Having had one or two close scrapes in my time I've had opportunity to reflect on them (with relief) and learn something (like not repeating said stints again), but my most recent (repeat act) has bothered me sufficiently to feel the need to share it with you. Who knows, it might help prevent someone from being as complacent (stupid) as I was recently...

Anthony Allen - PFD next time?

Fair sized shore break

Mid morning on Heritage day I opted to pop my surf ski into the water in front of Doodles in Blaauwberg. Having had a good few years of paddling experience behind me I was confident in taking on a fair sized shore break with a bit of an on-shore chop with about 3 to 5 feet of surf rolling in sets - nothing formidable by beach launch standards and certainly well within my capability.

I stood off at the shore timing sets and hit the water during a lull - IN! PADDLE! SCRATCHING WATER!...

Next thing a set wave breaks over the bow and I make it through the lip, but floundering with my balance since the wave robbed me of any inertia I had going - PLOP! Out I fall.

Remount and then...

No worries, right boat, got paddle, remount, wobble, wobble, GET GOING HERE COMES NEXT DAMN SET!!

SMASH!!!! Out again, but holding boat with right hand and paddle with left hand.

Boat turns beam on to surf and wave drags boat with Ant clinging on.

Running out of air (quickly whilst submerged and being pulled to shore by boat) HAVE TO GET AIR, let go of boat (wave will wash it in and I'll swim in).

Boat goes...

Boat goes with wave, I surface in bubbling broken water, just buoyant (no PFD) only with lycra vest and neoprene paddling shorts. SHIT! How can I let this happen to me AGAIN? (last was 6 years ago off Bailey's Cottage in REALLY BIG surf - only just survived that after a LONG swim back).

I take stock, look around and tread water. Boat is 20m away being spat out by surf.

Paddle 10m away (useless but R1500). Opt to swim for boat and maybe be able to hold on and get pulled to shore by ensuing breakers. None come - it's a lull - and all the water that headed in with the set wants out to sea again - 2 knot rip is too much for me after a while and I opt to swim 90 degrees to it.

Getting tired fast, getting nowhere fast

Getting tired fast. Not as fit as I would like to have been given the situation (make mental note not to be so daft as try heavy conditions without being stronger first - if there is a next time!).

Getting nowhere fast! Getting tired and had to make a concerted effort not to panic. Stop, think, plan and execute. OK, this IS a situation now (starting to struggle to keep afloat and tired).

Decide to shoot off flares - now I am feeling endangered and I'm not sure I can complete the swim back.

BANG! One pencil flare off.

BANG! Second one 5 minutes later to CONFIRM to any observers I'm in trouble RESPOND FASTER damnit! Somebody, anybody just HELP!

NSRI at least 20mins away

Beach front now lined with spectators. Somebody picks up my ski on the beach and runs to in front of me with it, but puts it down on the sand.

Another (fit) bloke runs down to the water's edge but just stands there (I'm now about 150m from the beach in breaking surf.

Nobody puts a toe in the water.

NSRI at least 20 mins away IF they have call...

Now I'm desperate!

I dig REALLY deep and find some energy to keep going. As every breaking wave hits me I spread my arms like a crucifix to present optimum drag and get pulled in while I'm submerged in the white water.

Finally I hit a rock

Finally I hit a rock under foot and I get another dose of survive-at-all-costs strength - enough it seems to make it back only to get a strong rip hit me again pulling me cross shore. I decide the best is to swim with it (get it over with quickly, strength sapping again).

Turns out a good call - rip dies metres off the sand.

Toes hit sand.

Stagger exhausted onto beach.

Collect boat, look for paddle (still in same rip as I was). Wait for paddle.

Carry up to roadside parking and sit down.

Cops arrive.

What happened? You OK man?

 I tell them the story...

---

---

Relief floods.

Pulse rate slows again.

Not even cold.

Thoughts:

• Great to be alive!
• Really STUPID doing what I did (especially as an experienced paddler and NSRI member)
• Flares nice to have, but useless as a spontaneous life preservation device.
• Replace flares anyway but BUY A PFD BEFORE NEXT PADDLING SESSION!!!!
• Share this so others might learn from it
• Stress the fact the "incident envelope" has increasingly steeper sides the further you slip into it.
• Factors that helped: keeping a cool head, fitness, psychological crutch of firing flares, LUCK

[Editor: Thanks to Ant for sharing this story - take note.  Note also that PFDs are compulsory in all races held in South Africa.]

Support your local NSRI, RNLI or Coastguard!

Comments (7)

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Been there, and don't ever want to do that again...
written by James I. Smith, October 08, 2008

Same experience as you, but held onto the paddle until the waves started to pull me under because of the blades. I became exhausted 100 yards from shore so I let go of the paddle, made it through the rip, and felt like the biggest jackass in the world explaining myself to a close friend, my wife, and two sons. The panic is the worst part: it doesn't matter who you are or how fit you may be, because we are all only human and fear sets in after you are too physically exhausted to continue. I pulled a woman and a small child out of a rip two summers ago with my surfboard. The lifeguard just stood on shore and watched, and was nearly in tears thanking me as I walked by her tower on the way to my car. Don't ever push yourself to the limit. Wear a PDF and carry your flares and cell phone. Leash yourself to the boat, and the paddle to the boat as well. People will stand by and watch you drown so you have to see to your own survival.

