Paddling is Fun and Great Recreation.

Only you can make it SAFE

The following pages contain truths about Paddling and being on the water and

Staying ALIVE

These comments are designed to get your attention – you can DIE in the water, you improve your chances to come back safe and secure by being prepared every time you paddle.

Since March 1, 2005 – there have been:

TWO unprepared paddlers drown within 75 miles of SRO, ten lost in the gulf for 12 horrible hours in two foot seas
Six college students [ should be smart, right] rescued when the island they were camping on disappeared at HIGH TIDE
SIX teenage girls dumped into the river when their boats flip when then encountered a BIGGGG TREE across the river [their leaders did not know the river and did not scout the river. One of the girls had to be AIRLIFTED to the hospital with HYPOTHERMIA [she survived]. They where in hypothermic conditions for over an hour before making it to shore.

· As enjoyable as canoeing and kayaking are, they can be dangerous - even on a small creek, lake or river. The dangers are controllable but very real. You are the CAPTAIN of your boat and are in charge. The risks and dangers increase with high water, cold and bad weather. Inexperienced boaters can expect to flip You will get wet. It's a rule. You will be swimming or standing [flip flops don't work, shoes are a must] in the river or lake. You will not melt but you might freeze.

· YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU out there on the water. At some spots you will be miles from help or a phone, where it may be impossible or imprudent for others to come to your assistance.... so don't count on it. Most cell phones don't work on the river, they are not outdoor communications devices that can be TRUSTED.

· WEAR YOUR PFD – you MUST wear your Personal Flotation Device [PFD] it is not a boat seat cushion, a number of manufacturers make great boat seats, many people have found to their HORROR that it is almost impossible to put on a PFD when your boat has flipped – think about it - you are already panicking you are in the water trying to get a jacket designed to FLOAT down around your waist – IT DON’T HAPPEN. Yes you are a great swimmer but when you flipped the boat you dislocated your shoulder or were rendered unconscious so that PFD floating away is not gonna help. Also the two greatest opportunities to get wet are when you are entering and exiting your boat. The PFD will cushion your fall. It also makes a great handle for your rescuers to grab onto.

· Wear shoes – you feet may be cute and you just had your nails painted but people have been throwing trash – beer bottles , nails old cars into the rivers for hundreds of yours – research TETANUS and LOCKJAW, these are not fun conditions. Tree limbs and little twigs can tear your feet apart and WHEN you have to WALK out to civilization you need those little feetsies in perfect shape because the odds are that you will be traveling through a wilderness area without sidewalks or even a trail.

· Know your location – get a map, take a compass or a GPS [take a class on using all three].

· Use good judgment; no drugs or alcohol not you or anyone in your group. Alcohol and paddling do not mix.

· KNOW the WEATHER - NEVER start a trip without having gotten a current weather report from NOAA radio, the Weather Channel, The Internet or your cell phone. You can purchase inexpensive weather radios. There is no excuse to not know the weather.

· Know the 120 degree rule, HYPOTHERMIA can be a danger when the combined AIR temperature and WATER temperature equal 120 degrees. [see hypothermia page]

· If you paddle you will someday flip and unceremoniously exit your boat. May not be today or tomorrow but it will happen. Tie your stuff with short lines – parachute cord is great for this. You can have everything on your checklist – you do have a checklist don’t you? But if it is floating away that extra paddle won’t help.

· Slow Down – Most of my embarrassing moments have been caused by trying to get into the water and start the trip too fast – like when I started paddling and my PFD was still in the car and the car was heading to the pick up point [ I screamed loud enough to get my wife’s attention and a few interesting comments from her also] A few minutes to check your checklist [ you do have a check list don’t you]

· Warm up before you paddle . Start slowly, get the feel of the boat have you balanced your load is your boat on an even keel. Rock the canoe or kayak back and forth to get the feel. Before you leave the launch area BE SECURE in your strokes.

