What not to do when you fall out of a kayak

My dad decided to try to learn how to get back in a kayak while we were in Alaska. Where the water is very cold!! But he did this because we were kayaking in glaciers, to learn. Obviously he needs more practice...

[@tylerlondon5052]

This old man may look goofy but he's an understated genius and badass. Practicing this in balls freezing water so he'll know what to do in a real emergency is a complete Alpha move. Huge respect.

[@Quentyn73]

no one is born taught how to do this. Great that he's learning. I am sure he already knows.

[@explorermike19]

Wow, this dude demonstrates nearly every possible mistake all in one video. Very educational. Thank you for posting.

[@wrybread]

Brutal! Makes me realize I need to practice my re-entries. And priceless commentary in the background...

[@EFT4MeDebi]

A good example of the sarcastic remarks made by so many on you tube. No matter what the situation there's always those who know little about a sport, yet have all the smart answers. In any sport, we ALL start out as beginners. Nobody is born an expert.This man could have chosen to not upload this video, to avoid embarrassment. Instead he still did, knowing that there will always be beginners who can learn from this experience. Respectfully, I Thank You & wish U the very best!

[@ryantuck5716]

I agree, but it was his dad doing it he just uploaded his dad it is good to have it out there I am just starting out and found it helpful to see this and def am going to train on getting back in my kayak!

[@jfree1998]

We Alaskans practice kayak re-entry in swimming pools for a reason, lol. Its awesome that he knew it was a skill worth learning.

[@pihranna]

jfree1998 Really, Alaskans practice in a pool. In Seattle we self enter in the ocean and lake and succeed. It is not as hard as this clown makes it look. In Seattle, we don't even use a paddle float.

[@jfree1998]

marc d Sure, its warmer why wouldn't we prefer to learn first in comfort before trying it in freezing waters? lol

[@QuicoReed]

marc d so I suppose "clown" is Douche for "beginner" where you come from?

[@BetterThanJoban]

+marc d aren't you just a superior being ?

[@kiwionarope]

Not all of us have access to swimming pools. Right now, only water I have access to is Lake Ontario..... and its winter...

[@tyreecallahan]

This is a great video! It is important to see how very uneasy it is to get back into the thing without practice, even if you might have some idea of the steps to self-rescue. If this were a sea-going rescue situation with high winds and fast current, anyone without this sort of controlled practice would be crab bait. Kudos for posting this!

[@jaobnp]

This is a very helpful video for newbies like me. It helps to know what CAN go wrong. Most of the vid's I've watched show me the proper technique for getting back in. However, the subjects are experienced & thus it doesn't look too complicated. Thanks for posting this. I can see me doing these things. I will practice!!!!

[@JoMarquez]

The lady filming was funny too. Thanks for the video. It's great to see the family doing things together. Peace.

[@onemondaynight]

This is useful for new kayakers. He is attempting self rescue and making seemingly little mistakes that could so easily be fixed with a little coaching.

[@northernsummer5414]

This is priceless its so entertaining. Respect to you sir for not being embarrassed. Makes you realise though, in less than perfect conditions how much danger you'd be in after only a short time.

[@NutmegThumper]

Thanks - this started my morning off with a giggle - albeit at your expense!

[@chriskelvin248]

I felt for this guy, he got so close and I've been there. I learned a bunch of self-rescue techniques in the beginning of my kayak career. Murphy has a nasty way of taking your skills and throwing them out the window when you add things to the situation like cold water. Next add pride, defeatism, humiliation. Every failed attempt adds time to your exposure in the painful, life-sapping water. Then rushing, panic, more mistakes. What if YOU were not right off the dock with family close at hand video'ing this? Add some rough seas, wind... These videos are great for reminding us to be practiced and prepared. Have paddling buddies Have more than the basic gear and be experienced in how to use it. Dress for immersion, not the air temperature. Have a paddling plan and post it back on land where your emergency contacts can be aware of it.

[@fionastirling]

thank you for posting this. i paddle in british columbia canada . my first experience with cold water was in newfoundland. i am bcu 4 and as my friends with less training did some rolls and rescues after a paddle i thought how clever it would be to show a smooth roll. the water hit my head and neck, rushed down my neck and i was a swimmer. the boys had me back in an empty boat in well under a minute. it was an education.

[@Aleadergear]

Just bought a kayak last week. Good thing I watched this video. Thanks for sharing it

[@fionastirling]

141000 views.. This is an important video. I hope you realize you have done a very good thing for the paddling community. I won't preach as i am sure you have all this and a roll mastered by now. I have been taken out of my kayak in COLD water. The rescue was required and I am well trained. I have a good roll but sometimes it is not enough. Good luck and hope to paddle with you some time.

