After people have been on our kayak lesson at Baylands preserve:
before they try kayaking in Monterey,
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 trips and want to try Monterey bay type kayaking.)
Details about this lesson are at kayaking / canoeing lessons
We are not sure why so many people at our kayaking practices put their lifejacket on inside out.
The guy on the left models a lifejacket with the straps that buckle shut on the inside, the guy on the right has the same model of lifejacket on properly.
People wear their lifejackets and mostly practice with a partner, as they should learn not only the skill of climbing back in, but 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:
I missed the photo opportunities of a second person trying to get in and dumping their partner back into the water, but maybe I’ll do better next time.
Below is what it looks like on Monterey Bay when someone falls out of a boat but there is someone else nearby to help steady their boat:
