Worst Case Scenario III

Our Worst Case Scenario series don’t need a lot of extra explanation. It is based on our 4th rule: Imagine the worst that can happen and prepare for it. We set up a full and realistic scenario, starting from the incident itself until the situation is completely contained or solved. This time we have a hypothermic casualty with a dislocated shoulder and loss of his kayak. We hope to shed some light on how we manage things out there. A big thanks to Rescue De Panne (local Coast Guard assets) for helping us out with all our crazy plans!

[@vitroy6578]

Perfect example of how to solve an emergency. Thank you Dimitri

[@Northseakayak]

Thank you for your feedback, much appreciated! Great teamwork leads to fantastic results.

[@kayakintro]

I am new to sea kayaks so I am trying to learn the maximum from your videos, they are great!

[@Northseakayak]

Thank you so much! Glad we can help you this way. Enjoy the water and be safe out there!

[@MillerSean]

Excellent communication and positioning! Also a great reminder for me to get a contact tow set up. 😅

[@Northseakayak]

Hi Sean! Thank you! Yup, we often train with the contact tow. Very convenient. And to be used as a safety line as well.

[@maze400]

Practice Practice Practice that's how you avoid a situation that you are not prepared for. I (like so many) love these videos, they are an asset and you and your team do a great service to us all in the kayaking community....

[@Northseakayak]

Thank you for sticking with us in our endavours! Be safe and have fun out there!

[@ianparish5011]

Great video folks !! Smooth operators.

[@Northseakayak]

Thank you Ian , glad you enjoyed the video!

[@KayakKiwi_Peter]

Great video. Something to think about is how would you cope if SAR were attending to another incident or you were in an area such as a National Park where SAR may not be present, so youhad to be self-sufficient. In that situation you could have formed up with two kayaks (injury + support) and had the others tow you back into shore. We had that situation today in fact, though luckily without an injury.

[@Northseakayak]

Thank you! Yes, you are right and this would have been the same solution we picked. But we asked the team to act if as we are too far away from shore. In reality, we would have hit the beach before actual help has arrived. Unless sea and surf is too rough to land on the beach with an injured person. Have a fine weekend!

[@robertnissenbaum]

Well done on the communication and detail. Great seeing the 3rd person brought in for added support and pumping. Asking which arm was key. I want the disabled shoulder away from me. In your case, it was easy to get the swimmer in the kayak using the scoop with their back to the stern deck. Had it been the right shoulder, having them get in face down is a great alternative - that option leaves the shoulder away from the rescuer. It does mean the swimmer would need to roll over, BUT they could remain face down to wait for assistance in the rafted position with 3. The face down position I find can be more stable, especially in bigger sea states, when there are only 2 paddlers. Well demonstrated as always.

[@Northseakayak]

Hi Robert! Thanks for your feedback, much appreciated. Love those constructive, respectfull discussion. Too bad we live too far away from each other. As for the dislocated shoulder issue, the 3th paddler that helped actually had it himself a while ago. Letting someone 'hug' the boat is nearly impossible because of the pain. In this specific case, I would choose to go around and get myself in the best possible position. The less tress on the casualty, the better. I would choose the 'hug your boat" option with someone that is completely exhausted for example. And the raft made up with carabiner hooks is perfect when short on hands. Just beware; there is no emergency release. So every action needs some thoughts seperatly and on the spot. Have a fine weekend friend!

[@Livinglifeat60]

Great job as always.

[@Northseakayak]

Thank you Alex!

[@peasant1381]

Excellent teamwork.

[@Northseakayak]

Thank you!

[@mpspuij]

Weer z'n mooie realistische oefening. 👍

[@beavermeulen2037]

Wat een efficiënt teamwerk ! Korte opdrachten, vlugge reacties, goed gedaan. En telkens weer sta ik in bewondering voor jullie !

[@Northseakayak]

Dankjewel Bea! We doen niet liever! En we hopen dat we onze skills nooit nodig zullen hebben. Maar 't is gelijk alpinisme, we moeten ons plan kunnen trekken. Fijn weekend!

[@onemondaynight]

I love these training drill videos! I just recently learned the scoop rescue! Nice to see it performed!

[@Northseakayak]

Nice to hear that you are also training on rescue techniques. It's gret fun, and it makes us more responsible paddlers. And thank you for the compliment!

[@joostschamp6628]

Super, voor jullie van groot belang om dit af en toe te oefenen. Maar hoop dat jullie dit nooit zal overkomen.

[@Northseakayak]

Dank Joost! Ja, we hopen dat ook en trainen zo veel als mogelijk om dat te voorkomen. Véél groeten!

[@GoneKayaking]

These collaborations with rescue services are great. For me and probably the majority of us, we will never see how this all works in reality until something goes badly. I imagine these are quite an undertaking to organise. Well done.

[@Northseakayak]

Thank you! This is the main reason why we film these (with footage from different angles) and put a whole day of work in the making and editing of these videos. We sincerely hope we can make a (small) contribution to the safety within our sport. Thank you again for sticking with us!

[@BernadetteSlotboom]

aahhh wat een leuke opname wederom !! Dank !

[@Northseakayak]

Fijn dat het je bevalt! Was een topoefening met een topteam!👌😁

[@katrinebirk2006]

Great work! So cool being able to practice things like this! Thank you for sharing

[@Northseakayak]

You're welcome! We do this a few times a year, but the video footage isn't always usefull (drops or damp on the lens). We were lucky this time!