[@TheJbowser]

i love how this is recommended after max falling out of kayak

[@nightrunner3701]

THEY KNOW.

[@BrooklynAvenue]

Poor guy kept trying to get back into the seat too quickly. Never thought about balancing.

[@ggibbs3]

10 out of 10 for effort ;-)

[@glenniesan]

That's just classic!!! I could really feel the anguish in the Wife & Son BG dialogue. Way to keep at it man!

[@jessicas2780]

This gave me a good giggle at work. Go Dad!

[@alanross4293]

Great to see a real person struggling to do this. Just like I will be doing soon,, probably more educational than watching an expert in a swimming pool. I hope you rescued the old boy in the end.

[@OzClawhammer]

Man, That must be cold, you can hear his puffing as the shock and cold saps the strength right outta him. That man is no quitter...gotta admire that these days!

[@runningbear721]

Thanks for posting. I just inherited a nice kayak and was wondering about reentering from the water. Took the kayak out on the lake for the first time today. Its 98 degrees here today though. Haven't dunked it yet. I plan on practicing this as well.

[@1966johnnywayne]

Kudos for practice, practice, practice...and in the cold. Keep'n it real.

[@sergeantsailorman]

Good effort. It's all experience. I'm sure you've figured it out by now, but for your viewers who don't know, once you have your butt back in the boat, you are going to be up high, therefore you will be unstable. Make all movements slow, smooth, and as low to the boat as possible. If you can swim, you don't need a paddle float. Tie your PFD to the end of the paddle, and secure the other end to the boat. Once inside, put your PFD back on and go paddling.

[@DENMONKEY]

Kudos for trying and preparing for when you need to. Not enough people are ready for when a situation like this arises. I seriously wonder how many people I see on the water in kayaks have ever tried to remount their kayak from the water. well done

[@MyYoutube1000]

I love when he gets in backward, what comic relief! How can they not be shouting out mockery!! But right its good to practice!

[@SEAWEEDER1]

It's hard to do sometimes when folk are watching you, I kept screwing up while doing this re-entry at Loch Lomond to make matters worse it was the golf open, Tv carmeras were there and everyone was laughing making it harder, when i got in (after about 14 attemps )everyone gave a clap. Wonder if tiger woods seen me. Came accross this looking to see if someone posted my failure on youtube.

[@OlliMSa]

Very, very admirable his perseverance and efforts! - I did not read your info until after watching the video. I actually thought he was an instructor being funny on purpose demonstrating "what not to do when you fall out of a kayak." At the end he is definitely getting clumsier and slower ... hypothermia. Good he asked for help to get out.

[@Oozywolf]

Haha also thought this was a funny "how not to do it" video! I was like "Oh come on, he was just about there and literally just messed up on purpose.." Finding out this was all real mistakes is sobering. It must be extremely easy to flip off the top even when doing the finishing techniques. I watched other videos before this and it seemed like his mistake was coming in dierectly from the side and not the rear. From the side, all your momentum to get up/in is pushing against the other side of the kayak. So once you get on top, that momentum keeps flowing and pushes you too far the other way. But from the rear, your momentum is pushing on the bottom of the kayak, basically trying to push an air filled container downwards (which is extremely hard to do). So going from the back is much more stable, and any momentum you have will only push the front of the kayak down, which won't effect stability much at all. Then you just scoot up until you're by the seat and lift your legs up and into the kayak. Really cool to see real mistakes though. Frustration and panic probably set in so fast that it makes all your mistakes even more dramatic!

[@shamanic1]

Aye yaye yaye! 1) After it's on the paddle...inflate the float to maximum. 2) secure the paddle under the decklines - not the bungees. 3) When you drop your butt into the seat, lean, slightly, toward the float side. That was your recurring error. Keep at it; you've almost got it! P.S. maintain possession of the paddle, at all times.

[@cockercane]

@fionastirling I agree completely, as I am a kayak novice. A sit-in kayak was recently given to me, which I have only used twice. I often wonder how I would react in this same situation. I believe this video demonstrates the same difficulty that I would have, and strengthens my desire to train safely. Thank you for this video.

[@MuttleyInLuv]

My Rating was 5 Stars. Good video for teaching and training

[@thinkyourright]

I swear, really, best laugh I've ever had on here. thanks

[@zerascal3]

@FFForeverandevermore You are lucky to have a dad who's into outdoor stuff. Enjoy it and learn new stuff together. You'll remember the rest of your life!

[@janisescannell]

Love his perseverance! :)

[@Unplugged704]

omg. poor guy! good way to learn!

[@dvdarpan]

Thanks for putting this out, now we know how bad it can get.

