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Paddling deaths increased in 2023

Glenn MacGrady

Glenn MacGrady

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"The Coast Guard last week reported the largest year-over-year drop in recreational boating fatalities in more than a decade, but that encouraging news was tempered by an increase in paddling deaths."

"Flying against this welcome trend was paddling fatalities, which increased yet again in 2023 to nearly one in three (32.5 percent) recreational boating deaths in the United States, up from 27.4 percent in 2022."

"One reason is that more Americans are paddling than ever before, and many of them are new to the sport. For example, an examination of Recreational Boating Safety Statistics reveals that nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of those who died in paddling accidents in 2022 had less than 100 hours experience in the activity, and well over one-third (39.7 percent) had less than 10 hours experience. In other words, the paddlers who are most at risk aren’t the young guns charging through whitewater rapids; they’re ordinary folks who bought a kayak on a whim."

www.watersportsfoundation.com

A Record Decline In Boating Fatalities, With One Glaring Exception - Water Sports Foundation

The nation's first mandatory life jacket law for paddlers takes effect in Rhode Island
www.watersportsfoundation.com www.watersportsfoundation.com
 
Stand up paddle boarders seem to be one group that blatantly heads out without wearing lifejackets. I have seem them on Puget Sound out in the ship channel with 55 degree water. I saw two kids this weekend at 6,000 feet on a windy day head out without life jackets. I know a lady that paddles Lake Tahoe in winter in street clothes and no life jacket.

Moving water just makes everything worse. Rookie paddlers get pinned because they have little experience. They know nothing of rescues, sweepers or what happens on the outside of bends. It is amazing more people don't die.
 
A ton of charts and tables in the full 80+ page report. I'll probably never wade through the entire thing but I did not see any information on the numbers of participants in boating and how the ratio of participants to accidents is factored in. If participants went up with the Covid bump and deaths still when down then that is definitely a good thing, if they just went up at the same ratio then maybe there is no actual rate increase.

I did find this chart which is relevant to paddle sport area

1718318748587.png
10 Years ago paddleboards might not have made the list, I would not be surprised if their death rates will continue to rise at a rate much higher than other vessels (even just self-propelled).
 
The number of people not wearing pfds posting paddling pictures during the spring when the water was still cold, cold enough that I wouldn't paddle without at least a farmer john wetsuit along with a pfd, was a little disconcerting. I wonder how many of those deaths were during shoulder season vs. summer.
 

American Whitewater

The primary advocate for the preservation and protection of whitewater rivers throughout the United States and connects the interests of human-powered recreational river users with ecological and science-based data to achieve goals within our mission.
www.americanwhitewater.org www.americanwhitewater.org
 
madmike said:

American Whitewater

The primary advocate for the preservation and protection of whitewater rivers throughout the United States and connects the interests of human-powered recreational river users with ecological and science-based data to achieve goals within our mission.
www.americanwhitewater.org www.americanwhitewater.org
Click to expand...

That is impressive.

Alan
 
The amount of newbies that have been spilling into the wilderness over the past 20 years stresses me and in my part of the world (headwaters of the Mississippi) the woods are overwhelmed. Pick up a current Nat Geo and it glorifies the "Explorer" over the exploration. At the core, online avitars could be killing folk.
 
recped said:
A ton of charts and tables in the full 80+ page report. I'll probably never wade through the entire thing but I did not see any information on the numbers of participants in boating and how the ratio of participants to accidents is factored in. If participants went up with the Covid bump and deaths still when down then that is definitely a good thing, if they just went up at the same ratio then maybe there is no actual rate increase.

I did find this chart which is relevant to paddle sport area

View attachment 141852
10 Years ago paddleboards might not have made the list, I would not be surprised if their death rates will continue to rise at a rate much higher than other vessels (even just self-propelled).
Click to expand...
Wow, that table is awful for canoes. 46 canoeist died, and only 17 paddle boarder. Considering how few canoes I see about compared to kayaks and paddle boards.

The table really needs to be adjusted for usage time to be meaningful. For example, automotive death rates per vehicle are normally adjusted per million miles.

