Paddling Solo versus in Groups

SWriverstone

SWriverstone

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Just had a thought from another thread, in which there was discussion about paddling with stronger and weaker paddlers in groups...

For most of my life I've been a solo adventurer. I'm not antisocial and I don't deliberately seek to avoid companions. In hindsight, there were always two main reasons for being solo:

1. Ease and flexibility in timing - I often do trips based on the weather, which means last-minute (because nobody knows that the weather will be more than a week ahead)...and I've found most people are chronic schedulers and are psychologically incapable of being spontaneous.

2. Being solo means zero concerns about differences in speed, experience, endurance, etc. - it's just me and I do what I want.

Obviously, the general wisdom is "safety in numbers," and I don't completely disagree with that statement. However, I've known many highly-experienced outdoors people (who have safely been adventuring in remote, wild places for decades and survived) who are mostly solo adventurers (and prefer it that way).

There are a few reasons (or rationalizations if you prefer) in favor of going solo, at least for me...
  • There is no chance to succumb to groupthink, which has repeatedly been known to cause fatal errors in decision making

  • For me, the wilderness experience is much deeper and more spiritually gratifying when I'm alone—and not chattering away with friends the whole time

  • I also believe that I (and possibly everyone) am far more aware of my surroundings when I'm not distracted by others—and therefore I make better decisions (I'm more likely to sense subtle shifts in the weather, less likely to miss subtle visual cues about direction, movement, etc.)
Anyway, I guess my point is, I'm not entirely convinced that being in groups (even small groups) is always safer than being alone, though I do recognize the obvious advantage of having someone else to help if you get hurt or end up in the water.
 
That pretty much covers it. I have paddled thousands of miles throughout Southcentral Alaska, 99% solo including many 2- and 3-week trips. It does necessitate a level of skill and familiarity with coastal travel that takes years to develop, so at some point going with a [more experienced] companion makes perfect sense.
 
It's way easier for me to go solo for all the reasons you mentioned, so that's my default.

Spending time on a trip with someone who has all the same goals, same pace, same attitude, etc. is harder to organize but so wonderful when it happens.

Regarding safety, it depends on who is along for the trip. Oftentimes if I am paddling with someone else they're a very solid paddler so I'm more tempted to push the limits a bit. Then I am likely more apt to get into trouble than on a solo, more cautious, paddle.
Other times I may go with a relatively novice paddler and scale things well back, assuming a (perhaps unspoken) responsibility for their well-being. Then the other paddler doesn't contribute much to my safety skill-wise, but we're operating with a lot more margin for error.
 
SWriverstone said:
Just had a thought from another thread, in which there was discussion about paddling with stronger and weaker paddlers in groups...

For most of my life I've been a solo adventurer. I'm not antisocial and I don't deliberately seek to avoid companions. In hindsight, there were always two main reasons for being solo:

1. Ease and flexibility in timing - I often do trips based on the weather, which means last-minute (because nobody knows that the weather will be more than a week ahead)...and I've found most people are chronic schedulers and are psychologically incapable of being spontaneous.

2. Being solo means zero concerns about differences in speed, experience, endurance, etc. - it's just me and I do what I want.

Obviously, the general wisdom is "safety in numbers," and I don't completely disagree with that statement. However, I've known many highly-experienced outdoors people (who have safely been adventuring in remote, wild places for decades and survived) who are mostly solo adventurers (and prefer it that way).

There are a few reasons (or rationalizations if you prefer) in favor of going solo, at least for me...
  • There is no chance to succumb to groupthink, which has repeatedly been known to cause fatal errors in decision making

  • For me, the wilderness experience is much deeper and more spiritually gratifying when I'm alone—and not chattering away with friends the whole time

  • I also believe that I (and possibly everyone) am far more aware of my surroundings when I'm not distracted by others—and therefore I make better decisions (I'm more likely to sense subtle shifts in the weather, less likely to miss subtle visual cues about direction, movement, etc.)
Anyway, I guess my point is, I'm not entirely convinced that being in groups (even small groups) is always safer than being alone, though I do recognize the obvious advantage of having someone else to help if you get hurt or end up in the water.
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My wife and I always trip alone and you perfectly expressed the reasons, it’s a better wilderness experience simply put.
By the way we live in Oregon too.
 
