Easy to paddle into danger

SAFE SUP-ING: Stand up paddle board instructor Suzy Cumming, with Melody Davies, 9, advises wearing a life jacket and an ankle leash in addition to checking weather and waves.

The drowning of a 15-year-old paddle boarder this week in Whangamata Harbour highlights the need for vigilance on our waters.

Amie Louise Russell's board was swept under a boat on Wednesday by strong current and wind. She had been wearing a belt pouch with life jacket.

Police said the incident was a reminder of how quickly things could go wrong in the water and urged people to take the time to identify what tides and currents were doing and to never underestimate the power of moving water.

Bay of Plenty Times Weekend spoke to instructors and newbies about gear and knowledge you need before hitting the water on a paddle board, canoe, kayak and even a boogie board.

Caryn Rawlinson balances atop an inflatable stand-up paddle board (SUP for short) in Pilot Bay. The Tauranga mum-of-three is part of a weekly Wednesday morning group that joins an instructor from East Coast Paddler, a Mount Maunganui business providing gear and lessons. Ms Rawlinson said it's her sixth time on a SUP.

"I'm right into it. I love it," she said. She also enjoys the security of a group. "I like to learn about the sea and know what it's doing. You can never let your guard down. We look after each other and we're having fun."

I join Rawlinson and instructor Suzy Cumming for a 40-minute paddle on my new board. I've clocked about eight hours on the water so far, including two lessons. Already, I've committed rookie sins during a single holiday trip: not carrying a communication device and not checking wind speed before venturing into Whitianga's Harbour. Assisted by a tail wind for 30 minutes, I turned around to discover no matter how hard I paddled, I couldn't get back. I reversed course, pulled into a boat launch and borrowed a stranger's cell phone to let my husband know I'd be late.

Instructor Cumming said another paddle boarder recently made the same mistake in Pilot Bay. "She paddled with the wind, but couldn't get back in. I had to get her." Besides telling SUP'ers to always wear a life jacket, Cumming also reminds them to wear an ankle leash. "If you're tied to your board, it's like having an extra flotation device if you come off."

Our group waits for two waves of children paddling mini sea kayaks before we head to shore. We've already navigated waves from a jet ski and avoided swimmers. It's easy to focus on staying upright instead of scanning the water ahead. Miss Cumming said, "You have to be aware of what's going on around you."

That advice applies to kayakers and canoeists, too. Estelle Leyshon, who owns Canoe and Kayak Bay of Plenty, said paddlers must practise tipping their vessels, even kayakers with sit-on-top models. "A lot of adults find it quite difficult to get back on. I've been sea kayaking and have come across people sitting on top of their kayak around Motiti Island and near hypothermia. I've had to take them back to the beach." Ms Leyshon recommends new kayakers and canoeists take a basic skills course, where they'll learn how to recover after capsizing. She said kayak fishermen need training, too. "They spend two-and-a-half grand on a kayak, but are least likely to take a course."

Ms Leyshon and other instructors also recommend checking the forecast, including wind, waves and tides before setting out; bringing two forms of communication in a waterproof bag, such as a cell phone and personal locator beacon; dressing for the sea in neoprene and wind-resistant clothing (not cotton board shorts); and letting someone know where you're going and for how long.

Kayak instructor Robbie Banks of Connect 2 Kayaking BOP said she has kayaked for more than 30 years and has rescued many people who were under-educated and under-prepared for the sea. Mrs Banks recommends beginning kayakers limit activity to winds under 15 knots. "The biggest thing that catches people is an offshore wind - you can get blown quite a distance."

Mrs Banks said she recently took part in looking after two kayakers who'd been tossed off their boats, drifting from Rabbit Island, near Mount Main Beach, 3km to Omanu Surf Club. "It's a classic situation where people get the equipment but don't have knowledge of the danger they could be in with an offshore wind."

The Bay of Plenty Times reported another incident on Christmas Eve in which three young Papamoa boys helped save a kayaker and his daughter who were pulled out to sea by a rip after their kayak flipped.

Mrs Banks said it's important to know the location of channels and strong currents. "Tidal movement changes every hour. Slack tides are the most settled time. It's scary how many people go out there and don't know that stuff."

Kids need proper training and equipment, too. Omanu Surf Lifesaving club director Dennis Mundy said too many parents send their kids into the water with a new boogie board - and nothing else. "If they put on a pair of fins with a boogie board, they can do infinitely more. A small child's feet are rarely in the water enough to provide forward kick propulsion."

As for this novice - I plan to invest in a waterproof phone case and check the forecast before my next adventure.