Know Your Neighbours: Know Your Enemies

April-May 2004

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

by Bryan Nichols

Sea kayaking isn’t always placid sunny days and quality wildlife encounters. The ocean can be a dangerous place for boats of any size, and kayaks are especially small and vulnerable. This time we’ll take a look at a dozen different conditions that could prove hazardous to your kayaking health.

It’s worth remembering that the sea is a lot of things—awe inspiring, immense, diverse and deliciously fluid. It’s also worth remembering what it isn’t. Despite its name, the Pacific isn’t always pacific. But it’s usually forgiving in the right times and places, and good kayakers know how to play those odds.

The ocean may be indifferent to the musings of poets, but most of the time it’s fairly predictable , and we are getting better at formulating and disseminating those predictions. Nonetheless, Davy Jones continues to claim the occasional under-skilled, ill-prepared or just plain unlucky boater, and kayakers are no exception.

THE JOY OF STATISTICS

Who actually dies? How often? Statistics are difficult to interpret because canoes, kayaks and their wide ranging locations are usually lumped together under “paddlers”. A fatality might be a hotshot river kayaker attempting a waterfall, or a tipsy canoeist on a leisurely fish-and-booze float. Weight-shift capsizes in canoes are remarkably common on flat water.

You can download the American Canoe Association’s Critical Judgment: Understanding and Preventing Canoe & Kayak Fatalities, which analyzes US Coast Guard reports in detail (see Press Releases at www.acanet.org). Here are some surprising tidbits:

half the approximately 400 paddlers that died in the US from 1996 to 2000 were involved in fishing when the accident occurred (think before you cast)
75% of all fatalities were associated with canoeing
83% were not wearing PFDs! Whatever the stats, the main point is that when you go kayaking, you and your paddling partners want to get back to shore safe and sound.

THE SEA KAYAKER’S GRIM REAPER

If sea kayakers have a grim reaper, her name is “hypothermia”. You might worry about getting dashed onto rocks, trapped upside down, chomped by big sharks or run over by motorboats, but it’s the cool water that’s most likely to claim you. Worse yet, being cold affects your judgment, coordination and strength long before it kills. The basics are simple—in your boat, you’ve got a good chance, but if you’re swimming, you have a serious problem. Wearing a PFD and insulating layers buys you some time, but they’re no miracle cure.

In those two statements lie most of the skill, knowledge, technique, judgement and wisdom of being a good sea kayaker. Always keep in mind that hypothermia is waiting just below your hull. If you’re in the water, you’d better be able to get out quickly or you’re not long for this world, and getting back into a sea kayak in conditions that toppled you in the first place can be exceedingly difficult.

For the average sea kayaker, wind is the ticket to extended immersion. If you tip while getting in or out, no big deal—you’re at the shore. If you tip because you dropped your sunglasses or leaned away from the boat wake, no big deal—you get to practice a calm water assisted rescue.

But if you tip because the wind came up and things got too choppy for your bracing skills—now what? Excellent question, and the answers and scenarios are as numerous as they are inconsistent. You’ll hear everything from “paddle near me—I’ll save you” to “practice my technique—this skill will save you” to “buy my product— it will save you”. Paddling partners, rescue skills and safety gear are all good to have, but good judgment is the most important— you do NOT want to get into that situation in the first place. So, never fall out of the boat, or be ready to get right back in if you do.

GOT JUDGEMENT?

You can’t make good decisions about your paddling safety if you don’t know “the big three”. NEVER leave shore without knowing these three things:

The weather, especially the wind—as in a marine weather report, not a quick “bright and sunny” blurb. Calm drizzle is not dangerous, but blue skies and 30 knot winds are.
Where you are and where you’re going—as in a marine chart, not a souvenir place mat; as in the “fetch” of any crossings, local hazards and where the big boats are moving. If you don’t have a chart with you, then you’d better be very familiar with the area.
A sense of the tides and currents—as in when’s high and low and where/when there might be strong currents.
Wind is arguably the most important thing to keep tabs on. Do you know why it’s windy? What sort of winds have you experienced? There are afternoon winds, southeastern storms, anabatic winds, thunderstorm downdrafts, waterspouts, katabatic winds, inflows, outflows…I really should do a checklist on winds. Refer to the book review (right) and other weather books to learn more about your number one concern.
Many of the hazards on the preceding checklist are just the sort of things that will dump you into the drink. Some can be fun if you’re prepared—others are nasty all the time. Whether you ever meet them or not, every sea kayaker should be aware of them.

© Bryan Nichols takes hypothermia seriously as he’s thin blooded and has repeatedly managed to get cold while kayaking in Florida and Belize. He’s less nervous of sharks lurking below.

FURTHER READING

West Coast Marine Weather Hazards Manual A guide to local forecasts and conditions

Environment Canada 1999

132 pp, spiral bound, limited color ISBN 0-660-17774-9 $22.50 Cdn

Aimed at boaters of all sorts, this guide has plenty of good info for kayakers. It will help you make the most of weather forecasts in the Pacific Northwest, and give you an idea what sort of conditions can be hazardous. There are sections on our storms, on the different types of wind and the various sea states. The last third divides the BC coast into 12 zones and describes spots in each that are notoriously dangerous.

