# PFD or not in the surf



## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

In NSW, one is not required to wear a PFD if using a craft launched from a beach. Otherwise, a PFD is mandatory for paddlecraft in open waters. This raises the question of the safety of wearing a PFD in the surf.

My own experience is that getting creamed coming in in the surf while wearing a PFD results in quite a difficult swim back to the beach. This is compounded by not having the paddle leashed to avoid getting tangled and dragged, so the swim back in is one handed.

So two questions:

1) Should the PFD be stowed when going through the surf?

2) Will the paddle get washed up on the beach if you let go of it after being dumped

Note that I'm a confident swimmer in the surf and enjoy body surfing


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## timax (Oct 16, 2007)

PFD and a helmet for me. Ever been hit on the head by a 30kg kayak? In my case I paddle a sea kayak and i'm strapped in so if I get dumped by even a 2 foot shore dump upside down onto the sand its not going to be nice. PFD and don't let go. If you come out grab hold of the rear toggle and hang on. The surf will take your boat in with you attached. Make sure you don't have fingers through any loops though. This may sound a bit extreme but normally people are in the surf with at most a surfboard that is , what , around 5kg or so. A kayak loose in the surf especially if you are on the beach side of it is not going to even feel you , or anyone else for that matter so be careful landing at the many "kiddie corners" along our coast.


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Dave , i guess i have been waiting for this subject to come up for some time , and i'm sure i will get creamed for my views on this based on 30 odd years or more of experiance in the surf on surf craft of all kinds . I believe strongly in , first , a paddle strap is a necessity in the surf zone , a rubber strap attached towards the front of the ski and then onto the paddle makes life in the surf a lot more pleasant , you learn quickly to extend your arm that's holding the paddle straight out ahead of you so the ski tows you towards the beach . I don't know how many people i have assisted in the surf zone that had lost both paddle and ski and the paddle normally floats and dosn't go into the beach . If you fall off the ski and are not tethered to it , its a bitch to try and swim with the paddle and we used to throw the paddle as far towards the beach as we could and then swim after it and repeat the process until ski and rider and paddle were joyfully re united . For me PFDs in the surf are a pain in the arse , and i wouldnt wear one as they are cumbersome and if you have a spill they preclude you from swimming and catching a wave into the shore . We never wore them in the clubs except if you were on a duckie , and then very rarely If you look at all the wave ski riders , they have thgeir paddle tethered to the ski and i have never seen one with a PFD , and i for one certainly wouldnt wear one in the surf . So if i were out fishing offshore and had to come in through a reasonable surf , i would stow the PFD and rely on my surf skills to catch a wave in , with the paddle tethered


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## timax (Oct 16, 2007)

Barry , il probably get creamed for this one also but hey if we all agreed on every thing these forums would get a bit boring. ;-) I recon ski paddlers (not wave ski) are just too cool to wear anything other than a pair of speedo's. And maybe a "mens health" lycra singlet no matter how cold it is. In South Africa many use PFD's but here its just not the fashion. Same as street skaters not having padding or helmets even though they crash 99% of the time. Same as "fixie" bike riders not wearing a helmet. Its the cool factor. 8) I know what your saying about swimming with a pfd but as I usually try and come in where a rip is going out i would rather a pfd on if i came out of my boat. Especially if i had board shorts , shoes and a cag on. Just my speedo's and maybe I would swim for it.


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## sunshiner (Feb 22, 2006)

Good question, Dave.

I always keep my paddle tethered and wear my PFD, going out and coming back. My cellphone and VHF radio (both waterproof/ed) are held securely in my PFD so if by chance I was separated from my yak and swept out to sea I still have a chance of calling for help. So that's one good reason for me to keep my PFD on.

On quite a few occasions I have been smashed and dismounted from my trusty craft. Often this means that I'm out of my depth, floating easily, thanks to the PFD and connected to my yak only by the paddle tether. I've rarely let go of the paddle (got a death grip on it!) and thus can retain contact with the yak and wash in with it should that be appropriate. When I find myself in water shallow enough to stand up in I might let go of the paddle to make it easier to make progress toward shore and to take pressure off the leash and my arm. On one occasion I was separated from the yak when the leash broke after the upside down yak got hit by another big wave after I was rolled.

Depending on the situation I sometimes get back on to the yak and continue with the mission or return to shore to refurbish my yak before heading out again. On the one occasion when I was totally separated from the yak I was out of my depth and very glad to be wearing the PFD. I knew I wouldn't drown so I stayed calm and soon washed in to shore by paddling with the paddle and swimming a little.

I don't know whether the above is the right thing to do but I note that the other yakfishers I fish with here wear a PFD, and a very few unleash their paddles. It works for me and my mates here, but whether it's for you is another matter.


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Thanks Gents.


sunshiner said:


> ...
> Depending on the situation I sometimes get back on to the yak and continue with the mission or return to shore to refurbish my yak before heading out again. On the one occasion when I was totally separated from the yak I was out of my depth and very glad to be wearing the PFD. I knew I wouldn't drown so I stayed calm and soon washed in to shore by paddling with the paddle and swimming a little.
> ...


