Thoughts: * Upstream turn (~8:20); sounds very similar to a 'boof', keeping the bow up and clear, good paddle stroke, landing well, and paddling away ;-) * being pummelled upside down and being confused (~1:00); for the 'beginner', maybe start on a wave train (invert at beginning) that will give you plenty of seconds of tumble without the fear of being retained. * That edge balance comparison (~4:20); looked like not only was the personal balance an issue, but also the boat choice [short stubby surfer / long round creaker] and the water flow style [smooth wave stopper / all white churn]. Lots of things to get right ;-) Finally, a comment from a senior instructor once was that if stuck, there's always the 'inverted exit'; rolling back into the surf, invert, paddle deep into the flow ('below'), and get dragged under the wave going with the deep main flow and hope you pop back up beyond the two-back line. Never got close to even trying it, but sounded like it had a method in the madness ;-)
Love this! I wish you had a video showing what it looks like to turn around in a hole facing the other direction though. I'll give it a look/listen again to see what shakes loose. Showing some holes that would be good to practice in and showing what stepping up looks like would be pretty useful as well. Thanks for your great videos, keep em coming please!
Would a hole (on a class 3-4 rapid) that is sticky enough to hold you in a surf typically be safe enough to swim out of? What size hole or feature is unsafe to swim out of and/or what are the most dangerous features on a river for a kayaker turned swimmer? Thanks Seth!
There is not really a onesize fits all answer to the first part of your question. Some holes are an easy swim, so can be a nightmare. Most dangerous habits for kayakers turned swimmers can be many fold. Siphons and strainers are near the top probably but even a few sharp rocks in a shallower section can be enough to do you some real damage.
The best way to get out of a stopper hole is to not get in it in the first place and that's where you use your smile and frown to determine if you want to go into a hole or not
Helpful video, thanks! Especially about working on boat balance with the knees so your paddle is free to do other things. Question: what’s that white sleeve-type thing on your paddle, and what’s its purpose please? Cheers!
Good follow up! Nice of you to take the time to address some of our comments/questions. Also nice to see you are still taking your oral hygiene seriously; ties in nicely with last video. 🦷😆
When going on a river trip to a large volume river, how can I think about "read and run" playboating? The Colorado river has multiple sections with class III - IV rapids at 5,000 to 30,000 cfs. Often times these river features will not have an eddy close by and must be caught on the fly. Nothing worse than chickening out at a horizon line only to realize that the feature was actually pretty friendly and could have been an amazing surf. Any different considerations for a half slice vs short playboat. I can't find any tutorials on catching big water features. Thanks for this great info!
Mitchell Hall I’ll add catching waves in the fly to the list but in short on the scouting part of the question you need to look at the shape of what you are dropping into, steep enough to surf but not so steep you cannot be in control. Enough foam to catch you but not so much that you can’t move. Remember boat length plays a role as hull speed makes it easier to catch flatter, greener waves so a longer boat might give better options.
Thanks, really helpful video! Do you have tips for blister prevention? Often my hands consist of more blisters than healthy skin after a long day out on the water.
My hands are decently calloused, this takes time though but if you can push through it, it is worthwhile. I also use electrical tape on my shaft which gives a nice feel without too much problems, not sure if it will help you or not
@@SethAshworth Thanks mate, i actually bought some electrical tape recently and will give that a try! Unfortunately I barely get out kayaking enough to build cornea on the weak spots
Hard to say, you can practice the skills even in holes such as S-bend hole on the middle channel, which is not huge but can force you into the same situations, if you wanna step up there are other spots like horseshoe around 0 which can be good too. There are a ton of places you can practice the skill though
Your advice here saved me from a swim yesterday. Thanks!
Great to hear! so stoked about that!
Thoughts:
* Upstream turn (~8:20); sounds very similar to a 'boof', keeping the bow up and clear, good paddle stroke, landing well, and paddling away ;-)
* being pummelled upside down and being confused (~1:00); for the 'beginner', maybe start on a wave train (invert at beginning) that will give you plenty of seconds of tumble without the fear of being retained.
