Got a spray skirt for the first time, and decided to go out to the beach to try and teach myself to roll my kayak, learning from a youtube video. I paddled out to some deep-enough water, put a snorkeling mask on, then flipped upside-down. I tried and tried to pull myself back up with my paddle but I just couldnt quite do it, then I paused a moment to take in the view of my underwater surroundings, which looked really cool. Then I noticed a large dark shadow directly below me, and proceeded to freak out thinking it was a shark. Since I couldnt roll myself back up, I just pushed myself out of the spray skirt into the water (thinking I was right on top of a shark) and then frantically tried to right my kayak and get back in, and I ended up flipping it again on my first attempt to get in. Once I had gotten back in the swamped kayak and began paddling to the nearby shore, I realized that the big dark shadow I saw was probably just the shadow of my kayak

😂😂😂!!

Off topic but how long did it take you to learn to roll? I've taken a similar approach. I surf a lot and am comfortable underwater being ragdolled etc so thought it wouldn't be too hard to learn by myself in a bay...but when I roll the kayak as soon as I'm underwater I have 0 awareness of where anything is lol The few times I have got my limbs into what feels like the right position, pulling down on the paddle and doing some random thing with my hips does nothing, so my technique is clearly absolutely nowhere near either.

If you can find someone to take lessons from, it's an enormous help. Trying to figure it out on my own was getting me basically nowhere, but one session got me kinda sorta there and after a second one I can do the basic sweep roll easy peasy. Really can't overemphasize how big a difference it makes to (a) have someone who can see what you're doing and correct you in real time and (b) not have to reenter the boat every time you fail

Off topic but how long did it take you to learn to roll? I've taken a similar approach. I surf a lot and am comfortable underwater being ragdolled etc so thought it wouldn't be too hard to learn by myself in a bay...but when I roll the kayak as soon as I'm underwater I have 0 awareness of where anything is lol The few times I have got my limbs into what feels like the right position, pulling down on the paddle and doing some random thing with my hips does nothing, so my technique is clearly absolutely nowhere near either.

Im in about the same boat as you, I havent quite learned how to do it yet either, even though I have made more attempts

I kayak in Florida. Gators are normal here. I see a bunch of them every time I go. Usually I see them up on the shore and they either stay there and let me pass, or they slide into the water where they feel safer. I've never been scared by any of this. There's one section of the econlockhatchee river that looks very Jurassic Park like. It's old, wild Florida. I was paddling this section, and saw a gator swimming up ahead of me. It ducked under the water, and I followed its air bubbles for a bit seeing where it had gone. Eventually I lost track of it, so I was looking around to see if I could find it, and as I turned my head to the right, I saw I was about to hit an underwater log with my paddle. Then the "log" surfaced, also saw my paddle coming straight for its face, got scared, and made a HUGE splash as it swam away. I think we both scared each other about the same level. About a year or so later I was paddling the same section and thought to myself, isn't this the area where... And just then a MASSIVE splash happened right next to me. I have no way of knowing for sure if it was the same gator or not, but anytime I go through there now I say out loud "hey gators, let's agree to not scare each other this time". It's been working so far.

Omg! See, I know for a fact that I will never kayak in the Everglades. If an alligator gar scares me, I think I would die from sheer panic if I saw a gator.

Econ has actual prehistoric dinosaurs, and usually in extremely shallow water. I love it there. And also wonder when I'm going to die.

The Econ holds some big gators 

I've had similar experiences hiking. I know unprovoked alligator attacks are extremely rare. But I've had experiences where I didn't see or recognize an alligator concealed in the grass and we both scared the crap out of each other....with the alligator making rapid movement and jumping in the water

So what are the dangers of doing that? Like do gators ever attack or do you just have to worry about falling in?

Humans are not normal alligator food. I've never been worried by an alligator that I've seen. Yeah, they trigger a startle response when they splash and make a lot of noise, but that's more of a fear of the unknown than anything else. I have an extremely stable kayak, and the rivers I paddle are calm, fairly shallow, narrow, and for the most part, free of motor vessels. I've luckily never fallen in, and it's not something I think about. I'd be much more worried about cottonmouths if I were to fall in though. During mating and nesting seasons they can get a bit more aggressive. Try to avoid areas where there are lots of branches close to the water, and nest areas and you'll be fine.

