The dreaded kayak flip. Hey, it happens but you don’t have to let that stop you from trying out this super fun activity.
Luke Simons of Salt Strong shares his expert tips on what you need to do if it happens to you.
For the demonstration, Luke purposefully chose a very unstable kayak. His goal was to create a ‘worst-case scenario’ situation for his tutorial, which now has over 2.3 million views.
“The most important thing to do is not panic. The kayak floats so you can hold onto the kayak if you need to.” – Simons
“The best way is really a series of three steps and you don’t move to the second step until the first one is completed.” – Luke Simons
Step #1 – Get your belly button right on the top of the kayak.
Step #2 – Do a twist so you are swinging your rear in the seat … your legs will be hanging over the kayak.
Step #3 – As soon as you are stable in the seat, put your feet back into place.
Simons warns kayakers to take their time and not to panic.
“If you try to do it too fast, that’s when most people fail. They’ll try to do it too fast and they’ll end up going over the other side. Eventually, they get worn out and some people I’ve heard can’t even get back into it. ” – Luke Simons of Salt Strong
As he intentionally flips his kayak over, you can see in the video that Luke remains calm.
He tells viewers to grab any gear they may have floating nearby including one very important item, the paddle.
“I hear water going into it right now so you want to flip it over as soon as possible.”
He makes a point to locate his paddle before attempting to flip the kayak right side up. He reaches over the kayak, grabs the other side, and flips it over toward him.
He then checks the kayak for water and decides it’s fine since it wasn’t turned over that long.
Luke makes sure to always keep his paddle in sight and under control.
He suggests placing it underneath a bungee cord on the boat while pulling yourself up.
Using the two handles on either side of the seat, Simons grabs hold and kicks his feet close to the surface.
With a swift motion, he kicks his feet and lifts himself up over the kayak so that his belly button is right in the middle of the seat opening.
He demonstrates the second tip, which is twisting his body so that he gets his rear end into the seat.
This takes a bit of upper body strength but with focus and a quick thrust, Simons lifts up and pivots his body so he is now sitting in the seat.
“Don’t try to do anything else, don’t get fancy, take your time…and at this point, it’s as simple as just putting your feet in.” – Simons.
He is now safely in the kayak again and he did it all in deep water, with no life vest, and using a fairly unstable kayak.
“We’re in here, we’re stable…we’ve got our paddle that was in place and now we can just go on our way.” – Simons
Simons shares another great tip that would come in very handy if you found it difficult to pull yourself back up into a kayak.
By using a small empty cooler, he places his foot inside and uses it as a floatation device to help him push out of the water.
In the video, he demonstrates the technique and launches himself right into the seat of the kayak.
With these simple tips, you will feel safe and confident in the water in the event your kayak doesn’t cooperate.
Now watch the video below to learn Luke’s tips and tricks in case you get flipped in a kayak.
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