What to do if the kayak capsizes

This article is about what to do if your kayak capsizes (overturns) - how to get out of an overturned vessel, how to pour out water and return the boat to its normal position, how to get into a kayak on the water. True, I won’t tell you, but show video instructions.

X-shaped rescue

The capsized kayaker shoots away from his boat and grabs the bow of the second kayak. Meanwhile, the second kayaker lifts the tilted boat by the bow and pours water out of it. Then he firmly holds the cockpit of the second boat with both hands, and his comrade, being between the kayaks, throws his leg into the cockpit and, leaning on both boats, climbs inside.

T-shaped rescue

An overturned kayak does not shoot away from the boat, but remains in the water upside down and attracts the attention of a comrade by striking the bottom of the kayak with his hands. The second kayaker swims perpendicular to the capsized boat and touches the bow of his kayak next to the hands of the capsized one. He grabs the bow of the second kayak and, leaning on it, returns his kayak to its normal position.

How to get into a kayak using a paddle float

If you don't have a buddy in the second kayak and you have no one to lean on (in the truest sense of the word), then take a special paddle float with you. It will help create an additional point of support, which can be used when turning the boat over after overkill and during subsequent attempts to climb into your kayak.

How to board a kayak from the shore

This video is not about rescuing an overturned kayak, but about a much more trivial task - how to get into a boat on land without capsizing. Options for boarding a kayak on a sandy beach, on a pier, or on a rocky shore were considered.

Kirill Yasko, 08/19/2020