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jmen24 · 09-09-2011, 11:46 AM

I have to say that I am a little concerned over some of the responses in this thread. The use of "fun" , "not a big deal", "easy", etc., should never be used when discussing how to properly train yourself in a rescue situation.

It is fun to go out and mess around, roll out of the boat and do other things, that are similar to an emergency situation. But, I can tell you from personal experience and listening to the experiences of paddlers far more advanced than myself, that an unitentional dump in an unplanned area and time, is not fun, at all! The great thing about an actual training course is that you are put into a situation that you are not comfortable with and then forced to deal with the situation, using tools you have been taught. Playing around with camp mates, friends or siblings, does nothing to prepare you for the feeling of dumping unitentionally.

The "where am I" feeling, "where are my boat mates" feeling, "what am I going to do", "how am I going to fix this", "I need to calm this person down". Also if you are solo, but have many other people in the area, you need to add the "I am all set, but how do I keep that person from trying to help, because I know what I need or want to do and they are messing that up". These are the thoughts that race through your head in the first 5 seconds.

Proper training elimates the worry of answering those questions, because before you realize what happened you are already performing the first tasks needed to aid in a clean rescue of yourself.

Repeating the exact same type of rescue prepares you for repeating the exact same type of rescue, the exact moment when you realize that what you are experiencing resembles absolutely nothing with "all those times we practiced tipping the canoe" is when panic sets in and bad choices are selected that make your life harder than it needs to be.

Hate to be a Debby Downer, because the sport is so much fun, but sometimes things need to be taken seriously and not so much as fun. The experience could literally mean the difference between a good ending and a bad.

09-09-2011, 11:46 AM	#14
jmen24 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,139 Thanks: 223 Thanked 319 Times in 181 Posts	A little concerned. I have to say that I am a little concerned over some of the responses in this thread. The use of "fun" , "not a big deal", "easy", etc., should never be used when discussing how to properly train yourself in a rescue situation. It is fun to go out and mess around, roll out of the boat and do other things, that are similar to an emergency situation. But, I can tell you from personal experience and listening to the experiences of paddlers far more advanced than myself, that an unitentional dump in an unplanned area and time, is not fun, at all! The great thing about an actual training course is that you are put into a situation that you are not comfortable with and then forced to deal with the situation, using tools you have been taught. Playing around with camp mates, friends or siblings, does nothing to prepare you for the feeling of dumping unitentionally. The "where am I" feeling, "where are my boat mates" feeling, "what am I going to do", "how am I going to fix this", "I need to calm this person down". Also if you are solo, but have many other people in the area, you need to add the "I am all set, but how do I keep that person from trying to help, because I know what I need or want to do and they are messing that up". These are the thoughts that race through your head in the first 5 seconds. Proper training elimates the worry of answering those questions, because before you realize what happened you are already performing the first tasks needed to aid in a clean rescue of yourself. Repeating the exact same type of rescue prepares you for repeating the exact same type of rescue, the exact moment when you realize that what you are experiencing resembles absolutely nothing with "all those times we practiced tipping the canoe" is when panic sets in and bad choices are selected that make your life harder than it needs to be. Hate to be a Debby Downer, because the sport is so much fun, but sometimes things need to be taken seriously and not so much as fun. The experience could literally mean the difference between a good ending and a bad.