Kayaking is a superb sport for persons with or without a missing limb. It can enrich someone’s life, who is missing a leg limb, by giving them the opportunity, to explore new horizons, and to find a new kind of freedom on the water.  With a little instruction, you can learn how to safely paddle, and enjoy a sport that provides an undeniable feeling of peace, free from the day to day stress of life.  

There are a number of potential problems to be aware of, in order for someone with one leg, to safely operate a kayak. However, by taking a few extra precautions, individuals with a missing leg limb, can also experience a sense of independence, kayaking has to offer.

Potential Problem: Getting in, (and out of), a kayak.

Solution: You need to be able to squat down low to the ground, in order to park yourself on a sit-on-top kayak. If you can't stoop down that low, a way around this would be, to wade out far enough with your kayak, where you can comfortably sit down, if you do not have someone to assist you. Use caution when you wade through relatively shallow water, you don’t trip on submerged hidden objects.   Take a lesson on how to safely enter, and exit, and the basic skills of the sport. Then practice with a friend, until you are confident you can do get in and out of your kayak by yourself.

Potential Problem: Launching

Solution: Launching at a lake or in a sheltered harbor or bay, is easier (and safer), then a surf launch. Surf launching can be extremely challenging, and requires a lot of practice. Surf landings can be even more difficult if your kayak is picked up by a wave, and you are tossed around like a ping pong ball.

The best spot to launch is off of a paved boat ramp, which will provide the easiest maneuverability, while using walking sticks. Ideally, you’d like to find a sandy area, free of rocks, right next to the launch, to lay the kayak, while you stand on the paved surface for stability. This will help reduce the amount of scratches on the bottom of the kayak, and you’ll be out of the way of other boaters, who may be in a hurry to launch their vessels.  

Potential Problem: Maintaining your balance without the use of both of your legs.

Solution: The ability to maintain your balance makes paddling in chopping water and in gusty wind much easier. Normally you use your hips, and outer thighs pressed up to the sides of the kayak to maintain your balance, which proposes a bit of a challenge if you only have one leg.

Select a sit-on-top kayak model that has a deep set seat well and not one that is almost level with the deck of the kayak.  It will help you to balance better.  Sit-on-top kayaks have similar hull shapes as sit-inside kayaks, but instead of sitting inside the kayak, you sit in a depression on top of the kayak.  Sit-on-tops have a few advantages over sit-inside kayaks, one of which is the self-rescue. Because sit-on-tops have an open deck, rather than an enclosed one, there is little risk of being trapped under water if you flip over.

Wider kayaks models are more stable, but they are slower, and take more energy to paddle. Some kayak models ride high above the water, thus making it more difficult to climb back on board when capsized. 

Properly adjusted foot rests increase your balance for bracing in oncoming waves and in choppy water.

Knee straps also provide increased control while paddling a sit-on-top kayak. Knee straps also give you something to hold onto if capsized.

Soft back support bands and seat are less likely to be an impediment when you self-rescue than a rigid seat back.  A back support band or seat will help keep you centered in the seat and from falling out when the kayak is leaned.

Potential Problem: Capsizing

Solutions:  

a.) Get professional instruction to learn how to self rescue and to climb back onto your kayak. 

b.) Use a sit-on-top kayak model with hatches to store your gear, (and your walking sticks), so you don't lose any gear, if your kayak flips over.  Make sure your hatches are kept closed and secure in case you capsize, they don't fill up with water, and sink your kayak down to Davy Jones’s Locker.

c.) Fasten a floatation device and leash to your fishing rod, (and paddle), and secure them to your kayak.  A leash prevents you from losing your paddle, (or fishing rod), in the event you capsize or if you accidentally drop it into the water.  It also frees up your hands while climbing back on.

d.) Wear a life jacket at all times securely zipped.

e.) Secure a lead line to your kayak and paddle near the shore. Grab hold of the lead line and swim to the shore, if you have trouble getting back on while out in the water.

f.) Don't wear your fishing waders while kayaking. If you capsize they could fill up with water and pull you down. You may not want to wear a prosthetic either for the same reason.

g.) Paddle with a friend who can assist you if you encounter difficulty.

h.) Know how to swim.

i.)  Capsizing is more likely to happen if you kayak in a popular waterway, where there are fast moving speed boats, jet and water skiers, which can create choppy water conditions. Also, there are hazards like strainers that become potential entrapment if capsized while kayaking on a river.

Potential Problem:  Gusty Winds

Solution: Check the weather conditions prior to departing to make sure the wind isn’t too strong for you to paddle against. If gusty wind conditions are predicted, (or fog or thunderstorms), don’t go.  Begin paddling in the early morning before the wind picks up. Grab hold of your kayak right away if capsized, especially if it is a windy day. The wind can quickly blow away an unoccupied sit-on-top kayak on gusty days.

© 2005  Janice L. Green  All Rights Reserved. g