Kayak Safety Rules and Tips from Barefoot Paddle
Updated: Jun 15
A QUICK REVIEW - HOW TO KAYAK SAFELY
Written by WPA certified instructor Heather Zak-Malcolm
Before taking a kayak
to your choice of waterway, you must know how to kayak, swim, and you know the basic safety rules of kayaking AND that you will ensure anyone you share your equipment knows all this as well.
However: Please read our safety pointers on how to Kayak Safely…
YOU are responsible to know and follow safety equipment regulations. Wear your PFD at all times. Dress for immersion.
Know your own capabilities: be sure you can swim, understand safety, and know how to kayak, including how to handle a capsize. If you don't know, learn first. Never attempt a trip that is too long or too challenging for your physical condition and paddling ability. Do not allow anyone to use your rental kayak who does not also know these things.
Ensure that you understand the specifications of any kayak you rent and do not exceed them, nor allow others to do so.
Tell someone where you are going, when you'll be back, and carry your phone in an attached waterproof pouch.
Know conditions, such as water temperature, currents, rips, undertows, waves, or wind directions of the waterway you will be kayaking on.
Check weather forecasts before you go and watch for changing conditions. If you hear thunder or experience high wind or waves, get off the water.
Paddle with a partner and stay close to shore.
If you choose to paddle where there may be powered boat traffic, which includes Constance Bay, know and follow safe boating practices.
If your kayak tips over, stay calm, remain with the kayak (if possible) and then paddle or swim it to shore if your are close to the shore, with the boat downstream from you.
If you become separated from your kayak or get into trouble, use your cellphone to call 911. Use your whistle to make 3 short blasts.
KAYAKING SAFETY
KAYAKING SAFETY BEFORE YOU GO AND ON THE WATER...
Always follow Transport Canada’s laws for safety equipment and protocols on the water – failure to do so may result in substantial fines. Regulation safety equipment will come standard with your rental at no extra cost. Read the Transport Canada Safety Guide. Remember YOU are responsible for knowing this information whether you are paddling a craft you own or rent. You are also responsible for the care of your safety equipment while you rent. Safety buckets and contents are not toys!
While a universal size PFD is provided with each rental, YOU are responsible for ensuring it fits correctly or that anyone you choose to have use the equipment you have rented is wearing the proper PFD or lifejacket for the situation and their size/age, etc. We recommend reading our post on PFDs or the Transport Canada Safety Guide to know how to properly fit your PFD or how to provide one for your child.
Double check your equipment to be sure it's in good condition before you leave home or rental location and then again at your paddling location. Ensure all of your equipment is suitable for the conditions you're going to go out in. For example, the equipment you rent may be suitable for beach paddling but not white water. Check that all the gear and equipment, especially ropes and lines, are securely stored, so not to pose a hazard while underway.
If you are not sure you know how to paddle DON'T GO until you have taken a lesson. While for Standup Paddleboarding we recommend choosing a World Paddle Association Certified Instructor because this organization specializes in SUP, if you are looking for a kayaking instructor you can check out Paddle Canada. Remember: when renting paddlecraft, you are warranting that you know how to paddle.
Let someone know where you are going and when you will be back. Take a communication device with you, and if you get in trouble dial 999. If you are paddling near the rental location you can call 705 772-1020 if it is a non emergency. Mobile phones are also great for taking photos and knowing what time to return.
Don’t go out hungry or thirsty. Blood sugar and hydration levels can drop with heat and exercise. Eat before you go, or take a snack and a water bottle. Wear the right apparel for the weather (ie a hat in the heat, a wetsuit if water is cold, etc.) IMPORTANT: Alcohol and cannabis don’t mix with water – don’t use before or during swimming or paddling
Check weather conditions and forecasts before heading out. Familiarise yourself with different wind and weather conditions and what they mean for kayaking. Make sure you have a long, hard look at a detailed, local weather forecast so you know what the conditions will be like when you arrive AND (this is the important) for the rest of the day!
Listen to and follow staff advice, such as location of risk spots off the beach, direction of current or wind, etc. but also be ready for the possibility of something changing. Think ahead about possible risks and what you would do should things go wrong.
