Samuel “Sam” Raymer, the owner and CEO of six companies operating in the mortgage and land acquisition industries, has been leading his own firms for upwards of two decades. When he’s not busy with work, Sam Raymer enjoys whitewater kayaking.
Regardless of how skilled you are at kayaking, your kayak will likely flip over at some point when going through rapids. When this occurs, it’s important that you do not panic and instead work toward either performing a wet exit or flipping yourself upright.
Wet exits are usually the best option for beginning whitewater kayakers, since rolling a kayak upright is more complicated. To start this process, make sure your head is well protected while underwater. This requires that you lean as far forward as your flexibility will allow. From this tucked position, you not only protect your head from rocks and other obstacles underwater, you are also in a better position to reach the grab loop of your spray skirt.
The spray skirt is relatively common for whitewater kayakers, since it keeps water from getting inside the kayak. However, since the skirt is kept tight, it effectively will keep you inside your kayak unless you loosen it. This is why it’s so important to find the grab loop quickly - so you can release the skirt from your kayak and get out. While this loop is usually located at the front of the cockpit, this isn’t always the case, and you may have to feel around the rim of the cockpit for it.
Once the grab loop is found, securely grip it and push the front of the skirt away from the lip of the cockpit coaming. Then pull the skirt off the rest of the cockpit and over your head. Bring your knees together and push off from the cockpit coaming to propel yourself out and away from the kayak and to the surface.
