Kayak Assisted Deep Water Rescue

I'm going to show you a deep water rescue, which is a way of getting someone back in their boat after they've capsized, getting them back into an empty boat.

So Gene, I'd like you to capsize, bang on the bottom of your boat to attract attention, and then come out holding onto your boat and your paddle. And then when you're out, look around to check where everybody is, move to the front end of your kayak, and hold onto the toggle. Okay.

As a rescuer, I need to come in close, so that if you hold onto the deck line here, that's the position I'd like you to hold onto throughout the rescue. Pass me your boat. I have a hold of the boat, and I can use it as a level to spin myself around. And then by pushing on the forefoot here, pulling on the other end, I can flip the boat upright. In that position, it will slide easily across my deck. There will come a point when it'll want to flop onto its side, and the water will start draining out of the cockpit. A little bit further and I can spin it completely upside down to drain the remainder of the water.

Once I've slid it back onto the water empty, I can pivot it around, so that the two boats are side-by-side facing in opposite directions. I'm just going to pull this around, so that you can see this a little better.

So Gene is still trapped comfortably between the two boats. I'm now going to slide the boat down to put the stern end between her and me. So if you come down the side there to that position, that's great. Take your paddle. You want to get a really good grip across our kayak to stabilize it, and Gene, I'd like you to kick your feet up to the surface. This will put you in a nice position for sliding horizontally out onto your deck, pushing your deck underneath your chest.

Okay, would you like to slide out? Reach the balance point, so that you're not struggling to stay in balance. Now, pivot towards the back end of your kayak, slide your legs into your cockpit, and then roll towards my kayak and slide into your seat.