Driftwood, doggy paddling and washing out the cob webs

“Sooner or later we’re all going for a swim”, “we’re all between swims”, “if you’re not swimming, you’re not trying hard enough”; there are a million proverbs to ease the embarrassment of a kayaker that had to do the walk of shame back to his boat. It can be quite an event, especially for someone that has a lot of experience and hasn’t fallen out for a little while. There are all sorts of punishments involved: drinking beer from your own smelly river footwear or helmet, buying a round for everyone in the group, writing your name on the wall of shame or the public humiliation on one of the online forums. However funny it might be to slag one another, the fact remains that being in a hostile environment like a white water river can be tricky sometimes.

 

Staying afloat!

The most important thing about swimming is of course not sinking. Fortunately kayakers are usually equipped with kit that helps them float, like buoyancy aids. Unfortunately many of the people that only kayak occasionally do not check the foam inside their BA: this can shrink over time and eventually the floatation device ends up looking somewhat like a telephone book, and being just about as helpful in the river. Tip of the day: get a good buoyancy aid with lots of floatation and make sure the shoulder straps have tape stitched all the way through to the waist strap!

 

Get out of the water…

Another thing to think about after you’ve established the not-sinking part is the urgency of getting out of the water. Many kayakers learn that when they fall over, they hold on to their paddle and boat and swim to the nearest bank. This works really well up to class II rapids, but as the grade of the river goes up, more obstacles and more dangers threaten the safety of the swimming kayaker. To get out is now more important then keeping your gear safe! So stop being driftwood and start getting yourself out of the river!

Swimming can be a strenuous activity. Knowing the river you’re on can help you being as efficient as possible. When facing a rough section, you want to reserve your strength and keep a cool head. Breathe when possible (generally the though of the wave) and relax when under water. Try and use the peaks of wave trains to see where you’re going. When you know of a likely spot to get out, you can prepare your action plan. Be proactive: it’s your job to get out of the water.

 

HOW???

This brings me onto the how-to of swimming. The first thing people generally do when they come out of the boat is to take a deep breath of air and either be annoyed or happy to be alive. This should take less than second, then please orientate and decide a plan of action! Look around: where are you, where are the obstacles, where do you want to go, is there anyone to help you!

As discussed above, beginners learn to drift on their back, holding onto their gear, with their feet pointing downstream. This is an excellent position to fend off any obstacles and avoid getting your feet stuck. But it is only stage one, and many people don’t even think past this stage.

The most important part follows: getting out! Floating on your back, you’re a bit like a log on its way to the sea, and you’re absolutely not going to get out this way. So when you see an eddy, turn on your front and crawl your way towards it with an angle upstream, kind of like ferry gliding. Now here’s the crux: bulky as you are with all your gear, you’re going to go about as fast as a sloth after bedtime, so throw in as much effort as you can! Don’t be a victim. Help yourself! Get to that eddy and get out of the water!

One very good tip in regard to equipment is to hold onto your paddles. Not only do they disappear most easily, but you can use them even when you’re not in your boat. Have a race with your friends in a flat pool sometimes: one person swimming without paddles and one paddling as if they would have a boat under them. You will find you have a lot of extra speed!

 

When you can stand:

Everyone will know the next guideline: don’t get up too soon! Many inexperienced river users will think they have arrived to safety as soon as they feel the scrapings of bottom sliding along their feet. Getting up when the water is still too fast might result in a foot getting stuck and a swimmer to be pushed over the handle bars, entrapping him under the water. Resist the temptation until you know you’re absolutely safe! The water needs to be very slow or well beneath your knees.

 

When there is help at hand

Sometimes you will be so lucky as to have a helper close at hand. Someone that is still in their boat will be able to see much better than you, so communicate with them. If it is an experienced paddler, they might decide to give you a lift to an eddy. Don’t assume that they will always do this though; you might get a slap if they’re not so keen.

There are two ways of towing a person with a kayak: on the front and on the back of the boat. Having a person on the front is great if you like to keep your equipment nice and shiny: in shallow water you could use the victim as a pillow between your boat and the rocks. My experience has been that towing a person on the back is much safer and more efficient in white water because the swimmer can kick and help propulsion, and because if he pulls himself higher on the back deck, there will be less drag. Towing on the front is easier for the rescuer though, and eye contact can be very reassuring when the swimmer has had a scare.

Having a rope thrown from the bank is generally the quickest way to get out. This is a whole other chapter and if you’re paddling on moving water, you should have an understanding of rope rescue, so get on a course!

If you have just been rescued, don’t forget that there are people chasing your boat for you. Be proactive and RUN after it on the bank. In alpine rivers it can be hard to find a suitable eddy to push a boat into, and that means someone may need to come and catch it for them. Even if you’re behind you can still relieve the person that is hanging onto a tree with one hand, holding your boat with the other! You can look at your bruises later.

 

Obstacles

White water swimming can be a lot of fun, but sometimes the obstacles met on the river are not so friendly: rocks are hard, trees and other strainers can snag you under water, stopper waves or holes will rinse you out thoroughly before spitting you out sometimes, and undercuts may have shopping trolleys or other debris in them.

There is no set way to deal with these dangers: common sense will generally be the best thing to bring on the river in the first place. If you can, swim around the danger. You can only do this if you know where they are, so look around and communicate with your peers at all times!

Rocks can be fended off with your legs and arms, making sure you don’t get them snagged.

Trees have to be treated with care: if you really have no way of avoiding them, you’re in real trouble and you have to get yourself somewhere on top of them if you can. Swimming head first and pushing your upper body over the strainer, rolling over it somehow will help you avoid getting trapped in the branches under water. I tried this in a controlled environment during a WRT course, and it is harder than you think!

Stopper waves and holes will generally spit you out, but looking at the shape of some, the back flow can sometimes re-circulate a swimmer for longer than they can hold their breath for. In that case help from outside is desperately needed. It is essential to recognise these features. If you can’t, go on a course and learn about them. Natural features generally have escape routes as they are irregular, but take special care with man-made weirs, as they are not designed for swimmers and people regularly die in them.

 

 

So to conclude: there are a lot of tips and guidelines concerning swimming. The most important thing is to get out of the water as quickly and safely as possible. It is YOUR job, jour body and you have to do it yourself. Even if you’ve had a scare or if you’re hurt, drifting along waiting for someone to span the net across the bottom for you may result in you being even more hurt so get going.

But swimming can be quite fun as well sometimes. Practising in safe spots will make it easier to keep your head in difficult situations so get out there and do it!

Last of all: slagging people over a swim is not always funny and may result in karma turning against you. Swimming is not a crime and some people can be quite sensitive. Be careful of who you call names, you might get them thrown back at you doubly as fast! Take swims seriously. It can be dangerous too!