SAF E TY | PEOP LE | ROCK THE BOAT | NEWS


NEWS FROM THE PADDLING WORLD Flotsam Jetsam Treacherous waters at


Michipicoten, Lake Superior. PHOTO: JOEL COOPER


SAFETY BY CONOR MIHELL Safe Surfs in Crazy Places LEARN THE VAGARIES OF RIVER MOUTHS TO TURN DANGEROUS WATERS INTO FUN PLAYGROUNDS


For sea kayak instructor Ray Boucher, the mouth of the Michipicoten River at Lake Su- perior is equal parts fun and fear. In his five summers working for Naturally Superior Ad- ventures, Boucher has had countless euphoric surf sessions in the powerful waves that form at the Michipicoten. He’s also recovered lost equipment, rescued swimmers and witnessed the death of one paddler. “After you’ve been sucked out of your boat


or had it thrown end over end, you realize how powerful the water is,” says Boucher. “Some people look for these conditions, others do ev- erything they can to avoid them.” When a


large incoming swell intersects


outflowing current at a river mouth, chaotic sea conditions occur. Just like in a tidal race or whitewater rapid, slow-moving standing waves form where a swift-flowing river collides with open water; and the bigger the incoming swell, the larger and more violent the breaking waves.


16 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SUMMER/FALL 2011


What’s more, since migrating sand and gravel bars often form at river mouths, waves may break in various, constantly changing locations. Add to this the squirrelly water that results when flow eddies around shoreline obstructions and you have a witch’s cauldron of challenges. When Boucher leads a group of inexpe-


rienced paddlers through the mouth of the Michipicoten River he holds his position in an eddy and directs them through one at a time. The calm waters located on the downstream side of protruding sandbars are good places for paddlers to regroup. When a two-meter onshore swell creates


ideal conditions for play, Boucher “calls home, books off dinner, and heads out into the waves with a buddy or two.” The best place to get a feel for surfing in moving water is on the shoul- ders, where waves remain glassy and offer lon- ger, smoother rides. “If you plan it right, you can use the current to help you get back out,”


says Boucher. “It’s a real treat on windy days.” Breaking waves indicate shallow sand or gravel bars; along with rocky areas, these are typically places to avoid. If you capsize and swim, take responsibility


for your own rescue. If you’re close to shore, swim your boat into the beach, being careful not to get tangled in decklines and keeping to the offshore side of the kayak. Assisted rescues are best performed out of the breaking waves and current. Efficiency is key, and sometimes it might be easiest to abandon the boat for later and tow the swimmer to shore or a safer place to complete the rescue. When things


get too big at the river


mouth—like last October when five-meter seas lashed the Lake Superior coast—Boucher finds a safer place to surf without sand bars, dumping waves and the complications of strong current. “Some days, though,” he says, “it’s best to watch the waves from shore.”


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