Takeout Talk: Nose Plugs | Whitewater Kayaking

[@kevinhill.8]

Discussion of my recent transition away from wearing nose plugs for whitewater kayaking. I also interview about a dozen people about their experiences using (or not using) nose plugs. Seth Ashworth: Why you should quit nose plugs kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJjMZI2vfquYj6M

[@followingrj]

The honesty when the guy at 15:00 said “when I’m scared and cause I’m a pussy”, 😂😂😂. Keeping it real

[@kevinhill.8]

Haha, yeah he’s good at that. (Keeping it real, not being scared and a pussy. 😆)

[@SethAshworth]

Great video! Interesting mix of people in the interviews there. I personally think the taper off is the way but props to people who go cold turkey and even bigger props to people who give it an honest hard shot and say Nose clips are still the best way for me.

[@kevinhill.8]

Thanks! Appreciate you taking the time to watch and giving your thoughts. Our community is fortunate to have you advocating and instructing.

[@boeandthelizards]

I've done both. I just find that not using nose plugs sometimes causes you to release breath so water doesn't go up your nose which make it harder to hold breath when necessary.

[@kevinhill.8]

Makes sense. Thx for sharing. 👍🏼

[@macfawlty]

Late to the comments here, but I’m a 3rd year WW paddler. I’d really like to get away from the nose plugs as it messes up the pace and control of my breathing, gives me a constant cottonmouth and it’s inconvenient to be pulling my skirt all the time to get a drink. I had to attach a kokatat hydration bladder to relieve the dry mouth. Highly recommend it regardless of nose plug preference.

[@kevinhill.8]

Good stuff. I agree w all that. I’ve used a kokatat bladder in past and love it. It’s esp nice for multi-day trips or long days on the river. 👍🏼

[@underthatch]

Nice video. Great to include so many mini interviews with paddlers. I have been paddling for under a year. I wear a nose clip generally when on any rapid and I have always been very aware of the negative mindset that this can feed - basically I might go over on this. I also find that wearing for a while really makes me feel thirsty. I agree with those in the video about negative aspects of mouth breathing. I really dislike the feeling of water up the sinuses, but maybe I will try without.

[@kevinhill.8]

Thx for your comments. Glad the video was helpful. I definitely agree ab not liking the mouth breathing. Maybe you will find you get used to the water in sinuses thing, or maybe not. Let us know how it goes.

[@simonwyndham]

I always wear them play boating. But I find that there are good reasons to wear them generally. One is the state of rivers in the UK. Water quality isn't good! The other main reason I wear them is that if I don't I literally spend the rest of the week after boating sneezing and generally bunged up and full of snot. Not to mention the sensation of water going up my nose isn't just unpleasant, I find it painful, and the water always finds a way down my throat as well! So psychologically because I know how unpleasant I find it, if I'm not wearing a nose plug my confidence drops off like a stone.

[@kevinhill.8]

Thanks for sharing. Those are a lot of good reasons to wear them for your situation. I’ve continued to have fewer after effects (stuffed up for day or two afterward, now not much at all), but I know everyone isn’t the same. And my water in the PNW is often clean enough to drink right out of the river, so no issue there. Definitely agree you are better off wearing them if not wearing them compromises your confidence. 👍🏼

[@larryboothby3687]

So I just found your video and it was interesting. Coming from a bit of a medical background I began to think about the similarity's between the bone in the ear canal and the bone structures around the sinuses. Knowing about the issues kayakers are having with swimmers ear, I began to wonder if the same bone growths were possible in the sinuses due to cold water exposure. Turns out it is possible. I found two medical reports of Paranasal Sinus Exostoses linked to water in the nasal sinuses. In the case of the studies that I saw, it was happening to people who were irrigating the nasal sunuses after surgery. As more boaters stop using nose plugs, and regularly have cold water flushed through their sinuses, it is possible to develop bone growth in the nasal sinus the same way it occurs with surfers ear. Just something to keep in mind.

[@kevinhill.8]

Very interesting!! I wonder how frequently they were irritating the sinuses to cause bone growth. I know different people have very different growth even with the same conditions, but I had never even thought ab the sinuses. Did the studies mention impacts and remedies? Thx so much for sharing your insights and investigations.

[@larryboothby3687]

@@kevinhill.8 the two cases that I saw were people who had surgery and were irrigating their sinuses with saline on a daily basis. If this was to be a thing for paddlers, I would think it would take years of repeated exposure to developer problems, just like surfers ear. It would be interesting to talk to an ENT doctor about it.

[@lordofnothing.]

i think noseplugs do have a place. but its not on whitewater. it's freestyle in not so clean rivers. i've been freestyling for so so many years without them and my nose was clogged all the time. it stopped once i started using a nose plug. for whitewater its fine, because you rarely get your nose flushed anyways^^

[@kevinhill.8]

I agree 💯

[@chris_paulo]

Nice! Now you should make a video on how you've ditched pogies!

[@kevinhill.8]

Haha, I'm already taking guff for ditching nose plugs then pogies...everyone’s assuming I'll be ditching my paddle next and taking up hand paddling. I have added earplugs use to the equation, just to balance things out. 😎

[@WadeHarrison]

I’m in the same camp as you buddy i would use nose plugs here and there but only ever when doing full playboating I always thought it was useless when river running creeking but 90% time would forget them when going playboating and rarely ever use them now I cannot find them even if you asked i do the same thing just smush up my face when getting worked and works fine I have paddled with boaters that are so dependent on them But like if its a friend I like to take them when they are not looking and hide them in my vest then they do the hole river without them and at the takeout oh hey I found your plugs they been in my vest the hole time here you go 😂

[@kevinhill.8]

I agree; I can see using plugs for legit playboating, but for everything else it’s SO nice w out them. Now we know why everyone hides their cow tails and nose plugs when they see you coming. 😉