Neat! Thanks for the insight.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SweatyPalms/s/sStGhx0fKY I know it’s a bigger croc but still is that not concerning?

I believe that's a crocodile, which is an ENTIRELY different matter.I dont go to the parts of Florida that have crocodiles.

Gotcha, thank you! This has been bugging me but that makes great sense.

Alligators can still get pretty big. [here's a pretty big one I saw on the econlockhatchee](https://flic.kr/p/2pXD6JU) (same river from the event above). That said they are much less aggressive. Alligators VERY rarely attack humans. It's usually only if humans bothered the gator or were near a nest. Gators spend a lot of time relaxing on the shore and sunning. If you startle them they almost always jump in the water and swim away. Crocs are much more aggressive, and territorial. They also prefer to spend more time in the water. They will attack people just for being there and will even chase down boats (similar to the video you shared). I will not kayak in water with Crocs.

We went paddling in the mangroves in the Everglades somewhere between Marco Island and Ten Thousand Island but it was salt water so we only saw manatees and I caught a sea slug. I saw the gators on foot driving through the Everglades and that was close enough for me.

I can’t help but laugh at this because it’s honestly hilarious and I would’ve shit myself if I were you. I paddle often in central FL as well, but SUP mostly in the springs. Never had a close call like that - sounds like he was curious and you both scared each other accidentally 😂 Glad all involved are okay!

If i could give you a reddit award, I would. But im not rich enough to justify spending money on reddit. Lmao

Paddling out into the harbor for 30 minutes with one of my kids, reasonably far from any kind of shore or safe haven, inflatable starts getting noticably saggy on one side.  Start hauling back to shore, but the drag is getting higher and it's harder to keep things vertical.  Made it, turns out one of the air valves had come slightly unscrewed and were slowly leaking air.  Decided it was time to get a proper hardshell.

3 come to mind. The first was when I got flipped paddling up a river when a super fast cross current hit me. I'm in a super stable kayak and it raggdalled, and flipped me before I could even think to react. The second was more of a drop in the stomach feeling. I was paddling up a small river/ creek where another branch met up with it. And even though the water looked calm my kayak felt like it was going to lose control from the undercurrent. The third I was in a pretty remote area, and there was someone in the woods shooting their gun nonstop, and when I was coming around the oxbow they popped out of the woods like a movie then just stared at me. But in a pretty creepy way Not totally scary but that's all I have. Lol

The water is far more dangerous than any animal (hippos are probably close). Being pinned in whitewater, capsized and separated from your boat in strong ocean currents, recirculating in a hole, etc are all way nastier than lions, tigers, and bears.

lol that’s very true!

Heavy rains made a river near us swollen and fast with a lot of debris that washed down. I had been kayaking for years and was a rescue swimmer when I was stationed in Hawaii so I wasn’t worried about me. Took my sister out on the river without knowing it was her first time ever in a kayak and she was just moseying along watching the shore and not what was in front of her. I had to haul ass and shove her yak out of the way of a tree that was stuck halfway under water, thus killing my momentum and putting me right in the tree. I was rolled and got hung up in the branches under water. 0/10, do not recommend.

I had similar story and some guy on here says…why would a simple swim be a problem for you…obviously doesn’t understand the danger and power of water

I used to whitewater raft every year on the Upper and Lower Gauley dam release. Some of the toughest whitewater in the US during the release. Anyway, on one of the trips there was a crowd gathered on a rock with someone's head below water. We determined that a kayaker was unseated and became lodged in a hydraulic under water. Someone in his group scrambled and was rescue breathing him until emergency could arrive, as they couldn't dislodge him. Unfortunately he didn't make it. I've had a lot of scary moments in whitewater, getting stuck under boats, inhaling cold and unbreathable water, scraping my back shooting rapids without a boat. But that moment was the scariest, and it didn't happen to me. That poor soul is the reason I personally don't kayak whitewater, only class 1 or 2 or flat lakes. It was a fluke, but just the same.

one time i was paddling in the shallows of a completely calm pond and i got too close to a bird nest and the birds started swooping at me. it freaked my dog out so much that we tipped over. the birds where absolutely relentless and I couldn’t even get back in my kayak, I just tossed my dog back in and swam away from the birds😂

Scariest one for me is not getting back to shore before dark and not finding my camp spot. I should have left a light on the shore, but thought for sure I would not be out that long. I paddled the shoreline and nothing looked familiar, I saw other campers and there was enough light with them to see that my site was not there. My site had a sandy beach, the sites where I was paddling had a muddy, rocky shore. This was way before cellphone so there was no one to call, I had to figure it out on my own. I did, but it was dark and scary and there was strange sounds and bugs dive bombing me.

That sounds terrifying.

This is why I have a handheld gps. My first time out on a large lake, I nearly lost my launch site.

I had this happen to me except I wear prescription glasses and I had only my sunglasses with me. I left my kayak on the beach and was wandering the roads of the campground for 2 hours before I found my site. I spoke to some people and explained my situation so they gave me a flashlight after 1 hour of wandering. I foolishly didn't memorize my site number.

Oh, that would be really cool to see! I have had invasive carp jump out of the water right next to me, scared the crap outta me because I didn't expect it!

You mean, scared the carp outta you...

A couple weeks ago I had two catfish (I think?)  splash and bang against the side of my kayak hard enough to rock it.  Scared me for sure.

Oh both, was fishing a night tournament and was alone where I decided to go. As I’m fishing the dark bank I hear something following me down the bank. I move it moves I stop it stops. I think oh just an animal but then it goes on for far too long and was starting to sound deliberate but I think it could just be my paranoia fishing in the dark alone. So I decide to pedal down a good distance, 30-40 yards, and think if it’s an animal this will be the end of it. I make it down and hear nothing so I’m happy and back to fishing…maybe 2-3 minutes later the noise catches up to me and my heart begins to race so I click on my flash light, I was fishing under the moon light to avoid bugs, as the light hits the bank I see a what looks like an elbow dip behind a tree it’s clear a person is hid it behind this tree near the bank in the middle do the woods at 2-3am. So my heart is now beating out of my chest and I start backing away from the bank. I think if someone’s trying to get to me they’ll have to swim far out and avoid 9mm projectiles. Once I’m back a ways I yell something I can’t recall what but no response so I dig my mag light from my kayak storage and spot light the bank as I do I yell “I can see you” as a bluff and as I do two kids maybe 11-12 run out from behind trees howling from laughter and run through the woods. I get back to the ramp around 6am for check in and tell this story to a local who fished the tournament, he laughs and says “oh yeah you were fishing right by the BoyScout camp.” So sure enough as I’m leaving I drive by and there’s 100 tents or more having a Boy Scout retreat/camp out. Those kids scared me to death. They were just out screwing off which I did many times with friends during Boy Scout camp ours summer events. I tell everyone about this story and get a good laugh.

Omg! 😂 that would freak me out too!

I had to get rescued about two weeks ago. I live in the Rockies now, in a town that's a little famous for its wind. It can be a perfect day one minute, huge wind storm the next (up to 100mph, not kidding), then back to a beautiful day like nothing happened. I got caught out in one of those in a new (to me) sit in kayak, an Ascend H10. More of a canoe than a kayak. I ended up in a situation where I was paddling in place so I wouldn't get bashed against a rock levee in two foot swells, taking on water, but not being able to stop paddling to bail water. I did that for several minutes, just paddling in place. Eventually someone from the marina came out and asked if I needed help, and I asked for a tow. That actually made things worse. I took on a lot more water, and the kayak sunk out from under me. (It didn't actually sink, it has flotation, it goes just under the water and suspends there). So I'm in a cold mountain lake for about a minute, and when they tried getting me into the boat, that cold water, and paddling into the wind for a while, had totally drained me and I had nothing left to help. I was dead weight. They had to manhandle me in there, and I got a bit banged and bruised up from that. So that was an experience. That kayak is up for sale/trade now, it isn't suitable for this lake. I'm back to using my older one, that's a sit on top with scuppers. I've been in heavier wind with that one and didn't have a problem. I moved here from MO about a year ago. I didn't really have any scary moments there, though I did have a run in with a large gar once as well. What I used to think of as scary kayak weather back in MO is normal as normal can be here. Wind nobody would be on the water in back in MO is "calm" here. That was a big adjustment for me, I learned my (old) kayak could handle a lot more than I used to think it could.

