Assisted kayak emptying

If you have fallen and decide to climb back into your kayak, it is usually better to first try getting most of the water out of the cockpit. This is so because keeping balance with a kayak that has free flowing water inside is difficult and emptying the kayak only with a pump or bailer takes time.

Now we will learn to empty the kayak with help of a fellow paddler. Notice that this technique is suitable only for kayaks that have waterproof sections or floats on both ends.

First of all, be extra careful not to capsize your friend also, since things will be far more difficult if both of you are in the water. It is also better that the assisting kayaker takes care of storing both of the paddles untill the rescued is safely in his kayak.

Keep the capsized kayak upside down. Give your kayak's bow to your friend and help him to lift it on his deck. You can help your friend either by lifting the bow up or by pushing the stern down. If the kayak is still too heavy, you can flip the kayak on its side so that it is easier to pull it on the deck.

Once the kayak's bow has been successfully pulled to the deck, you should keep the kayak upside down so that the water flows away from the cockpit. Your friend can also lift the kayak up in the air to boost the operation.

Once the kayak is empty, your friend can flip it back upright and you can climb back in for example using a heel hook technique that is described in tutorial Assisted re-entry

TIP:

–If the kayak is so heavy that emptying it by lifting is not possible, you should first climb back in and do the emptying with pump or bailer while your friend holds the kayaks together.