Safety - Does equipment = safety

Not long ago ocean paddling was an even smaller sport that was really only undertaken by advanced paddlers most of which would be considered elite "watermen and women". There was no beginner or intermediate skis so if you weren't already capable enough you couldn't do it.

With the introduction of beginner and intermediate skis the sport has seen a massive increase in numbers, businesses popped up to service these clients (like mine) and on the potentially negative side the likelihood of something going wrong has dramatically increased...

Luckily it is also no longer a sport of setting off on your own in a pair of paddling shorts and a rashie. The safety equipment available and the uptake of it has undoubtedly had a positive impact on paddler safety and outcomes when an incident occurs.

But is more equipment really making us safer.

The short answer seems like a yes, of course, but in my opinion, being safe or not is a combination of more factors than just what you take with you. It is always a risk to enter an uncontrolled environment and hopefully everyone realises that there is a risk associated with every paddle. You hopefully weigh up the potential for things to go wrong, the consequences if things do go wrong and couple that with your ability to handle the conditions, and those consequences.

For example if your course is along the shoreline and at worst you are swimming 50m, the consequences are lower than being a kilometre out to sea. Added onto that is your ability to swim that 50m or km because if you can't swim 50m, that along shore course has very high consequences if you do fall out.

Unfortunately in my opinion, this consequence gets minimised in most paddlers minds by their use of safety equipment. And when we don't see high consequences we are more likely to take greater risks.

"I've got my PFD I can't drown"

"I've got my leg leash I can't lose my ski"

"I'm in High Vis so I'm easy to see"

"I'll take my phone so I can call for help"

"I've got my repair kit if my rudder breaks"

"Worst case i'll hit my PLB and get picked up"

These are all thoughts I've had and really they are all convincing me that I'll be ok so why not go for that downwind. Unfortunately I don't think many paddler temper this confidence in their equipment with the reality of:

Lifejackets float you, but they don't teach you how to swim.

Leg leashes attach you to your ski but they don't help you remount or stop you falling in

High Vis helps you get seen but not if no one is looking

Your phone can help track you but not if its underwater

Rudder repair kits are great but not if you don't know how to use them

PLBs will call for help but the helicopter might be busy.

This is not to say don't use them. You 100% should. But if you aren't confident of surviving the paddle without them then you are probably out of your depth. Self rescue must always be the first option on your list and if you're unsure of your ability to do this in the conditions you're entering you should probably 1. not enter those conditions and 2. practice what to do when things go wrong.

Perhaps unfortunately, from a safety perspective, people very rarely fall out. Stable skis are great for getting people into the sport but if you never fall in you never learn to remount. The longer you go without falling in the bigger deal it becomes. The bigger deal it is when it finally happens (usually in conditions you are struggling in already) the worse you react to this scary new situation.

My advice, always take the equipment but pretend like you don't have it...

If you fall out, grab your ski like you're not attached to it. Leg leashes fail

If you're not sure you could swim to land, pick a different course

If you've never used your phone on a paddle, practice in chop, it might be harder than you think.

If you don't ever fall out, don't wait until the conditions force you to start practicing remounting

And lastly if you wouldn't do the paddle by yourself, don't do it with a group.

This last point in my opinion is the one that gets most paddlers into trouble. The feeling of safety in numbers perhaps exacerbated with a bit of peer pressure or bravado is responsible for so many people getting into a paddle that's out of their depth.

In downwind conditions the vast majority of paddlers will be unable to help you with anything more than moral support. Few paddlers can assist another paddler remounting. Most paddlers will be unable to sit still and use a touchscreen phone to call for help and in reality most paddlers are out there concentrating on what they are doing and won't even notice another paddler fall out.

Paddling in a group is fun, but if all the paddlers in the group are at capacity concentrating on themselves, in reality it's not really safer.

At the end of the day we are all taking a risk and we have to decide to take that risk based on our own abilities. Safety equipment is an essential but it doesn't make us bulletproof.

There is a difference between being Safe and just Safer.