Sea Kayaking... with kids?

February-March 1995

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Kirby Stevens

Here we were paddling across Coaster Channel in the Broken Islands with a strong southeasterly blowing and rain coming down in buckets. I kept thinking to myself, "What are we doing here with a little girl who just celebrated her third birthday on Clarke Island?"

Our story started years ago when our daughter Stacey was born. Being an avid outdoors couple we considered it only natural to bring a child with us on excursions. We wouldn't think of getting a babysitter for her while we enjoyed the outdoors. But at this time the idea of sea kayaking with a child was considered revolutionary by Vancouver Island standards. It was an adult-oriented sport so we were left to our own devices.

At the outset we decided on two single kayaks, rather than a double. Our rationale was simple: coming from a whitewater kayaking background, we had become independent in our paddling styles, and there was also the safety factor of having two boats. After some time we found two kayaks, a Pisces manufactured by Current Designs, and an Icefloe, a British design. The Pisces was an older model with a sliding seat which was large enough to carry an adult and infant comfortably in the cockpit. In retrospect we found the Icefloe not as good a choice due to its narrow beam. It would have been difficult to keep a child on the deck if the Pisces were to capsize.

We considered all aspects of carrying a child, including putting her in a hatch by herself, but finally settled on having adult and infant together in the cockpit. For this we had to design and make a special spray deck with two 'chimneys' so each person could have their own, instead of having an extra large chimney for both through which water could leak in. Thus we were able to have Stacey sit between my wife's legs on several layers of ensolite and be quite comfortable. We even put a toy on the grab loop to entertain her.

We paddled this way for several years until she became too tall to see over. After trying several double kayaks, we purchased a Tofino manufactured by Necky Kayaks because it was stable enough to compensate for any sudden movements Stacey might make in the front cockpit, and could deal with the waves better.

Now, paddling across Coaster Channel in the rain and wind, I wondered how Stacey was handling it. Suddenly I noticed her slump over in her cockpit. My heart almost went through my throat. Thinking the worst, I called my wife over to me. To our surprise, despite all this 'yucky' weather, Stacey had felt at ease enough to fall asleep. While this was not the first time she had fallen asleep while paddling (which has much the same lulling effect on kids as driving in a car), it amazed us that she did so in such inclement conditions. As it turned out, we were able to make it past Lyall Point before she woke, and this experience confirmed for us that there were few limits to put on her other than we would place on ourselves.

What are some of considerations when paddling with children?

Sea kayaking is a sport with one great misconception: people often believe that all they have to do is climb into a boat and paddle off into the sunset. Unfortunately this is not the case. Granted one may survive for years paddling in quiet little bays and unexposed waters, but ocean kayaking requires constant learning. In the case of paddling with children, it is paramount that parents have essential skills such as bracing and rescues, but most important, that their children understand what to do in the event of capsize. Learning to paddle can come later, depending on the age.

It is common for parents to take the basic courses and believe they are set for virtually anything, then forget about educating their child. This can make an already tense capsize situation much worse for all involved.

It is best for the whole family to take part in a pool or calm water session organized by a local paddling club or kayak operator, in order to go through the basic exit and rescue exercises with competent help nearby. In this way the child can understand what happens and the parents can set up some emergency procedures. It is also important to introduce children to cooler water conditions. Try to make a game of it so your child does not get too worried, and remember to have fun--this is supposed to be a recreational activity, after all, not a life or death pursuit.

In our family, attention was given to rescues, starting when our daughter was six months old, then modifying procedures as she got older and was able to understand the fundamentals.

In the beginning the basic strategy was to hold her breath and remain calm. Later, when we started using a double, the scenario was to relax, hold her breath, and slide out of the spray deck using a tether attached to her grab loop on the lifejacket that was secured to my spray deck behind her. When she got older, we designed another spray deck with three grab loops, putting a grab loop on each side so she could easily get out of it. We also added a mesh pocket on the chimney which served as a catch-all for the articles she picked up and for the inevitable candy wrappers.

Paddling with children is much like taking a road trip with them--there are good days and then there are bad days. Usually the good days outdo the bad. But you have to be flexible and judge for yourself whether your child has the capacity to handle situations if things get rough.

There are lots of opinions on whether or not parents should take children sea kayaking, especially on a group trip. One group we know decided to cancel a trip because it didn't want to deal with the added burden of paddling with a child.

Remember, if you do bring your children along on trips, there are often other folks camping on the same beaches and they may not care to deal with your kids running wild. Respect other people's privacy. Last summer, for example, we met up with two paddlers who said, "Last night we babysat two kids all evening and all the parents did was smile and wave. They didn't even give us a break for supper."

There are many different options for paddling with children. We prefer having two boats but some people are perfectly fine with a larger, triple cockpit kayak-- although I worry about carrying all your eggs in one basket. The risks are always there but it is how you prepare and respond that makes the difference.

Kirby Stevens is an Outdoor Recreation consultant, involved with safety and teaching issues in sea kayaking. He recently lectured at the West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium on Paddling with Children.