Be prepared for conditions on the waterway where you choose to use your paddlecraft. For example, on some rivers, heavy rainfall upstream from your location can cause sudden surges in river levels and quickly cause slow rivers to become raging torrents. On a lake or bay, even a slight pick up in wind can make paddling extremely difficult. Remember you have to paddle back to where you started from.
Be aware that some beaches are not supervised. There are hazards specific to each beach, including rip currents, undertows, drop offs, weedy, shallow or rocky areas that can snag SUP fins and cause falls. Winds and currents can cause paddlecraft to drift or be pulled into deep water or even across the river. Talk to other local paddlers, beach-goes, or kayakers as your getting ready to go out.
Paddle with a partner and stay close to shore
If you see that bad weather is coming in, paddle closer to shore, as the wind can change rapidly and create large waves in a matter of minutes. Get off the water immediately if you hear thunder or see lightening - summer thunderstorms can strike quickly and without warning, so keep your eye on the sky when you are out on the water. If it starts to look dark and cloudy, and conditions are changing quickly, head for shore.
If paddling as a group, assign the most experienced paddler the “lead” (front) and “sweep” (rear) positions, with less experienced paddlers in the middle.
Remember, you are responsible for ensuring anyone you permit to use the rented equipment also follows all the safety rules.
PRACTICE SAFE BOATING WHEN POWER OR OTHER BOATS ARE PRESENT
Stay out of the way of other boat traffic, and be courteous and mindful of the stopping distance of other boats in the water.
The safest way to cross the path of a powerboat is to do so astern (behind the powerboat).
The best way to cross a channel is at a right angle (straight across) to the waterway in order to reduce time in the crossing.
Only cross open water when conditions permit.
Use a white light to indicate my position to other boaters if paddling at night or in low light conditions.
Keep constant watch for other boats, hazards to navigation.
Remember, you are responsible for ensuring anyone you permit to use the rented equipment also follows all the safety rules.
KAYAKING SAFETY - STAYING OUT OF AND GETTING OUT OF TROUBLE ON THE WATER
IMPORTANT: Before going paddling be sure you know how to paddle safely and correctly and that anyone you allow to use the rented equipment also knows.
However, even people who can paddle can find themselves in trouble... Here are a few tips on what to do when in trouble...
NEVER stand up in a canoe or kayak while underway.
If you find yourself caught in a strong current or headwind, there are some things you can do. Kayaks like to move into a headwind., use your body weight to lean or edge slightly. The stronger the current or the wind, the more aggressive your paddle strokes will need to be. And you’ll likely need to vary your stroke pattern to keep your tracking as straight as you can.
To prevent going off course try ranging, point your boat in the direction you want to go, pick out an object in the distance where you’re headed and keep your eyes on that object instead of on the water around you or on your paddle.
The best way to avoid hitting obstacles or tipping your kayak is prevention. You must know
how to stay low and not engage in behaviours that put you at risk, and
to not choose a waterway that is beyond what you are capable of paddling, and
if you encounter waves, wind, obstacles, etc. that can make you tip, you should head to shore.
To prevent capsizing, if a wave is heading in your direction while underway, turn the bow of the canoe/kayak into the wave so that you don’t take the wave broadside.
This should be obvious, but you are unsure about your ability to get back in a paddlecraft, stay very close to shore, never paddle alone, be sure you can swim, are using all safety equipment at all times, as well as obeying all the safety rules.
If you tip.
Paddles won’t drift too far, but your kayak will, you can use a kayak to float on if it is still afloat, you can't float on a paddle. Stay with a floating kayak.
If you can’t get back on and you are alone, don’t panic and don’t struggle trying to get on, you’ll only get exhausted.
Don't remove your PFD!
Stay with your craft. It is much easier for rescuers to find the kayak than a person swimming in the water. Do not leave a floating kayak to try swimming to shore - unless you are close to shore and very confident you can make it easily. Land may be further away than you think. If possible, without leaving a floating kayak, head for shallow water. Hold on to the side or back of your kayak, float your legs and kick your feet in the direction of shore or shallow water. Go slowly. Rest periodically. Don’t panic.
Call 911 to be picked up. That’s where having your phone in a waterproof floating bag attached to you comes in very handy.
Use your whistle - three blasts mean “I need help”.
If you get blown off course...
All the tips above for a tipped kayak apply here as well.
Remember, you are responsible for ensuring anyone you permit to use the rented equipment also follows all the safety rules.
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