dimitri’s rescue training series (part 2)

BY DIMITRI VANDEPOELE

NORTHSEAKAYAK

northseakayak

In this series, we will share the first-hand experience, my NORTHSEAKAYAK team, and I gained while training together with the Coast Guard, search and rescue assets and other vessels that may come to aid when the need arises.

Dimitri’s rescue training series (part 2)

Before starting, it is of the utmost importance that every sea kayaker trains and prepares to avoid getting into trouble in the first place and learn to paddle self-reliant, responsible, and safe.

How well prepared we are, things can get ugly, and therefore we need to know what to do when we cannot solve a problem ourselves. This is what the series goes about; things are going south, and this is what we can do when we need external help. Each article in this series will highlight a specific rescue together with some top tips! Remember, reading an article does not replace proper training.

Mayday-mayday-mayday!

In the previous article (https://paddlerezine.com/dimitris-rescue1/), we talked about the means to call for help. Now we will talk about other essential equipment that you will need between the distress call and the arrival of the SAR services. There is absolutely no way around it; proper clothing and PFD (Personal Flotation Device). Wherever you go paddling, cold-shock, hypothermia, and drowning lurk around the corner when in distress. Let’s start with the PFD!

A good PFD should have a proper fit, so make sure to buy and use one that has your size. There are a lot of straps on a PFD; shoulder, side, and waist. You must make sure that the strap or belt around the waist is adjusted enough to prevent the PFD from coming up when in the water. This strap is probably not adjusted well enough if the PFD hits your chin immediately after hitting the water. Once this waist strap is adjusted, you can check the other straps to make sure the rest of the PFD has a good fit. Check this regularly and certainly when switching from clothes in between the cold and warm season.

During the cold season, one tends to wear more layers, which results in a way too loose fit of the PFD when changing to warm-season kit and clothing.

Pockets

You will need pockets! Pick a PFD with enough pockets so you can put safety gear in it. Make also sure that those pockets (when filled) don’t hinder your movement when paddling or when doing self or assisted rescues. Here is what I carry in my PFD (whatever the conditions); VHF radio, PLB, two whistles, three carabiner hooks, two litres of drinking water (Camelbak), ODEO distress flare, flashlight with built-in strobe, piece of cord, one pyrotechnical handheld distress flare, neoprene hat, nose clippers and a watch.

Of course, you can decide for yourself what should be in it, depending on the paddling venue, skills, or conditions. I choose to carry everything and always. That way, I cannot forget about some essential piece of equipment, and if I need something, I can even find it blindfolded.

I recommend having a look at the video ‘Sea Kayak Safety Equipment’:

https://youtu.be/8ooxwC6pu-I

Clothing!

The best tip I can give, try your kit IN the water (near shore, and in a safe environment, for example, on the slipway in a harbour). That way, you will immediately know if your clothing is sufficient or not! I could write an entire article on this one concerning cold shock, but I’ll stick to the essentials. Always dress for immersion!

We have seen people hesitate to do deep water exercises, mainly because they already know they are underdressed. So, field test this regularly! A dry suit is no luxury during the colder days, but make sure to wear good, technical layers underneath. Same for neoprene Long Johns or full wetsuits. Make sure the thickness of the neoprene matches the water temperatures. A wind stopper jacket won’t hold you warm once in the water.

The Coast Guard – lifeboat R6 ORKA

This time we conducted a rescue exercise with the Coast Guard! Slightly different in every country, with sometimes other names and other rescue boats, but all operational with one goal; saving lives at sea! The Belgian Coast Guard has a few rescue boats, but we trained with the R6 ORKA lifeboat!

The R6 ORKA is a 20m long, jet-propelled lifeboat. The two jet nozzles can turn 360°, which makes this boat very manoeuvrable. The draught is less than 1 meter, perfect for the shallow North Sea with its many treacherous sandbanks. Jet propulsion means no danger when moving close to a victim that is in the water. The all-weather lifeboat is self-righting, which means it can be deployed in the harshest conditions.

