After people have been on our kayak lesson and practice paddling at Baylands preserve:
before they try kayaking in Monterey or Elkhorn Slough, Lake Tahoe, Pismo Beach,
Mendocino, Morro Bay, Trinidad, La Jolla, Carlsbad . . . on their own,
the De Anza College Outdoor club sometimes offers students a chance intentionally fall out of,
then try to climb back into an ocean kayak style boat.
(This lesson is not required for any of our kayaking trips. It is just recommended for people who have participated in one of our lessons and want to try Monterey kayaking with a different kayak than they used on one of our Baylands lessons.)
People wear their lifejackets and mostly practice with a partner,
as they should learn not only the skill of climbing back in,
but also of balancing while your partner climbs back in.
We usually start with people in a kayak who then fall out and right the kayak:
Then one partner climbs back in while the other balances the kayak from in the water:
The first person either can stay lying on the kayak to balance it, or perhaps put their feet in the water, or just balance by shifting their weight:
and finally, success:
Before you try this, you will need to show a basic comfort level in the water
by swimming in the shallow end of the De Anza pool, where the water is 4 or 5 feet deep.
Your stroke does not need to be perfect or swim team quality.
People must sign that they will pay for any needed repairs if they hit the walls of the pool with their craft
hard enough to damage the tiles, but so far this has not happened.
Nope, you can’t bring your own boat.
You must wear a securely fastened lifejacket, just like you did at Baylands, which the club will provide (or you can bring your own lifejacket).
Since you will end up in the water, do not attend this event if you have had diarrhea or conjunctivitis (pink eye) within the past two weeks (unless you get a doctor’s release, on their official stationery, saying you are okay).
Your friends can not come and participate, this is by invitation only
to people who have participated in a kayak lesson and practice paddling at Baylands preserve who are still currently students.
Below is what it can look like on Monterey Bay when someone falls out of a boat
but there is someone else, or a few other kayakers, nearby to help steady their boat:
