Here at Astral we often get questions about the different techniques involved in using a rescue jacket. The first thing that we tell folks is that the best way to learn about swiftwater rescue is to take a course and practice for yourself. There’s lots of good books and a few videos on the market, but nothing really can come close to the knowledge available from first hand experience. Taking a course provides a great opportunity to learn these techniques in a somewhat controlled setting so that you are ready for the real deal. This past weekend some of our staff and reps decided to brush up on their rescue skills with the help of Justin Padgett. Justin is the lead instructor at Landmark Learning in Cullowhee, NC and he designed this course specifically for Astral. It was a great opportunity to learn about the latest technique and curriculum developed by the American Canoe Association (ACA)…and we got to play with some new toys while we were at it.

Our course was held on the Tuckaseegee River near Dillsboro, NC. The water was warm, about 70 degrees or so, it felt really nice to swim around in the river. Above Yonton demonstrates a swiftwater entry as he swims a rope to the other shore. A good entry involves landing fairly flat with your arms in front of your face for protection. The impact of the entry is taken on the jacket’s front panel and a slightly arched back ensures that your PFD hits the water first.

Thanks to Philip we had some new Greenjacket samples to use for the day. This new design is great for swimming and offer incredible mobility because of the Foam Tectonic platform. Its important to note that when clipping a rope into a rescue PFD, Always use a locking carabiner so that it does not accidentally clip into the PFDs belt loop. Another important thing to consider is your knife. You should always carry a knife when working with ropes but make sure that it stays put on (or in) your PFD so you don’t loose it in the river. We learned that it is acceptable to carry a knife in the front pocket as long as it can be accessed quickly. The front pocket of the Greenjacket can be easily opened with one hand to easily retrieve a folding knife. I use one from Spydero that is sweet.

The course was specifically geared towards kayaking related rescue scenarios and all of us paddled our creek boats that day. One of the fastest and most effective rescue techniques that we practiced was the strong swimmer rescue (aka contact rescue, live bait rescue). This is one of the fastest and best ways to recover a victim form the river. Here Yonton (swimmer) and Philip (belay) rescue our good friend Rion Smith from the clutches of the Mighty Tuck. I could see this coming in extremely handy in many different creek boating scenarios, especially to recover an unconscious victim.

Overall the course was very informative and we were all extremely pleased with the rescue performance of the new Greenjacket (shown above). Astral highly recommends that all whitewater paddlers take a swiftwater rescue course. For paddlers in the Western North Carolina area we recommend taking a class with Landmark Learning, who teach in accordance with ACA curriculum. Here are a few links to help you find a swiftwater rescue course in your area:

Landmark Learning
American Canoe Association
Rescue 3 International

Also, check our Swiftwater Gallery for more images from the day.

boat safe,

Bryan Owen

This entry was posted on Friday, June 6th, 2008 at 11:42 am and is filed under Testimony. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.