In comparison with the Coastal Rescue Services with their RHIBs, the R6 ORKA is fully equipped. Besides the standard boat equipment, they have two VHF radios, one ECDIS radar (Electronic Chart Display Information System) with plotter and a Rhotheta PLB detection system. It also has a winch on both sides, but more on that later.

THE R6 ORKA is manned by the captain, one sailor/lifeguard and one rescue diver. The crew is on standby near the boat, day and night. THE R6 ORKA is always dispatched by the MRCC (Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre), or the Coast Guard, like most, would call it. This ship primarily works together with the rescue helicopter and other rescue or salvage vessels. The R6 ORKA can be deployed within minutes after the call.

rescue scenario

Thanks to rescue diver Alex and his lifeboat crew, we could conduct a rescue scenario that happens all too often! Most sea kayakers are still not tethered to their craft when going offshore. So, we trained on what to do after a capsize and loss of your sea kayak! Conditions were relatively calm, but the water temperature was only around 11°C. We were with a three-person crew, and I was going to be the victim. We already asked permission for this rescue training to the R6 ORKA crew via VHF.

Before hitting the water, I made final arrangements with my team. They needed to move away from my position far enough to make things realistic, but not too far if anything goes wrong. This gives me the feeling of being alone and separated from both my team and my kayak. Although we are frequently tethered to our boats, we keep training this particular scenario. In a real-life incident, due to this kind of training, one will remain calm, tick all the boxes (self-check, distress call, remain visible, and keep in contact), which significantly alters the chances of survival.

Once in the water, I pushed my boat away from my position for the wind to pick it up. Even with very tiny waves, I could not see my sea kayak after a few minutes. Of course, my team was snooping around to keep an eye out for everything. I first made sure that I was OK and that I knew my position. This is what we call the self-check and cannot take longer than a minute. Take a few breaths, make sure what you are going to say during the distress call. The distress call must be made as soon as possible, with the intelligence available at that moment. My GPS was left in the kayak adrift, so no chance of giving an exact fix (geographical location).

There were no buoys or beacons in the area. With the distress call, which I used my VHF for, I gave my estimated position. I could still remember the distance to the shore. This was almost not visible once in the water. And I could remember some landmarks and the village. Always make sure that you know where you are at any given moment. Once things go south, it is of the utmost importance. If you carry a PLB, make sure to activate it first! Your position will be sent through, which makes it easier for the SAR services to find you.

No PLB during this exercise; we wanted to see how long it takes to be found without that exact fix on my current position. By the start of the exercise, I was not in visual range of the lifeboat, as realistic as possible. Again, I came to the same conclusion as with the rescue training with the RHIBs from the Coastal Rescue Services; I see the lifeboat before it sees me! This may sound weird as the lifeboat crew has the visual advantage of being higher above the surface than I am. But they have to look for a needle in a haystack. I’m just looking for anything that isn’t a wave and doesn’t block my view. So, there it was, at about 400 metres distance, looking for me as a guardian angel: the R6 ORKA lifeboat!

I gave proper directions via VHF to guide them towards my position. This works well but maintains a calm and straightforward way of communication via VHF. Once they established visual contact, I put away my VHF radio and waited for their arrival. Keep waving and attracting attention as you never know a wave suddenly hides you from their view. Upon arrival, stay put!

Once close enough, a rescue diver will go in the water. In this rescue training, I was not hypothermic. This is important as the lifeboat crew can winch you up in a vertical way. If there is doubt about the victim’s status, or if the victim is hypothermic or unconscious, the crew will winch you horizontally. This is to avoid cardiac arrest during or right after the rescue. That wasn’t the case with me; I wore a good quality drysuit and good layers underneath (insulation). I have never been winched before, certainly not on a rescue boat, but this was the fun part! Once onboard, the crew will ask further questions; were you alone, where is your craft? If possible, they will also salvage the sea kayak, but as always, the casualty’s life goes before your equipment.

