30 second assisted rescue

[mhabich]

Good tips here...

 

[JaneC]

Mike

We'll have to do this and see if we can make it in 30 seconds.  Also I noted that the "wet One" kept his paddle, interesting

[prudenceb]

Weird that he said some rescuers like to give their paddle to the one in the water.  Huh? Never seen that.

[SeaKayakNE]

Kelsey and I have tried this.  It works great, until someone hasn’t seen this video or tried this.

[Brian Nystrom]

I don't see where this differs significantly from what we were teaching 15 years ago. It's all about both parties knowing what to do, then being smooth and efficient about it. It's also quite a bit more challenging when you get into conditions where you're actually likely to need to perform a rescue, but the same principles apply.

[rfolster]

I don’t think this does differ significantly, but it is nice seeing an expedient rescue being promoted. I have witnessed rescues take way longer than necessary, which becomes problematic when current is a factor   Even minor coastal currents can Be an issue when a long rescue causes drift off course.

Having the swimmer keep hold of their paddle throughout the rescue is something to explore. Definitely need to look at effectiveness with paddlers less familiar with assisted re-entry. 

[Brian Nystrom]

Your last sentence is the crux of the issue. Paddlers have to practice this with the people they paddle with and do so consistently. One of the things that made the NSPN training programs so effective is that they were taught by people you paddled with and you practiced with others you were likely to paddle with. In the few cases where I've needed the rescue skills I learned, everyone knew their role and the correct techniques, so very little communication was necessary between the rescuer and swimmer. When we found ourselves in situation we hadn't practiced, we were able to adapt and improvise solutions based on what we knew, cooperating with similarly-trained team members.

Pick your paddling partners carefully!

[leong]

9 hours ago, Brian Nystrom said:

 

Pick your paddling partners carefully!

Hmm, it's not that I refuse to paddle with anyone who would paddle with me, but the way it works out, I mostly paddle alone. Nevertheless, I did choose myself carefully and if I fail a roll I usually use a paddle float for a re-entry and roll.

[cfolster]

It’s great to practice both roles: rescuer and rescuee.  But I like the idea of also practicing talking a person through a rescue they’ve never done before.  That helps make sure you’re ready for any situation, and allows you to comfortably paddle with a broader group of paddlers.

[PeterB]

The swimmer  holding on to their paddle during rescues  is an interesting variation. There  is a school of thought  (Leon Somme advocates this)  that goes:  why ever give up control of  your paddle? Like other variations, I suppose it  requires practice, to forestall the hazard of swimmer's paddle  flailing around or otherwise  causing trouble  during the rescue.  

[mhabich]

Well, nothing wrong with a refresher course every 15 years or so...
A couple of other points for those still learning (i.e., all of us):
  --notice how the rescuer handles his paddle, seldom letting go of it
  --note also that the swimmer grabs not only his deck lines, but also those of the rescuer's boat

[Inverseyourself]

You can rescue me any way you like.....but if you call me "The Wet One" I will capsize you!

[Inverseyourself]

1 hour ago, mhabich said:

 --note also that the swimmer grabs not only his deck lines, but also those of the rescuer's boat

As a rescuee, I routinely do this because of the usual weight difference relative to other paddlers. It keeps my boat from flipping over my way as I put full weight on it during heel hook. Specifically, I grab the  perimeter deck line of the side of my boat facing the rescuer and the adjacent rescuer's boat's perimeter deck line. Not everyone can do this from the water, though, because of arm reach. Gordon Brown promotes this in his teaching videos.

Edited February 1, 2018 by Inverseyourself

[beckt]

Often times I will hang onto my own paddle like that... goes with the notion of not letting go of your paddle... ever. And takes away from the awkwardness that is involved with "what to do with these paddles"

[jason]

Other than the "Wet" one holding the paddle it looks like a standard rescue.

 

[Brian Nystrom]

I suspect that it will be considerably more difficult to do that in real conditions. What I'd really like to see in these videos is for them to do the instructional part on flat water, then show how it works in wind and waves. That will make it abundantly clear whether a technique is actually a valuable rescue skill or merely another pool trick. I'm not insinuating that there's anything wrong with the method depicted in the video, just making a general point about rescue videos.

[PeterB]

I do see a difference  here in that the rescu-ee is quite proactive and more actively participating in the rescue: He rights his boat and proactively presents the bow to the rescuer. This is a bit of a variant on  the standard  teaching dogma that the rescuer is in charge ,  rescu-ee simply does whatever rescuer tells him to do. The rescue in this video unfolds with the premise that both participants are practiced in this exact drill , probably with each other.  But I suppose it could also unfold the same way  using standard dogma as long as  the rescuer gives loud and firm commands from the get go and  throughout,  and rescue-ee follows those commands. 

 

[billvoss]

I really like it.  Especially the key point that the Wet One stays essentially stationary in the water.  However, I agree with past posters that it definitely requires an active well practiced "Wet One/rescu-ee."  With the approach I learned in NSPN "on the water" sessions, I can rescue someone who has never seen a T-rescue before.  Though I definitely prefer this 30-sec approach for rescuing in conditions where hopefully everyone involved has practiced a T-rescue.

The main differences I saw from what I think of as NSPN's default technique:

30-sec: Wet One rights kayak, moves kayak so they are at bow, indicates they want to be rescued, moves kayak so they are on side away from rescuer, presents rescuer with their bow.  (Based on narration, presumably Wet One would push kayak bow to rescuer if rescuer has poor aim.)

NSPN: Rescuer notices someone is over, paddles over and grabs kayak where ever they can.  Rescuer INSTRUCTS Wet One to surrender their paddle, right their kayak (optional), and go to rescuer's bow.

Next step same for both 30-sec and NSPN: Standard dump water from flooded kayak using edging instead of lifting flooded kayak (assumes kayak has bulkhead or sock).

30-sec: Kayak is moved around Wet One, rescuer says "GO," then Wet One gets on the back deck much like the start of a Cowboy re-entry but then puts their feet into the cockpit without the Cowboy's straddle.

NSPN: Rescuer INSTRUCTS Wet One to move around kayak, and usually to do a heel-hook re-entry.  (Note: both 30-sec/NSPN Wet Ones may grab other kayak's deck lines.)

Both: Attach skirt.

NSPN: Return Wet One's paddle.

Both (not shown): Confirm Wet One OK, separate with Rescuer pushing Wet One's kayak toward Rescuer's bow.

Comment about Wet One keeping their paddle: I routinely begin my pool session with a solo Cowboy re-entry.  So hanging onto my paddle is natural.  The only change from my solo Cowboy is the 30-sec initially holds the paddle in the stern hand across both kayaks, while my solo Cowboy initially holds the paddle in the bow hand paddle extended over the water.  I don't think I have ever done a heel-hook re-entry while holding my paddle.  I suspect that heel-hook holding paddle might be awkward.

Comment about Rescuer giving up their paddle: In the 30-sec video both rescuers briefly set their paddle on their skirt while using both hands to flip the Wet One's kayak using both hands.  Especially in conditions, not all rescuers will be comfortable with zero hands on their paddle however briefly.  Though usually I see the rescuer taking the Wet One's paddle, not the other way around.

[John]

Several of us tried this in the pool yesterday...it seemed to work well and would be best, as Bill noted, with an experienced "wet one..."