Surfski Knowledge Base

Discussions about safety techniques almost invariably include comments aboutt how difficult or impossible it was to do various things in the heat of real rescue situations particularly with such occasions occurring in rough weather and water. But it is entirely unclear to what extent such techniques are impractical or are just inadequately practiced. Ask any professional rescue worker about the importance of serious practice and repetition in stressful circumstances and what do you think they will say? What should we expect from amateurs who rarely if ever practice towing someone on the back of their surfski in calm or rough water and who rarely if ever practice calling with their radios in calm AND rough weather?

If you want to have a reasonable idea about what works under what circumstances you absolutely have to practice whatever safety technique you expect to be able to use - on a regular basis. You can start out in calm conditions to get such procedures well thought out and memorized - then gradually take them out for trials in rougher conditions (with enough safety backup for insurance) to see how well they hold up and whether your methods and practice need to be modified, simplified, etc. to give you maximum chance of success in difficult circumstances.

[suggestions for additions and changes would be very welcome here]

• Remount - this may seem like one of the most obvious no-brainers. But we have seen a number of very skilled boaters who rarely fall in the water turn out to be pretty miserable remount technique simply due to the lack of practice they get because they so seldom fall in the water. This is not a skill to be taken for granted. Nor should it be assumed that it transfers from equally from one surfski to another. Surfskis can vary greatly in ease of remount. You should practice remounts with any new or borrowed surfski before venturing into rough water and/or harsh conditions.

• VHF radio - this applies to rescuing others as well as rescuing yourself.

Staging competitions for safety techniques has a number of potential advantages:

• Have safety backup provided by other participants
• Another opportunity to practice
• The additional stress provided by competition may create at least in small measure a bit of stress like what accompanies real life rescue circumstances.