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...
written by Jamie Stewart, October 09, 2008

Here in Australia most paddlers have come from a surflifesaving background. When we were learning to paddle a ski in big surf, the golden rule was to hang on to your ski for as long as you can. I know it's not always possible in big surf, but if you can hang on to the footstrap for an extra few seconds, it could mean the difference between being stuck in a rip out past the break, or being dragged close enough to wade into shore. If you can hold onto your ski, chances are it'll pull you in. That said, be careful with wearing a leash in the break on a ski. There are times when you might need to bail out and take your chances swimming for it, and if you are wearing your leash it makes this very tricky to do quickly. Great story Ant, and a serious reminder about paddling safety - including being careful not to paddle alone, especially in tricky surf.

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Mice
written by Gary Kroukamp, October 09, 2008

http://www.news24.com/News24/T...50,00.html

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I can relate...
written by Gavin Gottschalk, October 09, 2008

I also misread the sets last summer at Camps Bay beach when there was a biiig shore break. Bang, got knocked off. Quick remount, but legs still over the sides when next wave hit and got blasted off the back of the boat. When I surfaced, I expected to see the boat on the beach, but instead it had moved 30m FURTHER OUT! Luckily a break between sets as I swam to reach it. As I grabbed the footstrap, bang, next set hit. At this point 3 thoughts were running through my mind: 1: my boat is going to get washed to shore and kill a small child playing on the (very) crowded beach (didn't happen) 2: my boat is going to break (didn't happen) 3: I'm going to drown (didn't happen). I hung onto the strap for dear life and got washed to the beach wave by rumbling wave, to be greeted by a rapidly growing crowd of spectators. My paddle washed up after me. A kindly American woman strolled past my pathetic figure gasping for breath and said: 'Please don't try that again'. I didn't. I felt very foolish and rightly so. Lessons well learnt.

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Metal
written by Alain Jaques, October 09, 2008

Hi Ant. Are you the same Ant Allen who fell from the skies, broke most of your bones, spent six months flat on your back in traction - and now have a skeleton held together with metal bits? No wonder you did not float so well.

Jokes aside thanks for the wake up call, it is scary how quickly things can turn ugly. Besides saving your life the new generation surfski specific PFD's are very comfortable and look quite stylish. Certainly a lot more stylish than washing up dead in a speedo.

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...
written by Rambo, October 09, 2008

My story is similar so i won't tell it, but i will say what i learnt. Self rescue and being able to make contact are the two most important things i took out of both my experiences. After 3 hours in the water waiting for help and not knowing whether it's coming, a cell phone or VHF radio would have at least given me contact and from there arrange a rescue. (in tropical water so immersion wasn't an issue this time) I hate to say it but even after two close calls i still go to sea unprepared sometimes, especially when in a group, but never when paddling alone. That reminder of being "alone" instills enough fear to pack the safety equipment. Everybody needs at least one scare, unfortunately not everyone gets a second chance.

Cheers Rambo

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I learnt something from this article
written by Ben Wulfsohn, November 02, 2008

This morning I paddled out at Addington beach, Durban by myself. Just a short paddle parallel to the shore - impending offshore westerly coming up. I am in a new Custom Kayaks Synergy. For 2 years I have used a very leaky Hammerhead. On my return about 200m from the beach despite my mantra: "Don't Fall out, don't fall out" - I do just that! The problem is that this is my second day with a deep bucket ski and I battled a bit in good conditions to remount yesterday. By now the off shore is blowing and I start the process of getting back on - the seas are confused and so am I - I try to lie over the ski and straddle - goes right over again. Then I tried to get on 'side-saddle' , over again - 2 or 3 more tries- then fear and fatigue get to me and I am drifting out slowly to sea.

On the basis of reading the above article I decide to signal for help right away by waving my paddle in the air while lying over the side of ski.

In terms of safety equipment I am leashed onto the ski with a calf leash and that is holding up well. I still have my paddle (waving it back and forth, showing the reflective tape on the blade) and I have an inflatable pfd. Flotation is not a problem as I am hanging onto the ski, but when I get to shore I find there is no air in the pfd despite me blowing it up en route.

The main point is that I wanted help from the paddlers, life guards on the shore and I did not want to exhaust myself by continually trying to get back into the ski (and then possibly struggling to remain attached to the ski) and rather focussed on really attracting the attention of those on the shore.

I suppose within 5 minutes or less, Brian Kernick paddled out on his ski, came alongside my ski, got me hold onto his paddle to pull the skis together and created a stable raft/catamaran. I was amazed how easy it was get back in then and get to the shore. Thanks so much Brian.

Lessons for me:
1) are to practice deep water remounting on a calm day until it is totally second nature;
2) I am a little skeptical about my inflatable pfd that lost its puff so easily - I am thinking about a more conventional model;
3) getting a cheap or water proof cellphone (the dry bags fail more often than not) or a VHF radio (which I used to use while sailing offshore)
4) more training to get fitter.

The main issue for me is that when one is struggling to do what ever one can to get attention/help and make that call earlier than later. I was in a fortunate position that there were surf skiers on the beach and that Brian responded to my distress signal.

By the way the Synergy paddles beautifully - quite a leap from a 20 year old Hammerhead.

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