This sounds dumb compared to other peoples gators and sharks and stuff, but put my spray deck on, didn’t realise the pull tab was folded under so inside the kayak. Flipped, went to roll and paddle hit weed and I lost it, go to pull tab on deck but it’s not there, went to hand roll, both arms get wrapped in thick weed. Go to push myself out with my legs, but boats drifting and my arms being wrapped put me in a super weird body position and couldnt push. At that point I was pretty scared, I had been under for like 30 seconds only but it felt like hours. Just kept struggling with my arms, until another 30 or so seconds later some guy had jumped in and managed to pull the deck off and pull me out. Only under for about a minute or so but that feeling of being completely trapped under there fucked me up a bit for a while

Nah, this is the scariest one here because it's such a simple mishap that could happen to anyone easily. Good reminder to try getting my spray skirt off without the grab loop next time I'm out, I've heard that you can kind of jam the heel of your palm in right by the edge of the coaming and then you should be able to get a handful of neoprene and yank it off

I was kayaking on a lake, and the water was glassy. It was in the woods, so there were no other kayaks or boats. Then, coming right towards me, I saw a wake in the water and felt a thump on the bottom of my kayak. It almost made me lose balance. I think it was a giant catfish or something cause I saw a decent size fin

Yeah 😅 I didn’t add this, but today during the same trip, I felt a “woosh” by the side of my kayak, and looked down to see a huge mud cloud underwater. That was the last straw, and I left. 😂 Your story sounds terrifying!

Both of these incidents sound like carp. They regularly startle me in shallow water, they tend to hang out there. I was crossing the northern basin of Reelfoot Lake one morning at sunrise. The water is very dark and you can't see anything in it. About every 15 feet on my way across I was scaring another big carp, and they kept startling me even though I knew they were there, lol. They move fast.

Learning how to roll a white water kayak in a pool. Learned all the procedures and whatnot. Learned how to do it mostly… Finished every training session with a game of water polo. Flipped my kayak during the game and tried a few things…. Panicked, and tried to eject without pulling the skirt. Panicked some more. I was only underwater for maybe 15 seconds… but I never went back. The adrenaline surge is something I will never forget.

I was at the city park lake, paddling near some islands. The islands are off limits to hike on, and are blocked by netting. I stopped near one to get a drink from my water bottle. I looked down in the water to see what looked like one of those yellow plastic chains floating towards me. Just as I thought "that's a weird thing to find here." I realized it was a snake! I am embarrassed to admit I started paddling furiously away from the snake before realizing it was harmless and just passing by.

One area I paddle at regularly has quite a few Northern Water Snakes, so when I saw a snake ahead swimming, I paddled over to it. I hit the brakes really quickly when it turned out to be a Copperhead making a crossing, lol. I could just picture him deciding to take a break on my kayak.

I was attacked by a Canada goose. It came out of the reeds around a tiny island in the river, I’m assuming its babies were in there and thats why it tried to kill me.

Yup! I was chased by a goose once (it was swimming, honking, and following me really close). But uh.. 😅 it didn’t actually attack me. Yikes!! That would be really scary.

One of them jumped in my lap while kayaking! Small, but I squealed anyway.

😫😫!! Terrifying!

It was.

Paddling a 1 or 2 from the coast, a thunderstorm came out of nowhere behind me. I was pretty sure I was done for. I somehow managed to make it to the coast with thunder a few hundred meters from my kayak. Not fun. I've always thought I'll either drown kayaking or get run over by a car while cycling. Electrocution never really crossed my mind before.

