June 1997 - Eskimo Rescue Techniques

In rescue, especially at sea or in lakes, the kayak should never be abandoned and need not be if all members of a group know Eskimo rescue methods. Cold water quickly saps the strength of even expert swimmers, and the time spent in practicing climbing back in a kayak would be far better spent in Eskimo rescue practice. ("The Kayak of the Eskimo," American White Water, August 1961)
It is sad to realize that in the thirty-six years since this article appeared, several kayakers have been born, lived their entire lives and died after making wet exits. They might still be alive if they had known Eskimo rescue technique. My impression from reading accident reports is that most capsize fatalities occur after the victim makes a wet exit.
George Gronseth, who has authored many of Sea Kayaker's accident reports, estimated that only a very small percentage-say, one or two percent of the victims in fatal capsize accidents-are found inside their kayaks. The rest are found in the water, or missing. Those found in their kayaks probably panicked or, in at least one case, caught their footwear inside the kayak.
Panic can result in a fatal accident, regardless of whether one is in or out of a kayak. I believe the most important obstacle to overcome in kayak training is the fear of being upside-down underwater. The trauma of a capsize begins with the shock of sudden immersion. Then there is the discomfort caused by hanging head down in the water. Water pressure on the nostrils is hardly noticed when swimming underwater, but it can be painful when upside-down. There is also the fear of entrapment that makes us want to get out of the kayak immediately, while we still have enough air to reach the surface. If we can control the fear that makes us want to bail out, we can find better ways to survive than wet exits.
The subject of avoiding wet exits was addressed in an article entitled "Please Remain Seated," Sea Kayaker, summer 1990. It described various float and snorkel arrangements that would permit a capsized kayaker to remain in a kayak to roll up or part way up in order to breathe and avoid panic until he or she could be reached for an Eskimo rescue.
How paddlers adjust to underwater activity is greatly influenced by the type of training they receive. As an extreme example of the type of discipline needed underwater, consider that required in military special forces training. The August 1996 issue of Life magazine contains photographs that should inspire all sea kayakers to learn how to control fear underwater. It shows U.S. Navy Seals training in a swimming pool. To qualify as Seals, they must tread water for ten minutes before retrieving their masks from the pool's bottom with their teeth. But, they must do all of this with their hands bound behind their back and their feet tied together!
Fortunately, most of us do not have to qualify as Navy Seals. There is a much easier way for a kayaker to learn to control fear underwater. In 1985 and again in 1992, I attended kayak training classes in Greenland. Before Greenlanders are taught to roll, they put on their kayak jackets, which are fastened around the cockpit, wrists and face. Then, without a paddle, they lean forward with their faces near their decks, wrapping their arms around the sides of their kayaks so that their hands are on the bottoms. Keeping the face near the deck makes the kayak easier to roll and reduces water pressure on the nostrils.
The instructor, wearing boots or chest waders, stands at the bow of the kayak, grasping it, with one hand at the pointed bow and the other at the forefoot, or forward end of the keelson, so he can turn it over and right it again. When the student says he or she is ready, the instructor turns the kayak upside-down. After a few seconds, the student drums his fingers on the bottom of the kayak and is immediately righted by the instructor. The simple lesson here is that the student, who is in complete control of how long he or she wishes to remain under water, develops confidence. The time that panic-control training buys can be used to drum loudly against the bottom and sides of the kayak while moving the hands vigorously to attract attention. By dog paddling to the surface occasionally, the victim can get a quick breath of air, then duck under to conserve strength while holding both hands up and waving them along the sides of the kayak.
If no help is nearby, the victim has a time-tested Eskimo rescue method available, even though no paddle is at hand. This is a roll that uses the buoyancy of a float.
The Avataq Roll
The Greenland hunting float, or avataq, is carried on the afterdeck. One end of the harpoon line is attached to the seal skin float, so that it can be thrown overboard to act as a drogue for a harpooned seal. In an emergency, it can be used for rolling up if the paddle is lost. A fully inflated paddle float can be carried on the afterdeck and used as a substitute for the avataq.
To roll up on the right side, hold one end of the float in the left hand beside the right knee. Hold the other end of the float in your right hand beside your right hip. Keep a lengthwise tension between the hands as if expanding an accordion. To initiate recovery, pull down toward the face sharply with the left hand, leaning aft as the float clears the front of your torso, then lean forward as you become upright. At the finish, the left hand will be beside the left hip, and the right hand will be beside the left knee, in a mirror image of the starting position. The hips and trailing knee must rotate the kayak as you roll, and you must coordinate the torso movement so as not to lean forward too quickly. Extend the float outward if more lift is needed for the recovery.
Try practicing this at home on the floor until the movement becomes automatic. Holding a pillow to simulate a float, pretend you are upside-down, and move the pillow from your right side to your left to learn the start and finish positions. Without releasing your grip on the pillow, try a "roll" in the opposite direction by reversing the hand movement. Bow Rescue The simplest of assisted rescues is for the capsize victim to grab the bow or stern of a nearby kayak to pull himself or herself upright. The reason for grabbing the end of the rescuer's kayak instead of the middle is to avoid capsizing the rescuer. It is preferable to use the bow so that the victim is in full view of the rescuer.
If the victim paddles to the surface for a breath and sees another kayak parallel to his or hers, but out of reach, he can move toward the rescuer's kayak by dog paddling to the side while still inside the kayak. This might be the quickest way to reach a nearby kayak if it is pointed the wrong way to be easily maneuvered toward the victim.