Judgement -- Think Prevention

April-May 1996

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

Listening to the messages of the natural order

by Lilian Alessa

The scene is classic. A human being stands on land facing the seas that could be his greatest friend, neutral accomplice or worst enemy. So begins the first and most important test of one's ability as a kayaker, the ability to make a decision based on good judgement. All the other hard skills that some people mistakenly attribute to the criteria for a "good paddler" are only justified when they are used by choice, not when the situation has deteriorated to the point where they are desperately needed.

Don't get me wrong, a person with good judgement and poor hard skills is lacking a significant piece of the kayaker's formula for success; hard skills allow you to venture into areas whose challenging waters many people dare not explore. However, no matter how solid your technical prowess, the ocean is far, far more powerful and unpredictable than the wildest idiosyncrasies of the human ego. The ability to perceive where reality begins and the etheric double ends requires humility and deference to the power of nature's wrath as well as an unwavering confidence in your own skills.

Unfortunately, for us as paddlers, good judgement comes with experience and the ability to listen to the messengers of the natural order. It cannot be taught easily since it cannot be committed to text with hard, fast rules. No technology can ever replace the need to be observant and ever-watchful of water and wind. No knowledge of capsize recovery procedures, the unfailing ability to roll, the possession of a drysuit or a lack of fear should ever overshadow the practice of sound judgement. As outdoor educators, we need to include the aspects of decision making as more than just a section of our kayaking courses; rather, they should form the framework upon which all other skills rely.

We are becoming a society less and less answerable for our own actions. We can buy insurance for almost anything and an evolving multitude of services means we can deny the dire consequences of breaking a leg on a ski hill or a boat running out of fuel in the middle of the Strait. Cellular phones link us to the rest of the world on land, the VHF allows us instant links to the telephone operator and an EPIRB will mobilize just about all manner of heavy transport. We have the means to get us out of trouble. Right? Wrong.

What we have done is created a net of spider's silk: analyzed piece by piece, a strong system, but a careless swipe by a bad decision reduces it to thin air. We have provided ourselves with the false reassurances that making a thoughtless mistake will not be so bad. Someone will save us.

The kayaking industry has also become a culprit in the propagation of this myth. The promotion of kayaking technology in the form of "gear" and courses dealing solely with capsize recovery procedures have become commonplace... self rescue? The paddlefloat, that little piece of plastic comfort, is dutifully strapped aboard. These courses are almost always taught in sheltered bays and indoor pools where, if our students become slightly chilly a quick change of clothes and a hot coffee provide instant remedy. What these courses do not emphasize enough is that executing a successful rescue in rough seas, in conditions conducive to capsize, is not really that easy. Even rolling up in rough seas means you are simply back where you started, what got you in an upside down situation in the first place.

I grew up in the kayak culture where I learned to rock, rescue and roll, and for a while I actually carried with me the confidence that if I ever went over I would get back up and things would be okay. As I ventured into wilder waters and longer trips, I learned some valuable lessons, the wet and cold way. First of all, I learned that even if you can roll back up in big seas or breaking waves, you are by no means guaranteed of doing it twice. The shock of being upside down in cold water, even with a wetsuit on and the subsequent disorientation of rolling upright often causes a temporary loss of balance. You can get a similar sensation by doing a handstand on a roller coaster.

The other thing I learned is that the smooth approach of a "rescuer's" kayak alongside the capsized boat simply does not exist in any seastate capable of causing the situation in the first place. In fact, if I am EVER in the water with the option of being aided back into my boat, the last thing I want near me is a ballistic projectile made of fibreglass and kevlar headed for my head! This parody is more often than not complicated by wind and/or current hampering your efforts and creating new problems. Ah yes, tow the stricken party out of harm's way, you say? Once again, this feat is really more trouble than it's worth. What our capsize recovery courses don't teach you is that the "rescues" you do execute in the bay or the pool simply aren't that useful when they are most needed. Unfortunately, what many people who come out of these sessions believe -- what they are now better equipped to challenge the seas -- is what may ultimately put them in situations where they will quickly learn that this is intensely not so. It is an irony that spawns poor and sometimes tragic choices.

It's time we focused less on how to get out of a bad situation and more on how to avoid being there in the first place. It's time we emphasized prevention rather than escape. Judgement, however, has some immediate cons: it is not as marketable as a trendy, high tech toy and it cannot be committed to text with hard, fast rules... it certainly cannot be illustrated. It is something that can be introduced as a concept, suggested as a powerful tool and eventually acquired through experience and practice, but it is also an attitude of accepting complete responsibility for your choices and actions. Judgement requires far more skills than can ever be taught in our standard kayaking theory courses. It demands the integration of concrete variables such as weather and seastate, distance, course and contingency, the ability to navigate well and translate charts. It also requires the weight of more subtle factors such as group strength, morale and skill. There can be no laziness when exercising judgement, it is something that must be calculated, advised and sensed. It also requires a level of honesty with yourself and your companions as to your paddling ability, your confidence and your humility. It is here that the onus of choice falls entirely on your capacity to make a decision based on good judgement and this point decides what kind of situation you will be in a few or many hours later.

Ours is a society that reveres pushing our limits and doesn't think of the event past the envelope's edge. It is a society that has never been out in a fully loaded kayak in rough seas, five days into a three week trip, well and away from the auspices of official rescue.

As more and more people venture out into the vast undulations of the oceans, the emphasis on prevention as the best form of safety should move into the forefront of our educational focus. After all, competent paddlers are people who like to do eskimo rolls when they want to, not because they have to.

Lil Alessa is On-Water Coordinator at this year's WaveLength Ocean Kayak Festival, June 7-9 on Gabriola. She is a partner in Acorn Training, a company specializing in trips and training for sea kayaking and mountaineering.