@SWriverstone - your subject and overall question is about safety, but I find many of your points are more about convenience and enjoyment.

In regards for safety, most talk of being safer in a group is related to other assisting you in some way or another. Some examples, all of which I have seen on group paddles (excluding where I am a paid guide where even more happens - so just talking club paddles and the like):
  • You could have a medical condition which limits you ability to paddle, another member of the group can tow you. Have done this many times on others - sea sickness is pretty common. Seen 2 dislocated shoulders over the years when guiding, and they also require towing.
  • You get knocked out, another can call for help. We had a trip where a woman had a heart attack (not a great example, as she didn't make it) and coast guard was called in. She could not make that call herself.
  • You wet exit and are separated from your boat, another can tow your boat back to you. Happens all the time in rock gardening.
  • Another has a piece of extra gear which you need. I had a long wet exit years ago and had to borrow a poncho for when we stopped at a beach after for lunch as I was shivering a lot.
  • Rescues are generally much faster with a second person than solo, which could make up for other deficiencies (such as not wearing enough thermal protection in cold water).
Being in a group allows you to push your skills, as you can try things within the safety provided by the others. This is done all the time in instructional settings, but not uncommon in club paddles. Safety consideration is that the limit has to be set by what the other paddlers can support you/rescue in, which takes folks knowing their levels. More common with the other paddlers being higher level than you, but there can be benefits to other lower skilled paddlers too (e.g. providing a bow when you want to practice a roll).

Not saying group are always safer, but in general there is extra safety to groups.

Some activities pretty much are not done solo, such as white water paddling, rock gardening, and surfing.

Addition/edit in this red (April 1, 1:45p pacific time addition):
There are some safety and convenience considerations that come with more people in a group. The more people, the greater chance of something happening to someone else that needs help, changes the outlook for the group, or the like. If one person in group gets sea sick, it likely causes the whole group to have to stop to deal with it.
 
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Consider the difference between "group" and one or two others. I've encountered situations where two people weren't able to assist or recognize when help would have been helpful. The safety that's mentioned seems to assume that others in the group are equally schooled in rescue techniques and have the situational awareness to recognize when they might be of help. If I waited for that skilled person to show up before I ventured offshore, I'd still be waiting on the beach.

So one does what they can, recognizing when they might be responsible for their own rescue, and perhaps that of another, then adjusts the trip itinerary accordingly. Sure, in general, a "group" is safer. But for fun, Read chapter 29, "When it all goes wrong", in More Deep Trouble. That was a group of 16+ kayakers. The point is, it's not the number, it's the skill set.
 
I am not sure that there is really safety in numbers as the old adage goes. Sure, if everyone else is more skilled than me than I might be able to feel safer. But that does not extend the other way. Those more skilled people would not be better off with me along. Sure they could adjust their itinerary but now you really need a skilled group leader that can make appropriate decisions for the entire group.

Consider also that the larger the group, the more likely there to be a problem. If any one individual has a 1% chance of an accident, then having a group of 10 raises that to a 10% chance of an accident. (Statistician would say that is not an exact calculation) Albeit, you may at least have help available to resolve the accident with more people around assuming that they are capable of dealing with it. But are they? How do you know?

Last summer a friend and I made a week long trip to Desolation sound. Fairly benign conditions compared to the open sea and proximity to others. But significantly more issues than lake paddling which was most of our background. We had considered a larger group, but the others had unknown abilities. We knew the people but had never seen them paddle a kayak. So I felt confident in my ability to manage myself, but I wanted no responsibility for others. So we went with just the two of us. Known quantities, trusting we could work together as we had done previously. All was good.
 
It's interesting to me to compare ocean kayaking with other outdoor sports I've done...