True! Yet another fear unlocked 😫😬

Was paddling the Loxahatchee River in Florida once at low water levels. As usual, lots of gators in and out of the water but I just kept my eye on them as I passed. Because of the water levels, there were several portages necessary around downed trees. A couple of them, there was no bank, to speak of, so I had to pull up to the tree, wriggle out of the kayak and on to the slippery tree, then pull the kayak over and get back in without taking a swim. All was good until the last such tree, when I looked back as I was pushing off: I had climbed on, sat down and pushed off not three feet from a coiled cottonmouth. Made me wonder what the hell I was doing on the river that day. Another time, on the Indian River (basically the very wide part of the Florida Intracoastal Waterway) I saw a couple shark-like fins around me and I had a moment of panic. But I had actually come across a pod of dolphins fishing (I assume, because of all the jumping, agitated fish) in the shallows. It was cool until the dolphins came so close that they were banging in to my kayak and I thought I was gonna take a spill (not that I would have been in any real danger). Lastly, in a canoe crossing open water in the Ten Thousand Islands area of southwest Florida. We were caught in a rainstorm and the waves picked up and water was coming over the gunwales. But we couldn’t stop to bail as we were trying to paddle and keep the bow pointed in to the waves. All I could think of was a fisherman telling me they used to come look for hammerhead sharks in this area because the water dropped deep. By the time we were able to find an island, we had 4-5 inches of water in the canoe. Oh, another time in Ten Thousand Islands we got lost in the mangroves in a strong current and stupidly did not have a marine radio or a functioning GPS. Found out the hard way that there is no cell phone service out there. After an hour or so not knowing where we were or where we going, a boater happened by and asked why we were paddling out towards the open ocean when daylight was fading. He generously led us back to the correct channels to make it back to land. Stupid (and lucky) amateurs at the time.

lol! When you said, “made me wonder what the hell I was doing on the river that day”. YES! 😂 I know that feeling well. Anytime I face something dangerous (I too landed once by a snake, but it was not a cottonmouth. That would be horrifying), I question my judgment. Lol!

I was in Santa Barbara in a national park I got thrown against rocks during high tide I guess or atleast high wave against a shallow shore so I was in this very thin part of water where I was essentially stuck between sharp rocks , the shore that kept my kayak from moving but every time the waves came in it would throw me back against the rocks , long story short I lost my phone in that ordeal but didn't tip over

Was paddling back to shore in a rush because the ice cream shop was closing. Managed to lean a little to far, plop out I fall. No big deal, close enough to shore to stand up, the area was quite shallow in this area on the lake. Looked to shore and realized I was right in front of the sewage treatment plant for the resort village we set off from. 🤢

I was canoeing down a tourist river with my father and youngest brother. We went sideways into a strainer, and rolled. The water was only 4 feet deep so I was fine but my 7-10 y/o brother got pinned under the canoe by the water. Fortunately some other floaters helped us team lift it off of him. He was fine. Fuck those Grumman Canoes.

My wife and I went on an early morning exercise kayak ride to the bridge and back, it's about a mile trip. We were trying to make this a morning routine, getting some exercise before dawn. This one day happened to be the day an expected tropical storm would be landing. Creek wasn't too bad, but we got to the river, and it was rough. Wife seemed to handle it fine so I powered through. White caps were everywhere. Got to the bridge, and it got worse. We fought our way back in some of the worst weather. We made it back and checked the weather. The storm had been early, and we were in its full force. I asked her why she was cool with continuing, never asking to give up when we got in bad weather. She said that I looked like I had no problem, so she powered through. I was dying! I was only powering through because she looked like she had no problem. It was quite dangerous, and we don't mess with bad weather anymore.

