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Nothing on our planet treats us with as much contempt
as the ocean. You venture onto the sea at your own peril. |
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BUDDY.
Don't go kayaking with anyone who is an idiot! If I have
the choice of going alone or going with someone who will put themselves
or me in danger, I will go alone. Of course going with a sensible buddy is
the best if only to have someone to raise the alarm.
SELECT THE LOCATION TO SUIT CONDITIONS.
Make sure that your fishing location is suitable for
kayak fishing ON THE DAY. Check the weather forecast and don't go
into water that will put you at risk. Fighting the weather all day
will make for a poor day's fishing anyway, so why bother?
Adelaide
Weather radar PERSONAL
FLOTATION DEVICE.
I have been hit on the
head by a capsizing kayak and just about knocked cold. (Maybe
that's the cause of my problem?) The time was one of the rare
times I had my life-jacket
on. The jacket kept me afloat until I could think again. I
have worn a PFD on every kayaking occasion ever since.
WEAR
A PFD at all times. It might not be "cool" or
"macho" but better a live kayaker than a dead hero.
There are plenty of good PFD's designed to be worn by paddlers. CLOTHING.
When
selecting clothing don't forget the water temperature. If anything goes
wrong, you may spend a lot of time in the water. It would be
stupid to kill yourself because you left the wet suit at home.
Wear a fluorescent over-jacket as well to maximise your
visibility. You gotta give gung-ho morons every opportunity to miss you as they tool around on the water. A
high-visibility jacket with reflective patches is also good if you trigger a search. Even
if you are not the object of the search, a high-visibility jacket would
give searchers a good reference point. If your PFD is
high-visibility with reflective patches then you can give the
over-jacket a miss. WHISTLE.
The
visibility is poor and you've been in the water for six hours - how much
energy for yelling have you got left? Blow the damn whistle -
it needs less energy for the same volume and it carries better.
Tie the whistle to your PFD. KAYAK
SAFETY LINES.
You need lines from bow to
stern on both sides of your kayak. Make them tight enough to
be clear of the water but not so tight as they are difficult to grip
with cold hands. In the event of an incident, you can keep a much
better grip on the kayak safety lines than on the slippery kayak
itself. They also make convenient points to clip on tethers. TETHERS.
The
last thing you need is to lose your kayak or gear. All you need to
do to prevent this is to use tethers. Some tethers use velcro or
carabiners for quick attachment. I like small aluminium carabiners
(nothing like the feel of solid metal). Tether yourself and your
rods and the paddle to your kayak. Keep all tethers neatly out
of the way so they don't become part of an accident. A paddle
tether is great when you are trolling and get a strike. Instead of
taking the time to put the paddle in its cradle, chuck it out of the way and grab
the rod....the paddle will be at the
end of the tether when you need it again. LIGHTING.
Aside from dealing with the
fishing side of baiting up or fixing tackle, good lighting is a safety
item. If you go out at night, running lights help to keep
the aforementioned powerboat morons from plowing over the top of you and will help if you trigger a search. Lights also
help keep you and your buddy together. LED lights will give long
hours of use on quite small batteries. Even if you plan to be
off the water before dark, ALWAYS carry some form of lighting. COMPASS.
You
should never NEED a compass. You are going on the water in a small
boat and should never venture so far off-shore or in such weather that
you need a compass. If you are in a part of the world where sudden
fogs appear, or where sudden weather changes are common, you should not be on the water when the weather is such
that unsafe conditions could occur. (This is the time for sheep-skin rugs and
ladies who smell of Chanel number 5.) However, all warnings said,
a compass is a cheap safety addition. A hand-held
orienteering compass is all that is needed. Of course a compass is
useless if you don't know how to navigate - get training! |
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GPS.
What
I have said about a compass applies to a GPS when it comes to safety,
you should never NEED one. A GPS comes into its own when you are
navigating to a fishing spot. The GPS will put you over a spot
without the need for landmarks. If you are on the
radio to a search resource, the GPS will allow you to give precise
location details. COMMUNICATIONS
There
are two forms of safety communication. Firstly,
NEVER go out without telling someone responsible where you are going and
when to expect you back. If you are in trouble you need someone
raising the alarm. Secondly there
is the portable radio. Many popular localities have 24x7 radio
services. Find out what frequencies are used in your locality and
equip yourself to match. If you choose to use a UHF hand-held make
sure it is 1.5 watts or better. Many manufacturers claim a 3 mile
range for 0.5 watts but don't bet your life on it. Spend the few
extra bucks. Get yourself a waterproof cover for the
hand-held....there are some out there which allow you to use the radio
while still in the cover. Tether the radio to the kayak.
Call your local radio watch when you start your journey and when you
return. HOOK
EXTRACTION.
If you get a hook imbedded in
your body, don't try to pull it back out - the barb will tear you to
pieces. If you can do so, get to medical help. If you have
no other choice than to remove the hook, use your pointy-nose pliers to
push it forward and direct it out until the point is through your
skin. Use the wire cutters to cut off the hook's eye and then pull
the hook the rest of the way through. Treat for infection
and get medical advice ASAP. DEHYDRATION:
Being exposed to the sun and wind for long
periods of time can dehydrate you faster than you expect.
Dehydration can severely effect your mental and physical performance - a
real problem in a small boat on a big ocean. Dehydration can also
start off kidney stones. Trust me, you DO NOT want a kidney stone
- the pain is something else! Use camel-backs, bicycle bidons or
whatever but you MUST drink regularly.
What goes in must come out. Not a
problem for SOT's. A plastic bottle in a SIS is convenient and
discreet.
SHARKS:
Australian
Navy Sailors have a deal with sharks....the sailors won't go into the water
if the sharks don't go into the Front Bar. Seriously however,
sharks are an issue. As the number of sharks diminish, more of them,
especially great whites, are being teased by tourist operators and
they are losing their natural reserve when it comes to humans and
boats. The main rule is - be where the sharks are not! If a fish
bleeds into the water....move
location. If you take a long time to land a fish....move
location. Paint the kayak bottom silver, white or pale blue to
blend in with the underwater view of the sky. Do not drape things
over the sides of your kayak which could be mistaken for seal flippers.
And, under no circumstances, keep your catch in a bag in the water. If
a shark starts hanging around, tie your biggest fish onto your biggest
float (a yellow party balloon is ideal), put it into the water and move smoothly away. With luck the
shark will go for the fish. Don't have any fish?....try
distracting the shark with your bait. If
you are attacked by a shark - FIGHT BACK. Kick, punch, stab, eye
gouge - anything to let them know you are not their natural prey. By
the way. That story about how splashing and shouting scares off
sharks...doesn't work - nothing scares sharks! EPIRB:
Damn
good idea! Take it with you often - kayaking, bush walking,
skiing, four-wheel driving, sailing, hang gliding, rock climbing, UFO
watching....... |
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