Swift Water SUP Safety and Geeking Out on Gear

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​With the increasing popularity of SUP, I have noticed that paddleboarding has become the primary introduction to the river for a lot of people. With this observation, and the fact that whitewater paddleboarders are going for paddling larger, more technical rapids, I feel that a post about river safety and a culture of preparedness is beneficial.
I have a pretty extensive background in the outdoor industry, but I would love to hear any input from other paddle boarders on this subject. I started paddleboarding in 2012 on rivers. It is my passion. I graduated college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Outdoor Recreation Management, am a Wilderness First Responder, and Swift Water Rescue Technician, have experience as a river guide, SUP instructor, and retail at a paddle shop.
If you are looking to get into paddleboarding on rivers, then I highly recommend starting off your research by reading this blog post by Ken Hoeve. The gear that Hoeve outlined in the post is absolutely essential for every river paddling expedition. But once you are hooked on whitewater SUP, know that there is much more to know about being prepared on a river. If you are leading river trips, please please PLEASE take the time to do your research and understand how to read a river and respect the river.
This post is not a know-all say-all. The purpose is to enlighten you on what many experienced river paddlers are doing and preparing for in every single river outing. I fear that many river paddleboarders simply do not know, or become complacent of the power of the river. As I have learned throughout my NOLS and outdoor courses, we need to identify where we stand in the levels of competence and strive to become a Reflective Master, where we are open to learning and have the qualities of an expert with automatic competence. We do not want to fall in the category of a False Master who is competent but complacent, or someone who is unaware of their incompetence. I highly recommend reading the book by Nate Ostis called NOLS River Rescue Guide to get an idea of the culture of risk management on the river.

I wanted to add to the list of gear that I believe should be essential in every river outing. In this post, I will cover river knives and releasable leashes. I have included links to my recommendations of items that I feel are suitable.

River Knives:

I personally always have a knife on my PFD and advocate that everyone on the river should have at least one. There's a bungee cord or cam-strap on my SUP which could be an entrapment hazard. Also, using my knife is my backup plan if my releasable leash fails. Not to mention the fact that a poorly placed throw-rope could quickly turn into an entrapment situation. Wilderness Rescue International recommends having two knives: one on the outside of your PFD (make sure it has a blunted tip to avoid stabbing yourself or others in a rescue situation) and another collapsable knife in an inside pocket.
    Product Reviews/Recommendations:

• I had the NRS Pilot Knife once. It lasted about two days on the river before I watched it come unclipped from the holster and sink to the pits of the river while I was working on a pinned raft. I brought the holster back to the store with the receipt and was unable to get any sort of fix because the knife was missing.
• I recommend the CRKT Bear Claw.  I got this knife after losing my pilot, and it has not disappointed. It stays in the holster well and I love the fact that I can put my finger through the finger hole in the handle, which eases my fears of accidentally losing my knife in the current if I were in an emergency situation.

Make sure that wherever you decide to attach your knife is reachable with both hands, should one hand become incapacitated in a situation.  Also, do not trust the clips on the holsters. I always zip tie my knife holsters to my PFD.

Releasable Leashes:

Assuming you are already aware of the debate on leashes and decide to use one (SUP culture is leaning more towards the benefits of a leash overriding the disadvantages), know that at this time there are two styles of release on the market. The Badfish Re-leash style and the releasable belt.

• Releasable belt: You can purchase a leash that comes on a releasable belt like this, or you can attach your leash to a releasable belt that comes with a throw bag, like this, or you can attach your leash to a releasable belt that comes on a Type V Rescue PFD, like this.
  • Ensure that if you use a releasable belt that it is fitted to you with no more than 6 inches of tail remaining on the webbing. I have had the release fail after the webbing twisted and jammed in the buckle.
  • If you have a belt as part of your Type V Rescue PFD, know that the buckle on the releasable belt has many uses and is very technical. Do not assume that you must run the belt through the metal tri-glide, as this is a feature that is primarily used for dry-land rescues where there is no immediate need to use the quick-release. Running the webbing through the tri-glide increases the force necessary for the belt to release, which if you have ever personally tested your quick-release, it will become evident that you will not generate that much force for it to release while in the water. If you are using your rescue PFD’s quick release belt, only thread the webbing through the cam buckle.
  • Aaron Peeler, an ACA Advanced Swift Water Rescue Instructor Trainer stated that,

"If you properly thread your rescue harness through the tri-glide and cam buckle and your PFD is newer than a 2010 model it takes around 740lbs of force for the belt to start to slip. If the rescue PFD is older than 2010 it takes 1100lbs to start to slip." 

So that goes to show that if you thread your belt through the tri-glide, then you are practically eliminating the releasable components of your gear and putting yourself at risk.
(Get your geek on about Rescue PFD's here: http://www.whitewater-rescue.com/aboutus.asp?id06=120)


While I worked at a paddle shop, I met several people who were new to the river and wanted to purchase a Type V Rescue PFD. They wanted to have all the bells and whistles, but they did not know how to use them. Rescue PFD’s are awesome, and eliminate the potential of having your releasable belt slide around your waist, but if you do not know how to use the features of the PFD, please either take a swift water rescue course and learn how to use it, or opt for a more simple, Type III PFD Design (Astral Designs makes the Camino PFD, Layla, and Sea Wolf Type III PFD's that have the capability to include a simple releasable belt, perfect for SUPers!).

Now, after all this talk on releasable leashes, maybe you decide to go with the Badfish Re-leash. Awesome, but let me mention a few points…

• This leash comes with a non-locking carabiner for the paddler to use to clip to their PFD. Keep in mind, where ever you decide to clip your leash needs to be accessible with both hands, should one hand become incapacitated in an emergency situation where pulling the release on the leash is necessary.
• I highly recommend replacing the non-locking carabiner with a locking carabiner. There are too many things that the carabiners could potentially clip to which could lead to catastrophic consequences should you become inadvertently clipped to something. This principle carries through for all your river carabiner uses - always use locking carabiners for gear and anything that is out in the open.

***I am excited for the 2017 release of Hala Gear’s releasable leash! It clips to your PFD using locking carabiners, utilizes a quick release clip and has the capability of converting into a regular ankle leash for when you’re in flatwater or ocean. I am so stoked to take it to the test and think it will be a great combination of features to be one of the top leashes on the market.   

For the sake of keeping this post relatively short, I’ll finish up with that. Let me know what your thoughts and experiences are with river SUP gear! I’d love to hear your feedback. Also, what are your thoughts on pin kits and throw bags? Are you guys taking those on the field every time? If so, what are your weapons of choice?