* That edge balance comparison (~4:20); looked like not only was the personal balance an issue, but also the boat choice [short stubby surfer / long round creaker] and the water flow style [smooth wave stopper / all white churn]. Lots of things to get right ;-)
Finally, a comment from a senior instructor once was that if stuck, there's always the 'inverted exit'; rolling back into the surf, invert, paddle deep into the flow ('below'), and get dragged under the wave going with the deep main flow and hope you pop back up beyond the two-back line. Never got close to even trying it, but sounded like it had a method in the madness ;-)
Love this! I wish you had a video showing what it looks like to turn around in a hole facing the other direction though. I'll give it a look/listen again to see what shakes loose. Showing some holes that would be good to practice in and showing what stepping up looks like would be pretty useful as well. Thanks for your great videos, keep em coming please!
Very nice addition two the first video and I like the demonstration the small things are very helpful
Thanks for watching, as things go on I am sure I will scheme up a part 3.
Good stuff and looks like I have a few techniques to work on.
Thanks for checking it out!
Would a hole (on a class 3-4 rapid) that is sticky enough to hold you in a surf typically be safe enough to swim out of? What size hole or feature is unsafe to swim out of and/or what are the most dangerous features on a river for a kayaker turned swimmer? Thanks Seth!
There is not really a onesize fits all answer to the first part of your question. Some holes are an easy swim, so can be a nightmare. Most dangerous habits for kayakers turned swimmers can be many fold. Siphons and strainers are near the top probably but even a few sharp rocks in a shallower section can be enough to do you some real damage.
The best way to get out of a stopper hole is to not get in it in the first place and that's where you use your smile and frown to determine if you want to go into a hole or not
Helpful video, thanks! Especially about working on boat balance with the knees so your paddle is free to do other things. Question: what’s that white sleeve-type thing on your paddle, and what’s its purpose please? Cheers!
Thanks for checking it out. I have some electrical tape where my hands go for some added grip. It’s not a lot but I like it.
Really good explanations! Thanks!
Glad it was useful for you, thanks for watching!
Good follow up! Nice of you to take the time to address some of our comments/questions. Also nice to see you are still taking your oral hygiene seriously; ties in nicely with last video. 🦷😆
If you don't have clean teeth, how can you expect to have clean lines!
Seth Ashworth 👌🏼 I feel same way about clean boats! 🧽
Fantastic stuff, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Your content is a step up from the norm, thank you.
Thanks for checking it out!!!
When going on a river trip to a large volume river, how can I think about "read and run" playboating? The Colorado river has multiple sections with class III - IV rapids at 5,000 to 30,000 cfs. Often times these river features will not have an eddy close by and must be caught on the fly. Nothing worse than chickening out at a horizon line only to realize that the feature was actually pretty friendly and could have been an amazing surf. Any different considerations for a half slice vs short playboat. I can't find any tutorials on catching big water features. Thanks for this great info!
Mitchell Hall catch on the fly takes a bit of practice, when are you leaving?
Mitchell Hall I’ll add catching waves in the fly to the list but in short on the scouting part of the question you need to look at the shape of what you are dropping into, steep enough to surf but not so steep you cannot be in control. Enough foam to catch you but not so much that you can’t move. Remember boat length plays a role as hull speed makes it easier to catch flatter, greener waves so a longer boat might give better options.
Thanks, really helpful video!
Do you have tips for blister prevention?
Often my hands consist of more blisters than healthy skin after a long day out on the water.
I light weight gloves helped me until my skin got thicker, however, it made them colder.
My hands are decently calloused, this takes time though but if you can push through it, it is worthwhile. I also use electrical tape on my shaft which gives a nice feel without too much problems, not sure if it will help you or not
@@SethAshworth Thanks mate, i actually bought some electrical tape recently and will give that a try! Unfortunately I barely get out kayaking enough to build cornea on the weak spots
Thank you Seth. Very helpful video! I guess horse shoe on the Ottawa at level 0 on the gauge is a the best place to practice arround Ottawa?
Hard to say, you can practice the skills even in holes such as S-bend hole on the middle channel, which is not huge but can force you into the same situations, if you wanna step up there are other spots like horseshoe around 0 which can be good too. There are a ton of places you can practice the skill though
that looks like a scary situation !would you advise boofing over it? wink
I would also advise that
Algorithmus