Top tip: make sure your kayak is labelled (or registered like here in Belgium).

Things to remember!

Although the weather and sea were calm, the light amount of wind picked up my kayak. By the end of the rescue training, the lifeboat had to sail for about 500 metres to bring me back to my sea kayak. So, imagine that there is even more wind, which is mostly the case when things go south. Also, the tide was going against the wind. The swimmer is always affected by the tide, the kayak mainly by the wind and waves. If you are not successful in grabbing your kayak after capsizing, it is lost. So again, make sure to carry a means to call for help on your person.

Awaiting arrival SAR service

In the previous edition, we talked about what you should do awaiting rescue services; we specifically pointed out using your safety equipment and increasing your visibility. This chapter will highlight the mental aspect of requiring help when your life depends on it. The sea is the most dangerous environment on the planet one can survive in. We are not made to live or survive in the water. Therefore we need to adapt to certain situations when needed or when we are pushed. Nobody chooses to be the victim in a distress situation.

Reacting differently

Depending on your own experience, skill level and the always-changing conditions at sea, we all will react differently when in distress. During the years, and thanks to the numerous rescue training we conduct within our NORTHSEAKAYAK team, we can point out a few important things to avoid panic and name the levels of stress and anxiety that can overwhelm you from the moment things go wrong.

We are trained to be self-reliant. Most of us can perform a swift self-rescue in the conditions they paddle in – the same counts for performing an assisted rescue. The more you are trained in these self-rescues, the less tendency to panic there will be. When external help is needed, your heart will start pumping in overdrive. Something in your head makes a click from the moment you realise that you cannot solve the problem on your own.

One of the most practical scenarios we conduct is the following: I paddle out with a group, and when we are far away from the shore, I tell people we will perform a safety exercise. I make sure that at least one safety kayaker keeps an eye out for everyone for the training area and other shipping. I ask everyone to go into the water and hand over their kayak.

I’m also going in the water and clipping all kayaks together with my long tow line. My tow line is about 10 metres, and I let go of all the kayaks. Of course, we all know that the kayaks are not drifting away. But this already gives people an idea of what it is to lose their kayak. I tell everyone they just lost their kayak, and there is no way they can reach it again by swimming.

The look on some people’s faces starts to change. We are all in a circle, in the water. With some low waves around, we can’t even see our kayaks anymore. I ask each individual what they carry with them to call for help. The look on some’s faces changes again. When everyone gave their answer, we noticed that a few people were not able to call for help for themselves. Now and then, we also have someone that is saying he’s cold. It is during these scenarios that people learn to think for themselves.

We see that after a while, most of the sea kayakers joining us for rescue exercises have bought a decent means to call for help (VHF, PLB, waterproof pack for cell phone) and upgraded their kit. We also see that the sea kayakers who can call for help on their person tend to remain much calmer when conducting rescue exercises. It sounds so logical, don’t you agree? In an actual life-threatening situation, this will emerge even more.

We were also noticing a difference during rescue training when everyone was still in their boats. Less chance of becoming hypothermic, the group can raft up and stay together. Anxiety will go to the next level as soon as the group becomes dispersed and people are in the water. The highest level of anxiety is reached when the kayaker is in the water and becomes separated from their craft. This isn’t the case when surfing: people are at swimming distance of the shore.

There are two main reasons we stick to performing rescue training, whether it be self-reliant or with rescue services: it alters the level of safety within the sport, and it is fun. We sometimes have other paddlers who are not fond of getting in the water for this, mainly because their kit is not good, or they haven’t found pleasure in doing this kind of training. So, we always try to make things fun! It’s a win-win situation!

We love to share our experience with as many other paddlers as possible. The more knowledge is passed on, the safer we all will go on the water. We have some more stories and top tips for you in the next episode of RESCUE TRAINING!