Most of those spots can sink ships, never mind paddlers, and many of them have. Still, knowing where they are and why they’re dangerous will help you decide which spots might be hazardous on a kayak scale. Though it seems a touch overpriced for a government safety manual, you should still consider it. Whatever your paddling skill level, this book and a weather radio will go a long way towards making you a wiser, safer kayaker.

Checklist 36 - Be(a)ware—A Dozen Marine Hazards

JUST PLAIN WIND

We don’t normally leave shore in conditions that are too windy—unless we “need” to get back somewhere. But winds can change, sometimes dramatically, while we’re out on the water. Even in shallow, protected waters, most kayakers have difficulty making much headway into strong winds, so they can stall us, trap us or even blow us off course.

FUNNELING

Funneling occurs when the land amplifies the wind. On a large scale, places like Juan de Fuca Strait funnel breezes into winds that make for numerous “small craft warnings”. On a smaller scale, you may find yourself in considerably stronger winds than you’d like after rounding a headland or entering a channel. Being aware of the landscape and local conditions will help you avoid a surprise funnel.

WIND WAVES

Where there’s any amount of open water (fetch), wind will soon create chop. Strong winds can whip up breaking waves, which can quickly dump a kayaker. This is a particularly dangerous situation because getting back into a kayak in sloppy chop and high winds is beyond the skill level of most paddlers. That’s the main reason sea kayakers should never be on the water without knowing the wind forecast and fetch of their route.

WAVES & BOTTOM

Waves aren’t necessarily dangerous—the giant Pacific swell on a calm day might make you seasick but it won’t tip you. Bottom topography has a profound effect on waves though, so in the shallows where most of us paddle we have to be more careful. As waves “feel” bottom they typically get steeper and taller, eventually breaking—that makes them dangerous. The closer you get to shore in breaking waves, the more likely you’ll be “feeling” bottom as well! Aren’t surf landings fun?

BOOMERS

Boomers are a special, sneaky combination of waves and offshore rocks that don’t quite come to the surface. Larger boats avoid such areas like the plague, but we paddlers tend to like them. On the open coast, the weather can be serene and sunny as you cruise along, rising and falling placidly with the swell, when— slurp. Just ahead that glassy bit of water drops to reveal a jagged, mussel encrusted rock. Then—boom! The ocean covers it again, sometimes with a thunderous roar. Boomers can catch unwary paddlers by surprise.

TIDES

High or low, either way, paddlers are vulnerable because we often beach our boats in remote locales. Be sure to know what the tide is doing, especially if you are camping. Getting low tide stranded up a bay or out on a mudflat is embarrassing and occasionally dangerous—losing a boat to high tides is expensive, embarrassing and occasionally dangerous too.

GO WITH THE FLOW

There are plenty of places in the inlets and the Strait of Georgia where daily tides create currents that rival rivers. Despite the fact they change direction every six hours or so, they require the same skills that river paddling does—great bracing and knowledge of what the various features (eddy lines, overfalls, standing waves, etc.) can do to your boat. While these places can be remarkably fun and educational, you do not want to blunder into them. Besides the hazards of being dumped in fast moving water, tidal currents can slow you down or make that “short cut” you spotted on the chart impassable.

WIND VERSUS CURRENT

Most of the serious marine hazards are in areas where winds meet currents. In just a breeze, the push me–pull you forces of wind against water can create chaotic, steep, and dangerous conditions for a kayak. These areas (like Porlier Pass, Race Rocks or Cape Mudge) are well defined and notorious among boaters. It’s a clue to be careful when you’re paddling in an area littered with shipwrecks.

FOG

There are those who think fog is romantic, though I lean more towards cold, wet, claustrophobic and dangerous. Paddle the West Coast in “Fogust” and you’ll likely get a chance to decide for yourself. Fog increases your risk of hypothermia, often on days when you’re not expecting it. It can quickly make you profoundly lost. It also makes crossings more dangerous, especially if there are larger boats in the area. Know when and where to expect fog, and plan your routes and your timing accordingly.

THUNDERSTORMS

I love thunderstorms. They are weather in a dramatic mood, and combine many of the hazards on this list, with fatal jolts of electricity for good measure. In the Northwest they are rare, which is probably good, as they can turn a sunny afternoon into a maelstrom of gusty winds, cold temperatures, heavy rain and low visibility. Most of the time they are reasonably short, but a bolt of lighting can blast you into the next world rather quickly. The best advice is to watch the weather and get off the water should one rumble your way.

BIGGER BOATS

The last two hazards are not natural—and unfortunately in many areas may be the most significant. Getting run over by some drunken guys in a speedboat is a concern of anyone who has paddled in busy waters. Staring at the rapidly approaching business end of a freighter or ferry has raised the adrenaline of many who cross shipping lanes. Just remember that kayaks are very hard to see from a boat and be sure to learn the “rules of the road”.

BOAT WAKES

Who hasn’t dealt with boat wakes? They are often the majority of the waves which fair weather paddlers encounter. There’s the obvious problem (big V hull boat roars by too close), but boat wake can sneak up on you too. A cruise ship you didn’t even see might be responsible for breaking waves that suddenly appear in otherwise calm shallows. It’s usually no big deal if you keep your eyes open, but be especially careful in narrow channels with current, where boat wake can do strange and alarming things.

© Biologist Bryan Nichols has happily watched wildlife throughout the Americas, and has worked scientifically with wolves, bears and killer whales. Spiritually he’s fond of octopuses, sea monsters and dangerous mermaids.