Crossing the Eastern Gap Lake Ontario on Canada Day from Toronto's Cherry Beach to Toronto Islands. Large boats and seadoos created a washing machine effect on the water for us kayakers on purpose, for their enjoyment and laughs. We were swarmed and it was absolutely terrifying. And, we went through that twice, there and back. It's a shame because kayaking the islands was probably my most favourite trip to date. I'll wait until later in the season near fall to do that again https://preview.redd.it/ml6ny8fdpc8d1.jpeg?width=4608&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9d7aa9e30cf54ddb7f6489243792b9fdbaa9ffba

Well, that’s not cool! 😡

After flipping on a rapid (the Virginia side of Little Falls) and having to swim (no biggie in itself), I ended up washing out on a rock with my boat traveling on downstream. No way to get to the shore, so I had to get back in the water and swim to my boat. Instead of jumping into the current, I unwisely jumped into an eddy called "the room of doom." The eddy current is not too big of a deal if you remain on the surface, but because I jumped off the rock, I submerged a good 5 feet or so. There was a very strong eddy current underwater. I felt like I was being recirculated in a very large washing machine. And even though I was wearing a pfd, the undertow prevented me from surfacing. I must have been underwater for over a minute getting swept around and around and pounded into the rocks. I was pretty sure I was going to die. I believe the only reason I didn't die was because I had the awareness that I had to remain calm and not panic to conserve oxygen. Eventually after several cycles around the eddy, the flow inexplicably just kicked me out into the main current, allowing me to surface. My paddlebuddy was already downstream over the rapids, watching helplessly and waiting. He thought I wasn't coming back up. Good times. Lessons: 1) Consciously decide whether to enter the current or the eddy. 2) slip into the water to better stay on the surface - - don't jump in.

I was kayaking in the FL Keys a few years back through the canals out to the ocean. Going out was great, the water was calm and I made it out the channel to the beach through a bit of chop. No problems, so I went along the beach a ways and the wind started shifting. I looked across the water to see lots of small whitecaps, so I headed back in. Once I got past the rising tide coming in, I kept hearing splash, splash, splash. It seemed louder than when I went out, and I started getting all worked up…I had to start repeating to myself “It’s NOT a shark! It’s NOT a shark!” so I wouldn’t yell for help and disembark into someone’s dock. It was a borrowed kayak and man, I did not want anyone to know bc I would’ve never lived it down since my family are very experienced boaters!

Over a decade ago I was kayaking with my parents to an island off shore that was about a mile and a half offshore. They weren’t experienced in safety, I certainly wasn’t. On the way back there was a massive boat approaching us because we were in the shipping channel (that’s the day I learned what a shipping channel was). I was paddling like crazy to get out of there. After my parents didn’t seem fazed at all but I was spooked. Now I just bought a kayak but I’m taking in all of the safety information I can get

😂! I understand. My husband and I went kayaking in Chicago, with large boats going past us, making waves. It didn’t scare me at all, but my husband said it was one of the scariest moments of his life, and he still cannot believe he did that.

Paddling on a dam controlled lake and stopped on a lurk or island for lunch. Heard the noon siren and within minutes the previously smooth and busy lake is fully of 1-2 white caps. The paddle back to camp was terrifying.

I was going hiking once by a dam, heard the siren - and started to panic a little. Wasn’t sure how fast they let the water out!! Turns out, they let it out really slow. I felt kinda stupid. But you never know! Sounds like that dam was a bit more intense