[@mannyechaluce3814]

He is a natural comedian :D Good to practice before the real thing happens :D

[@RickMartinYouTube]

I have to try on my sit on top......better to practice then wait until when you're not prepared and have to do it.

[@tracygilbert5731]

I'm dying here, this was too funny. Makes you think twice about kayaking alone in cold water.

[@wcresponder]

give you major credit for practicing. good on ya. and extra marks for knowing when your done.

[@brianmacmahuna]

That was very enjoyable. If you want to get back into a Necky Manitou you need to come up from the rear, straddle the kayak and inch forward. The most important thing is to get your body out of the water quickly otherwise as the previous guy said your DEAD. You would only get maybe two opportunities to do that in very cold water before you become to tired to be able to manage to get in to the boat.

[@TromboneAl]

LOL. I thought he was pretending to have trouble, but after trying this myself, I guess it was real. Thanks.

[@shaunmullarkey664]

love it and makes me chuckle every time.....but important lessons learnt. learning to re-enter is so important and saves lives, learn now so u know how to for real...serious but funny. thanks and keep paddling

[@HARDYSFISHINGADVENTURES]

that will be me for sure im not to able and I want an inflatable kayak I hear are hard to roll over in the first place but im sure ill manage thanks for posting and great to see something to learn by ty again

[@Hanford1821]

Hey looks like you are videotaping one of my lessons! Only I don't get up on the boat that easy!!

[@gonzosierra1]

lmao - Many a tear shed in Joy... (Personally, I was rooting for him.)

[@pamlico140]

As a kayaker, it IS what hes supposed to do. the manitou 13 is 24" wide, hard to roll, easier to re-enter. most people underestimate how hard it is . I dont think most people posting here know alot about kayaking. It takes alot of practice. Paddle float re-entry Is the sensible solution in a capsized manitou 13. only thing he did wrong was put the paddle float infront of the cockpit instead of behind.

[@arlenemaxwellcopeland1644]

Good info. Thanks. I'm learning.

[@TheVirginiaStew]

Absolutely love it... I guess he finally figured out what to do when you have a sit in Kayak ... great video... even if it might of been staged I have seen this ..... LOL...

[@andrewconlow5627]

He's not a quitter. A Plus for effort, sir.

[@939JOHN]

SYMPATHY MY FRIEND, SYMPATHY...but I never had this many problems getting back in. Good video made me laugh!

[@tysk5729]

i feel like enterring this kayak from the back or front will be allot easier than using the stabalizer paddle ps this may seem like an easy skill but he is a verry wise man for practising before putting himself at risk

[@MrStreetboy80]

Glad I know what to do now 👍

[@rustycrumpet]

Ohhh so all i have to do when I flip my kayak, is panic, and fill it with water. Now I see what I was doing wrong! Thanks for the informative video.

[@MephistoRolling]

he almost had that first one, then it just got worse. lol

[@warprod]

Climb on from the end dude, pull yourself on and shimmy shimmy shimmy til the break of dawn

[@ahilbilyredneksopinion]

I love the filmers silent snicker.....

[@murfleblurg]

well, that's what practicing is for after all. It's like mikelove said - keep weight firmly on the paddlefloat throughout, even after you're finally back in the seat. I've always come from behind the cockpit, doing this, where you actually crawl over the paddle one leg at a time and corkscrew into the seat. It might be easier to keep weight on the paddle going that way? The other really, really important thing here is to never, ever let go of your boat or paddle.

[@LilMissTravelPants]

Haha he's so cute. I am just learning to kayak. Luckily I haven't fallen out in deep water yet but I'm sure I will get my chance to clamor around.

[@kayakauaicom]

Lucky was a calm day. Keep that boy out of rough seas.

[@mgarde]

This is exactly why you need to practice. You rarely fall out of a kayak in calm water like he's in, so your self rescue should be second nature. For anyone interested in a common method, lookup self rescue heel hook.

[@Saber-gy7po]

Me : "what wrong with what he's doing? He's doing the procedure correc- oh.... Hahahahhahahahahaha"

[@moosamohammad534]

I struggled as well. I have a Hammerhead brand kayak made in south Africa but I have difficulty to go up again. I am searching for a technique to solve my problem. My kayak long and narrow.

[@paddleme2]

THis is sooooo funny. Thanks for the laugh.

[@DinoAlberini]

This guy looks like a pro compared to me. That's why I learned rolling.

[@madmaxxmad2]

best way to learn.

[@jayoliver2562]

thanks for the heads up. Makes sense to learn in a safe and control environment. It was still funny at your expense though. LOL

[@BobFlisser]

10 years later........ this is gold. :-O

[@GITMachine]

Well said. That can't be easy.