Never thought of trying to use the paddle. How hard is it?


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

i would always wear a pdf.
You are usually puffing pretty hard when going out through the surf, so combine that with a good dunking and maybe a bit of a bump on the head and i will usually want to float around for a bit and get my bearings.

Not sure about the leash.
My reason is that i wiped out once and it wrapped around my body. Left some nice red lines for a week or so.
I didn't have a pdf on at the time as i was playing around. Maybe if i had a pdf the line wouldn't have cut in so much.

What i try to do it get to the yak, right it and then spin it so the rudder is facing the shore.
I can then hang on to the bow without it catching waves and it is ready for me to remount if the opportunity arises.

(sorry, maybe all very obvious but it's good for me to remind myself)


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

As a bit of a surf novice, I'm no expert on the subject, but while doing a couple of surf courses and spending a couple of hours at a time in the surf zone, I didnt at any time feel my PFD was a problem, on the contrary as I was getting tired from constantly falling off and getting back on, the PFD allowed me to get a breather in. I think if you have a good quality correctly fitted PFD, I cant see it being a problem. I also had a leash on the paddle, so it was easier to retrieve the kayak. If the kayak got caught in a wave I could just let go of the paddle and follow it into shore.

Tim your dead right, Bazz loves to show off his manliness by paddling in a pair of DT's........the chicks love it. :shock: :lol:


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

I've surfed since I was a little tacker and am reasonably competent/confident in all types of surf with a surfboard in my hands. When surfing I've never worn a helmet and have never worn a flotation device.

However handling a 30+ kg, 5 metre lump of plastic is a totally different story.

If I was regularly launching/landing via surf then I'd be doing the following religiosuly...

Wearing a helmet - the watersports helmets are super comfy, lightweight and will protect your noggin should you get backslammed on launching or nosedive when landing. It only takes one slam to the head to knock you out and then you drown..

PFD - my pfd is super comfy and I don't really notice I have it on when paddling. However assuming that I've just been thrown out of my kayak and I'm in the surf zone I'd probably prefer not to have it on as it will impede my ability to duck dive under waves and bodysurf back into shore. However it will help me stay afloat if I'm outside the surf zone or caught in a rip, so I'm 50/50 on that one therefore I'd probably err on the side of wearing it for safety reasons.

Leashing the paddle - I used to think 'don't leash' but I'm with sunshiner in that my first reaction is to hang onto the paddle at all times (also a throwback to my whitewater paddling days). Even if you do let go, the leashed paddle will act as a bit of drag and stop the kayak getting awy from you so that you can (hopefully) swim back to your yak and re-board once the conditions allow.

Obviously you also need to stow everything away and minimise the tangle risk from unneccesary leashes etc, and also don't try a surf landing/launch in a craft that's not designed or ideal for those types of conditions.


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

Interesting read, not that I ever intend to be going through surf, but some good points for and against a PFD.

No one mentioned using an ankle strap like on a boogie board or surfboard, is that because with the flotation and size of a kayak it might just rip your leg off? :shock:


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Feral thats pretty much the truth , a surfboard is very light nowdays and when you fall its no problem with and ankle strap as it just zings the light board back to you . But with a heavy ski , you dont want anything permanently attached to your legs or arms , such as a leg rope. If you come off with a leg rope , the ski is big enough to drag you to the beach leg first and possibly drown you . AS well as tearing muscles and tendons on the way .With a paddle strap , if push does come to shove , you can always let go and body surf in and worry about the ski and the paddle later , as your first priority is to save yourself . I have never used a PFD in the surf , but thats not to say that these days i wouldnt use one ,due mainly to advancing years and lack of fitness , however with this in mind , i have a manually inflatable PFD that i would consider using and wouldnt pull the rip cord unless i was in serious trouble as it makes it harder to remount the ski when your out of your depth . And having spent a lifetime in the surf , i would consider all other options first, and treat the situation as just another fall off a ski and have a look around to gather my gear and have a bit of a swim around to cool off and enjoy the water ,as if you just keep a cool head and take your time , you will manage very well , because we do go out there to play , so relax .


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## kayaksportsmark (Apr 1, 2009)

A PFD (foam) _designed for kayaking _is a must, you can swim in them. A helmet is a brilliant idea. A paddle leash is a personal choice, I prefer to use a coiled paddle leash which keeps me with the kayak.


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## blueyak (Jan 20, 2009)

I think it comes down to personal prefference/ability.
If you are a competant waterman then you will probably prefer bazz's way. Paddle leashed to your kayak and no pfd. I believe a fit and competant swimmer will get back to shore or his/her kayak without a pfd.

If you haven't spent years in the surf zone and can't remember last time you swam more than a couple of hundred meters then I believe kayaksportmark's answer suits you best. wear a pfd you can swim in. Or find another launch spot.

The most important part is being honest with yourself about your own abilities.


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