Video: Have Fun and Avoid Drowning - A How-To for Packrafters

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Foot entrapment is the number one cause of death for whitewater boaters. The first step to avoiding this and other hazards on the water is education. Take the time to understand the powerful forces created by moving water as it flows over and around obstacles, learn about and use proper safety gear, and seek training in rescue techniques and practice so your skills are sharp.

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Feb 10, 2009 at 1:39 pm #1233952

Addie Bedford
BPL Member

@addiebedford
Locale: Montana

Companion forum thread to:

Video: Have Fun and Avoid Drowning – A How-To for Packrafters

Feb 12, 2009 at 6:00 am #1477305

Larry Tullis
BPL Member

@larrytullis
Locale: Wasatch Mountains

Nice instructional, I'd like to see more of that sort of thing…."video articles".

Feb 12, 2009 at 1:23 pm #1477410

Brett Tucker
Member

@blister-free
Locale: Puertecito ruins

Nicely done.

Now, if I hadn't actually seen that instructor demonstrate the *sideways* flip, torquing himself *against* the spraydeck's velcro opening, and *still* managing to wind up inverted rather than just falling out… (mind-boggling!)

There must be an occupant weight threshold, above which the velcro just releases during a flip, as it does for me. For lighter occupants, obviously the velcro has enough resistance to potentially keep them pinned inside the boat after a flip.

Which raises the question, could a less aggressive velcro be incorporated into the spraydeck that would reduce the chances of the occupant flipping with the boat? As we know, the spraydeck isn't intended to support the raft's structural integrity in any way. And it's not intended to be water-tight. Would it matter if it occasionally came part-way loose during aggressive boating, if the net result were enhanced safety against drowning?

Feb 13, 2009 at 8:37 pm #1477731

Ryan Jordan
Admin

@ryan
Locale: Central Rockies

Brett,

A less aggressive velcro might not negate the need to grab the spraydeck and open it up underwater.

This is a pretty unique thing for whitewater boaters. Kayakers can eskimo roll. Packrafters don't have that option and they must get out of the boat.

The first response is to forget you have to open the spraydeck and try to get your head above water.

That invariably results in panic and distress. It's best just to calm down, go back under, grab the deck loop, pull, and get out.

I've done this enough so as not to be fearful of it anymore.

I got my foot tangled in my pack. I've done that once – it was pretty scary – in Class III whitewater, I never did get my foot out, and ended up swimming to shore with my boat in the calm water below the rapids. My foot got tangled in a shoulder strap on an open-decked boat when I flipped.

But these are rare things. My real fear comes from getting a foot caught in boulders, getting pinned to a strainer, and getting stuck in a Maytag.
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