It’s all about the wet exits!

I had my second kayaking lesson this morning, and this time it was at Jericho Beach.

The weather report on Friday looked so promising — The forecaster exclaimed with glee that we’d have a fabulous weekend with nothing but sun and warm temperatures. I think she should have been out on the water this morning, though. It was most certainly NOT warm, and the winds were very high.

And, I guess I should have read the detail for this class before heading out there. Or, at least been worried when the instructor handed me a wet suit to get changed into.

Because, today was all about wet exits. Oh, the joy!

The instructor went over the routine 3 times, and I still panicked during my first exit. The water was freezing, and as I was upside down, I completely forgot to release the spray skirt, and started to freak out. Then, it occurred to me — something is stopping me from getting out of the kayak. Of course! Duh, I was trapped by the spray skirt! I found the “holy shit strap” and pulled on it — and quickly made my way to the surface, where I started hyperventilating a little. Thankfully, the instructor was nearby, and quickly calmed me down. I believe it was mostly the shock of the cold water, but the panic of not getting myself loose right away certainly factored in.

The next four exits out in deep water improved dramatically. I knew what to expect, and found the release strap right away. I even found that although awkward, and clumsy, it was relatively easy to get back into the kayak with both methods we were taught today. That was a pleasant surprise.

So, all-in-all, I learned a ton today out on the water. Perhaps these tools might just save my life one day, should I find myself in open water, capsized! The cool part is, when I get to this part of the course during our 8 week program, I’ll feel confident that I know what to do, thus avoiding the initial shock of the exercise I experienced today.

And, what fun things did you get up to, this weekend?