In whitewater paddling, I almost always (80% of the time?) paddled with others. Partly because, well, it's whitewater—so you could easily die...but also because you always need a shuttle! That said, I often did paddle rivers alone...but I limited my solo whitewater paddling to class 2 or low class 3 water that I knew well. Also limited to just putting in, paddling upstream and playing for a while, then paddling back to the same spot. I'd have never done anything harder alone. (I have sea kayaked long distances on flatwater rivers since I consider that a lot safer.)

Flyfishing, I've done a huge amount of that alone...but also with a single good fishing buddy. Never more than just one other person.

Motorcycling: lots of motorcyclists seem to enjoy riding in packs. I tried it a few times, and HATED it. It scared the crap out of me because other riders in groups (I only ever rode twisty backroads) were just too unpredictable and often screwed up. More than once I'd allow a lot of following distance behind the pack...and came around a corner to find 3 bikes in the woods and total chaos everywhere else.

Mountain biking I pretty much always do alone, for similar reasons as motorcycling. If I'm out riding some fun singletrack flow trails in the woods, I don't want to be around anyone. Way too distracting. I want it to be just me, my bike and the trail—total focus, much more rewarding!

XC skiing: mostly alone, but I enjoy being with 1-2 other experienced friends when it can happen. I also enjoy teaching people new to the sport.

Hang gliding: always with several others. I knew people who flew alone...and I thought they were nuts, LOL. But then again, between launch and landing, you're on your own anyway. (It's not easy to fly alongside someone and chat with them, LOL). Though I never did it, I saw others bow their launches and end up in a tree...and it took everyone else to rescue them.

Looking at all this, it's pretty obvious that I'm just not a "large group person." Some people live for doing things in large groups. (I'm reminded of the Japanese, a collective society, where everyone does everything in huge groups—or so it seems.)
 
I liken the safety discussion probably most closely to backcountry winter activities and avalanche safety. Everyone needs to be able to rescue or be rescued. Knowing emergency measures and such. I got out of backcountry winter stuff when I got an injury because I didn't want to be a weak link. In terms of paddling, I'm not going on the ocean soon as I just don't do it enough. Nor choppy river waters unless I'm with a guide. I think the group thing really depends on where you going and what the risks are or if there's a designated host who takes responsibility for others. The danger might not be to yourself, but for the collective group the risks might be higher than solo paddling if there are some particularly inexperienced paddlers. I don't think I answered anyone's question........
 
Who says you have to be as safe as possible? YOUR MOTHER!
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Ohhh my god, I am an old sea dog now and my dear Mother is long departed, but those two sentences hit a nerve. Da Momma wanted nothing more than for me to stay home, get married, have children and be respectable. My proclivity for outdoor advenuring and other "extreme sports" such as rodeo gave her much anxiety and angst when I was outside until I settled down a bit and got married in my early fourties. It got to the point that I wouldn't tell her, or any of my siblings when, where, or for how long I was going. That still failed to be sufficient when one trip I was overdue and my boss called her to find out if she had heard from me.

I also know of one marriage that ended when his risk averse worrisome wife called the authorities one time too many when her man was overdue by less than a day. That despite the fact that he was one of the most experienced outdoorsman I ever knew and had given her strict instructions about not calling for help, unless he was overdue by a more than a seveal days.

Well Da Momma is gone on the next great adventure and I am still here. I agree that it is good practice to be as safe as possible, with the caveat that your attitude toward risk sports should be that there is ALWAYS risk and that experience, equipment, companions and objectives all play a role in any risk assessment. I still go out with the attitude that if I decide to go out, I will get myself back, rescue is a highly undesirable outcome.

Be as safe as possible, but if your not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!
 