Still, be interesting to understand why so many more canoes than paddle boarders. I know I've seen paddle boarders make mile crossings, but my impression is normally they're just dinking around the shore.
 
Well, of the 46 canoeists, 8 were from "causes other than drowning" so I guess that might reflect either the older average age of canoeists or the fact that we stay out longer so there may be more time / incentive for tripping partners to kill us (another reason to go solo btw).

In both cases above, the data is a couple (or more) years old and the SUP has continued to gain in popularity so the numbers will likely even out.

Incidentally, the last paddleboarders I met, in the group of 4, only one was standing (and all were pfd'd); the others were seated. I will admit that I was impressed when they stated that they had run the class 3 (3+ at that flow) upstream with their inflatable boards though none attempted it standing.
 
MrPoling said:
Wow, that table is awful for canoes. 46 canoeist died, and only 17 paddle boarder. Considering how few canoes I see about compared to kayaks and paddle boards.

The table really needs to be adjusted for usage time to be meaningful. For example, automotive death rates per vehicle are normally adjusted per million miles.

Still, be interesting to understand why so many more canoes than paddle boarders. I know I've seen paddle boarders make mile crossings, but my impression is normally they're just dinking around the shore.
Click to expand...
Anyone can climb back onto a paddleboard. Very few people know how to deal with a capsized canoe.
 
ScottS said:
Anyone can climb back onto a paddleboard. Very few people know how to deal with a capsized canoe.
Click to expand...

Plus, people who paddle SUPs usually have ankle leashes tied to the boards, like outrigger and surfski paddlers, so their watercraft can't become separated from them and is their "PFD" even if they don't wear one.
 
Inexperience combined with complacency can be fatal.

I’ve got enough experience in the water (triathlons/scuba diving) that I know I can’t trust any ‘skills’ if some unfortunate event happens to dump me in the water.

The biggest eye opening moment for me when I was younger and attempted to swim across a river…in early spring. I just dove in but immediately upon hitting hitting the icy cold water and I went paralyzed. Tried yelling for my buddies but couldn’t. I was just gasping trying to breathe. They saw I was in trouble and pulled me out. That was when I realized skill doesnt matter.
 
ScottS said:
Anyone can climb back onto a paddleboard. Very few people know how to deal with a capsized canoe.
Click to expand...
Probably a lot of us (me included) that consider ourselves proficient paddlers or swimmers would struggle. Thanks for the reminder to practice.

The following from today's Minneapolis Star/Tribune.

1000011148.jpg

Tragic...No life jackets. One boat "fishing" less than 50' from springtime raging class-V, 30' falls. Spin a 17' canoe 90 degrees and someone could be 25' from the falls. Were they fishing or taking photos? Both of the 2 soloists that happened upon the horrific scene to help declined to comment.
 
I subscribed to the Conservation Officers' press releases in my home state. Hardly a week goes by without a fatality. Low-head dams, no PFDs, apparent heart attacks, you name it. ATVs come in second. Makes it seem like a scary place out there.
 
Sweetfancymoses said:
Makes it seem like a scary place out there.
Click to expand...
This same thought has been in my mind a lot lately with a discussion on PFDs and the BWCA Curtain Falls incident. Caught 2 minutes of the story from MPR this AM on the way to work. Here is the link.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/...-waters-a-tale-of-tragedy-rescue-and-recovery

The Star/Trib article on the Curtain Falls incident states "...then the lake's calm water turned the tables on their canoes." Nature was not the culprit. The "calm" water did not suddenly change it's mind & course. They were just way too close in my opinion especially if fishing and pulling in "big" walleyes. I pulled out a map and from their put-in it is only about 15 miles to Curtain Falls with a few portages. Just saying that fishing seemed to be the goal.

The dangers of paddling seem so wildly different depending on the type of trip. I spend very little mental energy preparing for water dangers as our trips have not had them aside from wind/waves. What scares me most are slips, falls, twisted ankles, festering slivers, bugs in the ear, hook in the hand, or a sharp spine under the fingernail while fileting a fish. Thus we have cut out the fishing all together in favor of tuna packets.
 
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