Big Picture Rescues

April-May 2004

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

Alex and Rochelle practice capsizing for fun—at least Alex thinks it’s fun! Photo by Josh McCulloch / www.climbhigh.ca

I’ve come to realize that I have issues around the basic terminology used in kayak rescues. To some, these objections will seem purely semantic, but I think our choice of words reflects our attitudes and might even affect the success of our rescues.

Primarily, I am referring to the use of the word “rescue” itself. It is important to draw a distinction between a “rescue” and a “rescue technique”. A rescue is anything that gets you to safety. Often that means re-entering the boat, but not always. It could mean swimming for it, radioing a passing boat or getting towed to shore while clinging to the bow of a paddling partner’s kayak. Getting out of harm’s way - that is the goal of any rescue. A rescue technique is simply a good way of accomplishing that goal. Often, we get too focused on the minutia of the individual steps in a rescue technique, or the dogmatic execution of a specific technique to the detriment of outcome. While some rescue techniques definitely work better than others, never lose track of the essential goal of rescue—to get to safety.

I like to say “there are no points for style”. In other words, if it works consistently, then it’s a great rescue technique. It might not be elegant, pretty or graceful, but if it gets the job done—then it’s for me. In sea kayaking circles there is often an amazingly rigid structure around how to do a rescue technique, sometimes even to the point of slowing the process down or rendering it less effective. I have often witnessed paddlers taking an extra thirty strokes and precious time to get their boats turned around so that they can be facing the “right” way to do a rescue technique. There is no right way for the boat to face! Get back in your boat. Fast. It’s cold in the water!

Say you are doing a stirrup rescue technique— who cares how many times the rope for a stirrup goes round the paddle shaft or in what direction? It doesn’t matter which way the boats face each other or if the paddles are under a deck bungie. Get your ass in the boat and the water out! Recover stability. If the kayaks are aligned in a safe, stable configuration—great. If using a stirrup, as long as it is strong and the setup is stable and safe—job well done! If you can eliminate the need for a stirrup in the first place, it’s even faster and better. And as long as the paddles are secured throughout the rescue, who cares how it’s accomplished?!

When learning a new rescue technique, obviously each step needs to be carefully studied and repeated many times. But once you have a good understanding of the process, start switching things around in practice. Don’t always approach from the same side. Don’t make your partner in the water wait until you’re ready or in position. Mix things up rather than attempting to do exactly the same thing in exactly the same way every time. Do variations on a theme— come in from both sides, come in backwards, have the swimmer climb your boat first before entering theirs. Reject the concept that everything has to be just so. Don’t get overly concerned with individual steps of a given rescue technique; understand the whole and focus on “outcome”.

If, for instance, you have saved my bacon by towing me away from big surf breaking against a sheer rock cliff, am I likely to question your use of a given towing system or technique? Hell no, I’m going to thank you profusely for having performed a great rescue. Outcome matters a lot. And while the two are intrinsically linked, rescue technique, per se, matters a lot less.

When people capsize, I usually go through this conversation with them once they bob to the surface (especially if they are novice paddlers):

Me: “You’re okay. You are okay. You are FINE!” Pause—”Hey, how are you doing?” Swimmer spluttering, a little freaked-out, eyes like saucers: “I’m okay”.

So, I’m leading the witness a little, but it’s all in a good cause. I need them to calm down and take control of their emotions because, as rescuer, I am depending on them to help me perform a rescue technique.

I also shy away from use of the term “victim” while practicing or performing rescues. It seems to me that it sends the wrong message. The word victim is defined in my little dictionary as “person or thing killed, injured, etc. as a result of another’s deed, or accident, circumstances”. I certainly don’t want to be labeled a victim simply because I happened to have a rather spirited swim at a less than opportune time. I prefer the term “swimmer”.

Obviously, the rescuer has a distinct role in any rescue scenario, but so does the person being rescued. Rather than being a passive “victim”, the person in trouble, or “swimmer”, should actively participate.

Firstly, keep all your gear together—hang on to the paddle and kayak. In even light wind, waves or current, gear quickly floats away, making retrieval and rescue more difficult. While the rescuer is in charge of the situation, swimmers should aggressively follow instructions and actively engage in the rescue process. They have a job to do. A rescue is a team effort. Two well-trained paddlers will execute a rescue technique fast because they both know the drill and will adapt it to the given circumstances.

Our approach to rescues should focus on outcome, rather than the details of rescue technique. And those being rescued should not be victims of catastrophe, but active participants in the team process of recovery. An active paddler is always better off than a passive one, and the same goes for swimmers!

© Alex Matthews resides in Victoria BC. He loves sea kayaking, running rivers, surfing finned surf-boats, and Rochelle. He hates swimming