kayaking safely

SAFETY TIPS

Coast Guard officials and boating safety experts recommend that anyone who uses a kayak take a boating safety course before going out on the water. Among the safety tips:

• Wear a life jacket.

• Learn how to right a capsized kayak.

• Paddle in pairs.

• Dress appropriately and learn about the dangers of cold water.

• Check the tides and weather forecast.

• Bring a phone or radio.

• Tell someone where you're going and when you expect to return.

• Learn who has the right of way in busy harbors and waterways.

Source: U.S. Coast Guard's Paddle Smart course



Kayakers keep rescue crews busy



Brandon Andrusic and Tim Gutmann were experienced kayakers planning a quick paddle around Wood Island off the coast of Biddeford Pool, Maine.
A mile offshore, they ran into much rougher surf than they expected. They struggled against the swells. Andrusic eventually lost sight of his friend and capsized, but he made it to Wood Island.

A large rescue effort found Guttman's body the next day. Nearly a year later, not a day goes by "without me running through things I wish I could change about that day," says Andrusic, an admissions officer at the University of New England. "We were too casual about going out. It was getting late; we were overconfident."

Popularity of sport growing

An explosion in the number of kayakers along the nation's waterways, on lakes and at sea is making harrowing stories such as Andrusic's all-too common. At the same time, it's putting a strain on Coast Guard and other marine search-and-rescue crews and prompting calls for new laws requiring kayakers to take boating safety courses.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Philadelphia | Seattle | Oregon | Sam | Club | Costco | Delaware River | University of New England | Anthony Turner | Outdoor Industry Association | Coast Guard Auxiliary
"Paddling represents our greatest risk in the recreational boating community," says John Fetterman, a member of the Maine Marine Patrol and president of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. For rescue teams, it's become "a huge drain."

In the Coast Guard, the number of kayak rescues — many of which involve multiple boats and helicopters — is escalating. "It does take us away from other high-priority missions, like maritime security," says spokesman Brendan McPherson. The Coast Guard is tasked with protecting the nation's ports and harbors against terrorists.

No government agency tracks the number of kayak-related rescues nationally each year. This is because they are conducted by so many different agencies, including local and state police, marine patrol units and Coast Guard crews. The American Canoe Association (ACA) says kayaking is growing faster than any other outdoor activity on land or water; maritime officials say rescues have skyrocketed as a result.

The Coast Guard does track boating fatalities. In 2006, the most recent year for which numbers are available, 27 people died kayaking. That's still a small percentage of the 710 people who died in boating accidents. Most died in motorboat accidents, when speed is often a factor. Statistics show 72 people died in canoe accidents during that year.

Kayaking has become popular partly because the boats are relatively inexpensive and can be hauled and used with ease. Unfortunately, that's also contributed to the accident rate, experts say.

People go to "big-box stores like Costco and Sam's Club, buy a kayak, and, boom, off they go," says John Malatak of the Coast Guard's Boating Safety Division. "They don't take a boating course, they go into an area that's remote, they don't know the No. 1 thing to do, which is wear a life jacket, they turn over and there's no one nearby to assist them."

Hypothermia can set in

Even experienced kayakers can run into trouble. "Things can go south in a heartbeat," Andrusic says.

Capsized kayakers suffering from hypothermia have been rescued by the Coast Guard from Seattle to Philadelphia.

Such accidents and the rescue efforts involved are prompting calls for more boating education.

Fetterman says he supports legislation to require kayakers to take courses that would teach people the basics: wear a life jacket, bring a phone or radio, tell someone on land where you're going and when you expect to be back, how to handle it if your boat capsizes, how quickly cold water can be incapacitating and who has the right of way in busy harbors.

Jeremy Oyen, director of safety and education at the ACA, says 48 states have laws requiring motorboat operators to take boating education courses but none require similar courses for paddlers.

Just in 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available, about 12.6 million people went kayaking — nearly a 25% increase over the year before, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. "Unfortunately, there has also been a rise in the number of paddle craft accidents," says Anthony Turner, spokesman for the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Already this year, there have been several accidents.

In Cape Arago, Ore., on April 13, a Coast Guard helicopter and boat were dispatched after a 30-year-old man's kayak overturned. He was taken to the hospital with hypothermia. In Philadelphia on the same day, a Coast Guard cutter, a tug boat crew and an environmental group's boat crew rescued two kayakers after they capsized in the Delaware River. Those men also were treated for early signs of hypothermia.

Maritime experts say cold water often is the culprit in deadly accidents. Most people, they say, have no idea that frigid water can send someone into shock within seconds.

Some maritime organizations, including the American Canoe Association (ACA), oppose mandatory education for paddlers. The groups say it would be akin to requiring everyone who rides a bike to take a class first. Experts say many people underestimate how easy it is to flip a kayak because the boats seem so simple and easy to use. But "it's not just a sports activity, it's a maritime activity, and people lose sight of what happens when you get out on the water and it's cold," says Christopher Cunningham, editor of the bi-monthly Sea Kayaker magazine.

Andrusic says his and Gutmann's biggest mistakes were not taking a phone or radio and not telling anyone where they were going.

"As kayaking gets more popular, people might be a little cavalier," he says. "Going out on the water should never be taken lightly."