Choose to Fall OR What the Newbie Learned This Time Out (Image Heavy/Long)

[bbqSUPer]

Always have to use your brain. On the 4th I had a women that I have only met a few times want me to take her out in the ocean.    lets just say she didn't appear to be to athletic and had never done it before.  Choppy conditions. She said if I could get her past the break she thought she would be fine. 

Needless to say it didn't happen.

[SteamboatBORN]

Great story and as others have said a crucial thing to know and know well before anything bad happens. Getting back on board is crucial in the river and falling happens very often in moving current. I have ridden board upside down and backwards through rapids and you don't have time to think when you take a plunge in fast moving water. PFD, leash (with a quick release belt), helmet, river shoes, knee pads are a must and being able to get back on board may save your life. I have to be careful though when extending right arm over board to get back on because it has tendency to slide out of socket which is always fun when you are in class II to III rapids. 

[ObviousSup]

I took a friend out to try paddling and had her try a deep water self recovery.  With the hight of my board she couldn't get a grip and get back on. She swam it back and was very careful to stay near shore after that.

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

Being able to recover is so important. In a lot of sports there's a sense of accomplishment when you don't fall, skiing's a good example, but falling is a really important skill, especially in adverse conditions.

I'm proud to say I'm very skilled in falling off my board, and almost as good  getting back on. Being a klutz can have advantages! Now I can recover in chop, current, surf, and completely calm conditions. Not that I would ever just fall off my board in completely calm conditions. Nope. Not me.

[SeaMe]

Rest assured that when I go back out on Wednesday (weather permitting —at the pond) it's going to be all about falling off and getting back on. 

I'm glad I was wearing the PFD Saturday because the leash tangling around my legs was a real problem,  however I have to learn how to maneuver in the water with an additional 2" of foam around my middle (probably more than that with stuff in the front pockets). Swimming in a vest is very different from swimming without one.

By the way, when I shared this story with a friend, an avid waterwoman who many years before flipped a sailboat in the same river, she said it was probably my trying to get my torso on the board that broke the ziplocks and not that they "sucked". Regardless, I still want a drybag.

For anyone wondering about my electronics, they are currently sitting in a Tupperware container filled with rice. I made the big, panicky mistake of trying to turn on my phone and camera when I finally made it to land. In the back of my mind I knew I should rinse them with distilled water first and let them sit, but my brain was frazzled and I tried to turn both on. I don't know what I was thinking...



DO NOT TURN ON ELECTRONICS THAT HAVE BEEN IN SALTWATER. RINSE THEM IN DISTILLED WATER AND LET THEM DRY FIRST!!!

I'm pretty sure the phone and camera are both gonners but I think my car alarm fob survived. I'll know by Friday. 

[balance_fit]

I made the big, panicky mistake of trying to turn on my phone and camera when I finally made it to land. In the back of my mind I knew I should rinse them with distilled water first and let them sit, but my brain was frazzled and I tried to turn both on. I don't know what I was thinking...

Coffee deprivation does strange things to the brain....hope all goes well with you car alarm thingie...

[hbsteve]

Zip lock bags generally suck water.  Use a case that designed to hold a phone and waterproof. 
When I first started, I used a heavy duty zip lock type bag, bought from the SUP shop.  I tied it to my board.  The inside of the bag got wet, just going thru some boat wakes. 
Some where in the gear section are discussions on various cases and how well they work.

[WingSuit]

Let us know how your re-mounting practice goes.  It's probably just technique, not a strength issue.  Some of the smoothest kayak rollers I know are old and put of shape, but with impeccable technique.  And I have seen guys strong enuf to break a kayak in half who cannot roll.  Practice up!   A good strong leg kick while you pull yourself up while holding the handle with one hand and a the opposite side of the board with the other.  Just seal your torso and legs up and over the edge.  My board is 7 inches thick and I can get up there.  You can do it.

[SeaMe]

To bring some closure to this, leaving your electronics sitting in uncooked rice for a few days does wonders for them. My key fob, cell phone AND camera are all working. The phone and camera will probably have shorter life spans than they would have without a dip in the river, but if they hang in for another year I'll be satisfied. Looking at the phone you'd never know it went into the water; the display screen on the camera looks a little worse for wear, but the lens and photos are unaffected.

Practice getting onto my SUP continues... 


(MUTE IT!)

[surfcowboy]

So glad you and the electronics are all right. They are pretty tough these days. (I'm still waiting on everything to be water proof.)

Keep us posted and I second the technique thing. A little practice and you'll be fine. Also, swimming around with your paddle and the board leashed to you is a good thing while it's warm as well. The first few times I was in the surf with all my gear it was like learning to swim all over again.

Hang in there!