoming popular at a very fast rate. For some, it is hard to
imagine that at one time kayaking wasn't a sport, but a way of life. Kayaks were used as a means of
survival, for hunting, transportation, and trading. Today, perhaps you could say it is still a way of
survival -- with rising stress stemming from the jobs that we do, pressures of keeping the family
together, or just the everyday traffic jam. There is nothing more relaxing than sliding into your
personal get-away vessel and slipping out of the rat race to soak up the calming powers of Mother Ocean.
But, one should always remember that while the sea can offer relaxation and peace of mind, freedom and
adventure, it can also be deceiving and dangerous, leaving an unprepared paddler floating helplessly to
a slow and lonely death.
This may sound pretty grim, but it doesn't have to be. Paddlers can learn how to
become self-sufflcient and safe on the water. So long as they are properly prepared, seakayakers can
look forward to many miles of fun and relaxation with minimal risk. Sea kayaking, unlike many other
sports, requires paddlers to be proficient at a wide range of skills, including paddling strokes,
navigation, rescues, and interpretation of wind, waves, and currents. In addition to learning these
skills, paddlers must practice them in a variety of sea conditions as confidence and technique increase.
Rescues are an especially important part of sea kayaking, and practice sessions can
be a good way to get to know your own as well as your partner's abilities. With a friend or by yourself,
you can find a well protected cove or a nice, fresh water lake and practice different types of rescues
until you feel comfortable and confident with them. Make the practice fun by trying several variations
on the same rescue. You will likely find that some techniques work better for you than for someone else,
and vice versa, so don't be discouraged if a particular method doesn't work for you. Remember that you
can always go out and paddle to a destination, or go sight-seeing, just take the time to practice your
rescues as well.
And now back to Dale. . . The possibility of such an event actually happening,
especially to beginners, is real and can lead to a far more serious situation. With a little extra time
and effort practicing rescues, paddlers can easily learn to overcome this kind of predicament.
The Scoop Rescue is a rescue that I have had to use on a number of such occasions,
and one that I teach in all of my kayak instructionals. The scoop rescue is a method of getting someone
back in their kayak who might be unable to do so under their own power due to physical limitation,
exhaustion, or injury. This rescue is a less complicated alternative to the stirrup method, which
requires the use of a strap or rope slung on the paddle and around the kayak so that the swimmer can
climb up and into their kayak using a foot loop (or stirrup). Although the stirrup method works, it is
time consuming, and far more complicated than it has to be.
A scoop rescue works just as you might expect from the name - you are literally
scooping the immersed paddler back into their kayak. As with most other rescues, the technique is an
assisted rescue, performed by an upright paddler on an immersed one. If you know the rescue, you can
assist a fellow paddler back into their kayak, as well as direct a less experienced person to help you
back into your own boat.
To perform the scoop rescue, you need to get your kayak parallel to the hull of the
capsized kayak (it makes no difference whether the kayaks are facing the same direction or are opposed).
Next, make sure that your paddle is secured under the deck lines so that you don't hit the victim in the
face as you pull them out of the water. Now, lean on the capsized kayak and roll it onto its side, with
the cockpit facing away from you, and submerge it a little - the bulkheads of the kayak will keep it
from sinking altogether (Figure 1). (Note that this rescue is most effective if the kayak has bulkheads,
otherwise you risk loosing your boat to Davy Jones' Locker).
To get the floating kayaker back into their kayak, simply slide them feet first into
the cockpit, as far in as they will go. (This will not work if done head first; Figure 2.) Then, with
the paddler laying on the back deck of their kayak so as to keep their weight close to the rolling axis
of their boat, you can easily roll the kayaker out of the water and bring the boat upright (Figure 3).
All that need be done then is to pump the remaining water out of the kayak, and you can be on your way.
With more and more people taking to the water in kayaks, particularly with a wide
range of abilities, there will be a growing number of occasions during which rescues will be necessary.
Not all paddlers will be capable of climbing up onto the decks of their kayaks and twisting into their
cockpits, as required by the standard T-rescue. It is therefore important to have alternative methods in
your back pocket. The scoop rescue is a valuable technique to learn, for it can work on any paddler in
most situations. Dale was back in his boat and on his way within minutes.
Thanks to Dale Tucker for help with rescue demonstrations, Bart Jeffries for
photographs, and Linda Ivany for editorial comments.
(c) Mike Falconeri |
