Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

NNSL (July 02/99) - A river safety and rescue workshop was on the agenda for local kayaking enthusiasts last weekend, June 25-27.

Sponsored by Narwal Northern Adventures in joint association with the NWT Kayak Association and the Samba Ke Surf Society, the three-day-long event was orchestrated to give kayakers a chance to practice some potentially lifesaving techniques when out on the water, whether alone or in groups.

"We started last Friday with dry-land sessions," Cathy Allooloo, co-owner and instructor at Narwal Northern Adventures, said, while out on the Yellowknife River's Tarten Rapids for the wet section of the weekend seminar.

"Most of the talks were about avoiding accidents."

According to Allooloo, there were several objectives she was hoping would be achieved through the river safety and rescue workshop.

"We want to reduce the number of accidents boaters have," Allooloo said.

"The primary objective is to stop accidents before they happen.

"This is important because we want to protect the paddling community from over- exuberant legislation. When someone gets in trouble on the water, the legislation tends to get out of hand. There are certain places in Canada where you have to have certain credentials to lead people on expeditions and we don't want that to happen here. We want it to be left to individual boaters to make sound decisions as opposed to leaving it to the legislators."

Several kayakers took part in the weekend workshop and were busy taking part in rescue demonstrations in and out of the rapids Saturday afternoon -- the second day of the course -- in such rescue techniques as self rescue (swimming in defensive and offensive positions), throw bag rescues, retrieving runaway boats and freeing paddlers from foot and boat entrapment while in the water.

For one of the kayakers that attended the weekend workshop, Darrel Marshall, the Tarten Rapids had provided a real-life rescue scenario the week before.

"Last week we were kayaking and playing in the waves where the main current hits the headwall," Marshall said.

"There was a boat-sized notch in the headwall and I ended up getting caught in there for six or seven minutes.

The kayaker was able to grab on to a log that had become lodged in the notch by the powerful current. Unable to reach for the safety of the shore, Marshall waited for his kayaking partner, Keith Morrison, to attempt a rescue.

"He threw me a rope and was able to pull me out," Marshall said, while offering a warning about the popular boating destination.

"That notch is certainly a real threat that should be avoided, even for an experienced kayaker. It doesn't look like it can be dangerous but it certainly can be."

For Allooloo, the unforeseen potential for an accident on the water is all that a boater needs to keep one's mind on safety, like spotting for kayakers shooting the rapids or keeping a throw line handy.

"We want paddlers to maintain a high level of credibility in the general community," Allooloo said. "Our paddlers are very safety conscious. We always carry safety harnesses and throw bags."

At the same time, Allooloo hopes that safety concerns do not overly impede one from enjoying river sports.

"We want to promote the enjoyment of the sport," Allooloo said.

"If you are worried whether or not you're going to survive, then you probably won't have much fun. If you are well-rehearsed in river rescue procedures it will increase your enjoyment of the sport."

"Unfortunately, they don't give out medals for avoiding accidents, just for rescuing people from their follies."