We are blessed in the Deep South with many amazing and gorgeous TREES – well they are until they get into the waterway we are paddling, then they become:

STRAINERS – horrendous things waiting for the unwary to be pulled into their grip – when you become entangled it is like the tree is alive and coming at you from every angle with the water currents thrusting you into a maze which grips you while the water tries to or does enter your boat. They can be at least a trip spoiler and at worst LETHAL. Stay away from any tree that is in or hanging over or growing out of the water.
BOBBERS – trees that have floated into the river and caught on the bottom and a re now going underwater and then being released back to the surface up and down and up and down. When you are not paying close attention to your downstream route these and be quite disquieting as the seem to RISE UP just as you are floating over them. Suddenly you have the river allowing hundreds or even thousands of pounds of tree to give you are very uplifting experience, an experience that is very difficult to handle you must read the river [ see read the river]
Floaters – Are bobbers unleashed. A tree floating down the river is nice in Tom Sawyer but under your boat is not where you want tit to be. A waterlogged Oak or Pine can be as dangerous as a bobber [ see read the river]

When you are going downriver - especially in a river in flood or that is fast moving – STAY to the inside of the bends do not get pulled into the out currents. You can very easily be swept up into the current and into trees and other debris that has amassed in the outer bends.

· Watch for strainers (trees limbs rocks and debris that let water pass through but can trap you or your equipment like a sieve. They occur often and can be lethal, especially at high water levels. Stay away from downed trees or any trees in the water. Stay to the inside of creek bends. Don't walk in fast moving water above your knees. If you must walk in fast water at all, take a paddle with you to use as a staff.

· If you hit an obstruction, (rock, bridge pier, tree trunk, Chevrolet etc.) lean onto it / lean into it / lean down stream / hug what you hit - this all means the same thing.

If you lean away from what you hit (your natural reaction) your boat will flip. I promise..... It's another rule

· A canoe filled with water weighs about the same as a Volkswagen. Stay up stream of it. Don't get between a swamped boat and anything.. rock, tree, another boat etc.

To empty a swamped boat. Pull it to shore up-side down.. pull it to shore upside down . [sometimes it's hard to remember the simple stuff] Put one nose on shore and lift up the other nose. Like magic, the water falls out. Turn it over and away you go. If you do it the other way you will get a hernia or a heart attack, maybe both.

· Tie your gear into your canoe with short lines. See item above "away you go". If you don't tie your gear in, you will need to change the "away you go" part to "away you go chasing your gear all over the creek". Make sure you have your car keys on your person secure[ like in a zippered pocket]. Make sure you have another set at the car or at our shop. I'll say this another way. If your car keys are tied to your boat, no matter how, you may loose them.

· Should you choose to assist in the event of a mishap, get boaters to safety first. Get loose gear and boats after the paddlers are safe. Help only if you can do so safely and realistically. There is no sense adding to a problem beyond your capabilities with a flip or swim. Little is gained by the good intention and sometimes good intentions get in the way of good rescues.

· BE SAFE AND REMEMBER THAT going out to paddle is not an amusement park ride. Half way through the run you can't get the operator to turn it off or slow it down. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU out there on the creek.

· Some risks and hazards on rivers and Creeks

WEATHER - heat, cold (sun stroke, sun burn, hypo and hyperthermia) wind, rain, dark, hail, lightening.
WATER - waves, holes, water falls, rapids, hydraulics (reversals, keepers) ,high, cold, fast water, pollution.
RIVER FEATURES - strainers, bends, dams, ledges, falls (again) weirs, wire fences, downed trees, must portages, bridge piers, rocks.
PREMISES - private creek banks, hunters, cows, dogs, insect animal and snake bites, ivy, nettle, slips/falls, cuts, walk outs, bacteria and germs.
ANOMALIES - drowning, pins, broaches, flips, entrapments, swims, actions of others, over exertion, heart attack, health limitations, paddling injuries, separations, blisters.
THE SCARIEST THING OF ALL - these are all real! and it's not a complete list!!!...

Have a nice day....... and be safe out there