[@spencer123123123ify]

Someone needs to teach this guy a proper paddle float rescue! Put the paddle behind the cockpit under the deck lines rather than in front of the cockpit under the bungees like he did. Once paddle float is secure on paddle blade,leverage your chest onto your back deck of your kayak by pushing up on your paddle shaft and cockpit combing at the same time. After your upper body is supported by the kayak pull your body forward (closer to the stern) and slide your legs in one at a time. After you're in your cockpit face down roll your body upright towards your paddle. Drain cockpit, secure paddle float, re attach spray skirt. good to go!

[@gatisgrava8300]

NEVER loose contact with your boat .. outside pool or bay

[@wallyshalcyon]

Well done every one just the fact you are trying is enough for me. that's when you should try new things when you have help if it all goose wrong

[@chas5131]

The other videos make it look easy. Now we know.

[@CJ4Z1JC]

I thought it was a clip from a Jerry Lewis movie!🙃 But it’s also a reminder that I have to practice and I will probably look like Curly in the three stooges!!🙃 Thanks for the reminder!!!

[@bassetthound1234]

Points for trying tho... Hope you eventually made it and went yakn ..

[@originalguckfoogle]

Best way is to swim to the rear of the kayak and pull yourself up so the rear of the kayak is between your legs. Next, use your arms to pull yourself forwards until you are at your seat. It even works in choppier water.

[@Gakumerasara]

Well, at least he tried. Hell, I probably couldn't do it. good thing I haven't flipped while out on the Gulf.

[@jamesbkeyes]

Practice practice practice. Practice under conditions where you will be paddling. Practice with your deck and cockpit are set up for the conditions where you are paddling. We had a capsize on Superior three years ago where the guy was great at self-rescues, but this time had a huge bladder of water in his cockpit that kept us from righting his kayak. He ended up in the water FAR too long...but for the grace of a nearby motorboat, he would have been in a world of hurt.

[@joshphillips4656]

A+ For effort!

[@hairynosedwombat]

mate that was some funny shit and i cracked up laughing at your wifes comments in the background , keep up the good work -cheers

[@vernon0051]

One time I was testing out a kayak to see whether I can get back in it in open water and all of a sudden a rather large boat was coming in my direction. You had to move fast. It probably took no more than 4 seconds for me to get back in the kayak and start paddling. . You have to be aware that many kayaks are not friendly for getting back in from open water, especially short cockpit types and ones with too small or overly large cockpits as I have learned from experience.

[@alkaholic4848]

Agree. If you're in the safety of a calm lake with people around to supervise then might be a convenient way of doing it, but if I was out on the sea or something there's no way I'd be removing my life jacket and start trying to tie it to things

[@cyclenut]

A nice change. Most videos make it look real easy... : )

[@mlasko74]

good upload...that is hilarious!

[@Spunalien]

Next time when you come outof the kayak instead of turning it back over right away, keep a leg in the boat so it won't drift and you can focus on inflating and securing your paddle float.

[@juans3728]

Whatever you do never get rid of this tape.

[@nipzilla]

love is eternal. only love can keep one (his wife) from busting up rolling on the dock laughing at this. i'm a kayak rookie and i hope this never happen to me. omg

[@QuicoReed]

Hey man, this guy is a soldier! Good idea to test out the skills before it's a life or death situation. But maybe a pool would be a little less...miserable?

[@rcmallory]

Dude, remember behind, behind, behind. Place the paddle BEHIND the cockpit. Swim up on the back deck BEHIND the paddle until you are balanced. Work one leg over the paddle, while keeping weight on the float, get the other leg over and slide toward the cockpit on your stomach, get your legs in the cockpit and slide until your BEHIND is over the seat. Roll over in the direction of the paddle float. Keep your eyes on the float for balance.

[@manuelito911]

I tried that with mine but it was the middle of summer and there was a lot of people watching me. It was embarrassing but fun. if i can make a friend recorded me Ill post it LOL Nice video and keep trying you'll get better

[@ryancrochiere7502]

Use your float in the rear brother, I bet you figured it out.

[@klimm01]

It is a recreational kayak, it is wide. You can't miss the reentry unless you do this on purpose. Nice show about how not to do it :)

[@pureawesomeness7706]

THANKS FOR THE "TIPS"!!!! GET IT? NO? MKAY.

[@FrenchyBunnyStudio]

I don't think I would do better...:) Congratulations!!

[@LightYagame1]

Hillarious, better than a 3 stooges skit :d

[@MrSaeteurn]

lol, seems like your dad had one too many drinks. keep practicing.

[@imlebsian]

Now I know what to do if I can ever kayak

[@TokyozzFinest]

what camera?

[@ImpracticalLessons]

So the beginning when he just tips over is pretty much my first experience with kayaking too!!