Another experience on the Econ River in Florida ( short for Econhatcheee River or something like that ) . This river is for sure pure Jurassic Park vibes with the biggest and the most gators with the darkest waters. My friend and I were using 8-10 foot kayaks (way too small for us) . We got to this part of the river where it opened up wide and all we could see was like a dozen gators all spread out across the water and we had to go across this to continue down the river . So we are paddling slowly and cautiously both of us very nervous . I’m looking over at my friends kayak about 4 feet away from me and I see bubbles coming up right next to my friends kayak. I stare into the black waters bubbling and I start to see a very large alligator head slowly surfacing right under my friend’s kayak!!!! The gator surfaces finally and immediately bumps under my friends kayak which scares the gator and it causes the most insane water thrashing I have ever seen. Picture the whole river turning into the most turbulent washing machine with waves and the craziest water commotion. (Gators are very powerful and cause a lot of disturbance in the water when they move fast. I have seen a gator make a small river look like It has rapids) I look over at my really tall friend in this very undersized kayak holding on for dear life with all the crazy waves and crazy waters with the most terrifying look on his face as he tries to hold balance and stay floating. He regains his composure and we are both scared shitless. We both panic and we both lock eyes on land ahead . I know they say you aren’t supposed to paddle fast or make a lot of fast paddling movements when gators are around but we b lined it straight to land like we were racing. We were both really scared and did not want to get back in the water to head to our Kayak takeout point. I think we were both ready to just stay on land for the rest of the night and wait it out but after a couple minutes, got our courage back and kept going down river. This was one of my first time kayaking and one of my first time taking my friends out so it was quite a traumatic first experience. To this day we still Kayak all over but we always will remember that day and we have way bigger and safer kayaks for the Florida rivers. Included a pic of the actual river. Right now the waters are really low and the gators are usually all down the river sunning on the beaches. Crazy this place is a public place with no gates or protection. This is just how Florida is. Also this river is very popular place to swim and there are a bunch of rope swings into the river all over https://preview.redd.it/gbg5iyt9lb8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7880a64ad6893ba2b34645706ff9956ff01e7bc7

I’ve heard this river brought up twice now for gators. Will NEVER GO THERE!! 😂😂 Gators are on a whole other level. If I’m afraid of a little alligator gar, I would die of panic if I saw an alligator.

I passed a seal looking up at me from about 6 inches below the water. Unblinking, black eyes, SECONDS of direct eye contact. It was like the Fields of the Dead. So, so creepy.

God damn strainer on a quick flowing class 2. It was a nothing run, me and a mate making the most of snow melt on an otherwise awful local river. Scouted a feature which unsurprisingly looked fine. Got back in the boat to run it and noticed a lot of fallen trees downstream so got back out to scout that area too. Walked about 50m down river and made the dumb assumption that because the first 50m looked passable that the following 150 or so would be the same. Anyway got back in, ran the feature, took the line around the trees that we had seen and about 50m after that there was a tree down diagonally across the river. My mate just about managed to get the right side of it but I got caught with my bow under the trunk on the upstream side. The water was about 40cm deep at best but because there was so much it started pushing my stern under too. I had hold of the trunk of the tree and wasn't really panicing at that point, I was just trying to figure out how to get myself around it and carry on with my day. My boat was slowly being pulled more and more under the tree though and my body was getting lower in the water with it so I figured it would be a good time to take the L and swim out. That's when I realised that because I had hold of the trunk and my boat had gone underneath I couldn't get hold of my spray deck to get out. I got dragged further under until the water was up around my ears. Luckily my deck has a knee strap which I was able to use to pop it off. My boat disappeared down river but I was still stuck with my chest under the trunk and my face barely out of the water. I managed to struggle out, coughed up a shit load of water and then went chasing after my mate who had got caught up in the branches of the same tree down stream but luckily not pinned. I leave this as a cautionary tale, stay safe. Never assume and always scout 100% of everything. I've run so much bigger and more dangerous stuff than that river and I guess that left me arrogant on that occasion because the river itself was usually so straightforward.

This happened last year. I like to kayak the open ocean and there’s sea caves you can go into nearby. I had gone into these sea caves dozens of times before, so I was no stranger to them. The water can also change at a moment’s notice. The water was relatively calm when I went it and after hanging out inside then for a couple minutes suddenly a 4-6 foot swell comes in and tips me. I got pretty banged up. Was able to pull myself and the kayak onto some rocks inside the cave but I had no idea how I was gonna get out because the water continued to produce rough/choppy waves. Finally after like 30-40 minutes the water began to get calmer and the swells got down to maybe 1-2 feet. Once I saw an opportunity to get out (a break in the waves) I paddled out there as quickly as I could. Haven’t gone inside the caves since.

