Why Learn to Paddle?

WHY GET INSTRUCTION TO PADDLE?

SAFETY
 Adventure Agent is concerned about safety in paddlesport.

Swimming, s.c.u.b.a. diving, cliff diving, fishing, sailing, motorboating and a host of other water-based activities have all got a history of fatalities and injuries. Kayaking is no different.

As the Provincial Touring Chairman of the whitewater sport governing body the Ontario Wild Water Association in Ontario, to be aware of the broader spectrum of paddlesport, I subscribed to a U.S.-based whitewater paddling organization that studied cases of accidents in paddlesport. There were many. The circumstances were infinite.

In just the last few years, there have been a number of kayak related fatalities. This entry to the Adventure Agent website was done in November of 2008, and I draw it to your attention, ONLY TO UNDERSCORE that things CAN go wrong. Prepaedness is never a guarantee of outcome. However, learning what went wrong in a circumstance, and preparing to avoid that scenario may avert another disaster.

With much higher numbers of kayaks being sold at general hardware and automotive stores, along with cottage stores, and even auto parts outlets, it's no wonder that there is an increasing number of fatalities. These outlets do not promote safe paddling. They do not promote taking a kayaking course. It is simply a matter of selling another product.

Adventure Agent is concerned about paddlesport safety; your safety, and the safety of your loved ones. Consider taking at least an introductory kayak instruction session with Adventure Agent.

Here are references to paddling-related fatalities that occured in very recent times:

Toronto-area man drowns in Algonquin Park lake

The Ottawa CitizenAugust 18, 2009

A late-night swim in Algonquin Park turned tragic on Sunday for a group visiting the park from the Toronto area. According to police, four friends on a canoe trip went for a dip in Burnt Island Lake. Shortly into the swim, one of the friends disappeared. He was found unconscious about 15 metres from shore in two to three metres of water and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. Ontario Provincial Police received a call about 2:30 a.m. and the man was airlifted to North Bay General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have identified the man as Devaprasad Rajakumar, 30. While no foul play is suspected, the OPP is continuing its investigation into the incident.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

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Ottawa man drowns in kayak mishap on Dalhousie Lake

Written by Lake 88 News Staff

Wednesday, 02 July 2008

Provincial police are investigating the apparent drowning of a 31 year old Ottawa man who had been kayaking on Dalhousie Lake yesterday.

OPP officers believe Peter Thibodeau of Ottawa entered the lake in a kayak around 4pm yesterday. He was accompanied in a second kayak by a male friend.

They decided to return to shore. Others on shore observed the victim's kayak had capsized. When the friend turned to look he could not see Thibodeau. The friend returned to shore and then set out in a motor boat to attempt to locate the man, who had been visiting friends at a cottage on the lake.

The OPP were called and Lanark County Marine Unit attended. At about 6:45pm a searcher found the man’s body in the water. Police say the man was not wearing a life jacket and friends said he was not a strong swimmer.

This was cut-and-pasted from Lake 88, community radio online.

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Sept. 2. 2007,

Tay River near Perth, Ontario

A 50-year-old Toronto woman died when she kayaked under a bridge, flipped and became lodged under a tree. Details were scant in the news reports on her experience or safety considerations (such as whether she was wearing a PFD).

Analysis: Lacking information, it is worth noting that kayaking in a river is very different from kayaking in the ocean. Mobility is far more limited in a kayak than in a canoe, making it much easier to be trapped by overhanging branches and snags, particularly in areas of strong currents. It's likely the current was strong below the bridge, as bridges tend to cross at narrower sections of rivers. The bridge may have also cast a shadow on the tree, but that's just speculation.

This was cut-and-pasted from among a few unfortunate situations as listed on "the Wild Coast"

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Instruction with Adventure Agent gives you the advantage of knowledge and technique from the perspective of 40 years of kayaking. It's integral with every hour, every session. It's like a time-compression, to your advantage.

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