Siphons. Bad.

[Mark R]

Link.

[Tuomas]

That's great write-up. One lesson to bring home is definately how unsuspecting the siphons can be. I guess it's a good idea in general to try and keep the bow up since we can't be sure what's down there underneath the surface.

[meatballs]

Has anyone tried to get out of their skirt whilst still in their boat?

[Westy]

Haven't tried to get out of my skirt whilst it was still attached to my boat, but thought I might have to on the Arkaig last week. Ran the main rapid first time ok. We all did it again the second time and I clipped a rock on the right of the last drop which sent me left rather than right. I flipped over, rolled up, hit the tree on river left and flipped again. This time I found myself wedged upside down underwater between two branches of the tree. Because of the branch I couldn't pull my deck. Was trying to work out how to get myself out of the boat when I noticed the bow of a boat appear above me. Thankfully Jacko was to my aid in seconds, followed by Den Newton, who very quickly stabilised the situation. Den then managed to dislodge my boat and allow me to escape.
My scariest experience in a kayak, and one that has lead me to think over and over about how I could have self-rescued if help had not been so quickly and effectively forthcoming. Cutting my deck, or getting out of it, would have appeared to have been my main options.
BIG BIG thanks to Jacko and Den for sorting me out!

[Bertie..]

Could you have got your deck to come off if you'd pulled it off at the sides at all?

[Westy]

I had got the sides off, not sure if it was that or Den moving my boat that got me free. I know he would have carried on moving my boat until I did get free. I was hoping that by freeing as much of the deck as possible that my weight would pull the rest or at least allow me to get out enough to pull myself up on my boat and/or the tree and get some air!
As I said, thankfully Jacko and Den were there very quickly.

[Chaucer]

Should we be worried that the boat started to fold, or is the design vindicated by the fact that it didn't fold?

[Veedurb]

A friend of mine exited a Dagger GTX leaving his deck on the boat whilst sideways pinned on the Rio Urcusiqui in Ecuador. Following my (rather flukey) line he got knocked off line and pinned underwater with the boat 90 degrees downstream. The rock was across the grab loop end of the deck so he decided to exit and leave the deck in situ. A lucky escape or quick thinking in the face of danger?

[ol]

Should we be worried that the boat started to fold, or is the design vindicated by the fact that it didn't fold?

I think the fact that it didn't fold readily and only as much as it did is a very commendable attribute. The pressure exerted upon it must have been huge.

For what is essentially a fairly weak structure, a narrow-walled plastic tube, the strengthening around the cockpit and presumably the seat, did a fantastic job of keeping the paddler relatively safe.

What a nasty sieve!

[Mark R]

A couple of incidents link to this indirectly.

A friend of mine paddled right down a (similar but wider) siphon in Mexico. He was rescued, but had to hack his spraydeck up first as it was a cagdeck...with no body tube to shuffle out of.

There was a terrible accident on the Ocoee some years back, where a slightly overexuberant rescuer attempted to cut a paddler's spraydeck up, but instead severed his femoral artery. He bled to death.

[AliceB]

The title sums it up really...

A well written report on the incident, thank you for highlighting it Mark. Quite sobering though, I don't know whether to greatful that I'm am learning from other peoples misfortunes or scared at how easily it may happen to me or someone I know and boat with. Having been on the recieving end of a very nasty pin in the past I'm starting to think that I'm safer where I am...Sitting infront of the laptop with a cup of coffee, that is provided I don't spill my coffee over said laptop and electricute myself...hmmmmh

As for Mr Rainsleys last eddition to this thread

There was a terrible accident on the Ocoee some years back, where a slightly overexuberant rescuer attempted to cut a paddler's spraydeck up, but instead severed his femoral artery. He bled to death.

there is something to be said for blunt ended knives or those with curved blades.

[Stu S]

Last year in NZ, I was unfortunate enough to witness a guy getting pinned under a rock with a log through his deck in such a way that his legs were pinned in his boat.

It took 40 minutes and 2 saws to cut his boat from around him. Fortunately his head was above the water. I now carry a rescue saw as well as a knife.


http://www.rivers.org.nz/article/pinned ... aroa_river

Stu

[john smith]

Should we be worried that the boat started to fold, or is the design vindicated by the fact that it didn't fold?

Spoke to a my local kayak shop owner. He was telling me how they are designed to fold behind the seat. Ever wondered what those dips are for just behind the seat on the cockpit rim. They fold like this so as not to trap your legs.

[johndh]

I always thought that they were to allow the water to drain out of the rebate around the coaming.

You live and learn!

J

[Bertie..]

Last year in NZ, I was unfortunate enough to witness a guy getting pinned under a rock with a log through his deck in such a way that his legs were pinned in his boat.

Have been in a similar position myself, on the Guil in the Alps. Boat at 90 degrees under a submerged tree at the bottom of a drop, with one of the branches through my spraydeck, tickling the 'crown jewels'. Took ten minutes to get out - in the end, both the boat and I ended up going under the tree to get out - braking the branch of as I went (very carefully).
Thankfully, head up throughout.