Great conversation. For logistical reasons, I really don't like paddling with larger groups. However, novices should not paddle alone, and a good point was made about rock gardens, where I believe a solid team greatly enhances safety. These days, I mostly paddle with my wife or with a one or two fellow kayakers whose skills I trust. I consider that a "peer paddle". Over the years, I've spent a lot of time paddling solo. For me, paddling solo enhances the wilderness experience and sharpens my awareness of surroundings. I think there can be a false sense of security with larger groups, and in my experience, when things get unexpectedly rough, the "safety in numbers" concept falls apart and it frequently winds up being every paddler for him or herself. My advice to open-water solo paddlers is to use a short boat tether. Not in surf, of course, but in those situations where losing contact with your kayak would be problematic - especially on crossings. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wvSA6d6vlxhKLzyaazKqXaRfvf7NLeME7PqmBsbDrg0/edit?usp=sharing
 
Good point about solo paddlers having a kayak tether @MoultonAvery , thanks! I admit I've never thought of having one—and to your point in the article, I come from a whitewater background! (I also appreciated your point about SUP and surf ski paddlers using ankle leashes but blowing off PFD's...funny how these things happen.)

I have difficulty imagining how even a short, elastic kayak tether like yours wouldn't cause entanglement in a capsize...but I'm sure it makes more sense when you get one and try it out.
 
I had one, all folded neatly but ready to "release" if necessary. Guides/instructors didn't like it and had me remove it for their classes. They were afraid of tangling. In one DVD on kayak techniques, "some guy", named Ed Gillet, said that any time the wind approaches 20 knots, he is leashed to his kayak. I guess he was once in a situation where losing contact with the kayak would have been ... inconvenient. :)
 
The comments are read here with interest. Being a bit more of a solo paddler most of my life before retirement my ear has always been close to the water surface; I’ve observed the quandary of non-accompaniment as a perennial subject that paddlers around the globe have devoted untold opinions and bandwidth upon, with many pontificating that those promoting any solo travel were actually advocating an unsafe paddling practice. My introduction to padding was through the mentorship of Derek Hutchinson and he maintained never less than three there shall be. More importantly, our club president was a veteran west coast fisher and he emphasized in no uncertain terms That’s objectively speaking, good advice. But what is safe? What exactly is unsafe? I personally don’t think there is a correct answer to the later all things being equal. There are far, far too many variables: experience of the paddler, type of conditions anticipated, medical context, propensity for shoulder dislocation, skill levels, redundancies in the paddlers tool box of self-rescue,
 
Doug_Lloyd said:
The comments are read here with interest. Being a bit more of a solo paddler most of my life before retirement my ear has always been close to the water surface; I’ve observed the quandary of non-accompaniment as a perennial subject that paddlers around the globe have devoted untold opinions and bandwidth upon, with many pontificating that those promoting any solo travel were actually advocating an unsafe paddling practice. My introduction to padding was through the mentorship of Derek Hutchinson and he maintained never less than three there shall be. More importantly, our club president was a veteran west coast fisher and he emphasized in no uncertain terms That’s objectively speaking, good advice. But what is safe? What exactly is unsafe? I personally don’t think there is a correct answer to the later all things being equal. There are far, far too many variables: experience of the paddler, type of conditions anticipated, medical context, propensity for shoulder dislocation, skill levels, redundancies in the paddlers tool box of self-rescue,
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Sorry I hit the wrong button before finishing my thought…I typically don’t post much anymore as I’m retired from the sport due to a bunch of medical conditions. Suffice it to say that for me, solo paddling was the only way I could enjoy the sport and retain full agency and the consequences of my choices were my own to deal with mostly. My other mentor was a west coast fisher who was the president of our club as I already mentioned, where a club environment was beneficial for a beginner. Fred Potter emphasized one thing, and one thing only: cold water kills. That sunk in like a heavy fishing lure leader headed to Davy Jones’s locker. Around here it’s what kills you all things being equal. I never shook that advice. Even after developing a reliable roll and sculling to upright skills in extremis, including re-enter and roll skills. Dress for the water temperature. And yes, don’t get separated from your vessel. You need to figure that out for yourself. Some instructors hate tethers. Fine. Keep preaching…I’ll do my own thing with that. Obviously work out how, when and where to use your system as safely as possible. Cheers.
 
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