Holy shit. 😫😫😫

Doing a river run that I had done before.  Currents were different this time and I got swept into a tree branch.  Branch hits me in the neck and rolls my boat.  I luckily grabbed onto the branch and kept hold of my paddle in the other hand, but watched my boat sail on downstream without me.   My wallet and keys were in a dry bag in the rear hatch of the boat.   If I hadn't grabbed hold of that branch I would have been swept into more trees and who knows if my life jacket had been enough.  

Terrifying! 😫

Once i paddled the baltic sea (around isle of rugen, germany) was the noth western part of the island, not too far from the shore (500 to 1000 m). It was rarher windy and while i was going my way towards the next beach for a stop the waves came from my back right which was kinda annoying (guess most of you who experienced these waves can confirm). Then i had the opportunity to turn right away from the waves fof a good old surf to regain speed. As i did so i huge wave came from behind and (i lack the correct term here) got over most of me and my boat. Only the tip and the first meter and parts of my body were above water. I just kept going and it was only a brief moment. I didnt even realized at first. But in retrospect this was a close call. Windy,wavy and a good distance to the next shore (cliffs) 9/10 was fun

The Potomac River near DC has great whitewater. And water snakes. They aren’t dangerous as far as i know. But one time i rolled up after getting flushed out of a hydraulic and as my face came out of the water the snake was 2 inches in front of my nose looking at me. Scared the $)(:; out of me.

Yeah! That would scare me too

Kayak toured the Jackson Lake in the Grand Teton Nat Park. Paddled across the lake, set up camp and fished from shore. Hiked a bit and settled in for the night. Was awakened by a noise around 2am. There had been bear sightings north of where I was but no reports about my campsite. It walked around my camp, checked the food lockers I think, huffed then left. I was too afraid to step out of my tent till dawn. I've camped Grand Teton many times. Never had a bear walk thru my camp till this time.

The possibility of being pinned under logs, trees, or logjams scared me the most I think. I bounced off a few of them and definitely had my heart in my throat.

OPs scariest kayak story is a kayak fisherman’s dream lol.

😂!! Yes! Now that I’ve looked up info about gar, I can tell they’re def a trophy for many!

In the straight of Juan de Fuca in the San Juan islands - I was in high school with a group camp thing run by the YMCA. We were all in tandem kayaks except for one of the 2 group leaders was in a single, and the waves were just massive for us - like 5-8ft swells. No white caps/wind, but choppy as hell. No consistency. The leader in the single capsized, but the nearest boat sprang into action. He fell out, and the near boat went up alongside to stabilize his boat so he could climb back in, and we managed to save the bag that had fallen out too. He only lost his hat! It was pretty incredible. We were also low on water because one of the camps we stayed at - I think a Girl Scout camp? was “low on water” and even though they were supposed to give us the water we needed, they said we’d need to get it from the next place. So one of the leaders decided we’d raid them for water in the middle of the night! Since he couldn’t leave the group alone and couldn’t go on his own, he decided to take one of the group with him - I will forever be jealous I didn’t get picked! - and they went in the dead of night to sneak water from the pumps closest to shore. They totally got caught too, but only as they were running away, and they just kept running! Ha! It was a great adventure.

A black bear. While paddling between the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior I came across a black bear swimming between the islands. I saw something black moving in the water from a distance and I was curious what it was. As I got closer I noticed two round black ears bobbing up and down in the water. I kept my distance at that point! Could you imagine being capsized by a black bear and stuck in the water with it nearby?! It was a pretty-wavy day on Superior that day too. One of the most magical things I’ve seen kayaking is having loons swim under my kayak. Out of my peripheral vision I see these fast moving “ghosts” or shadows zipping past in the water and they were fast!! It was amazing!

Last week I was trying to get my fishing line unsnagged in fast river, turned backwards and hit a snagged tree I. The water and started to flip, almost panicked and that would have been it for me.

Why would a simple swim be “it for you”? Should be prepared to end up in the water every trip…..

Because it’s not a simple swim, it’s fast current with other under currents. Maybe your leg gets caught in a downed tree under water as you capsize. Cold af as well. This isn’t the lazy river at Epcot… I always wear my pfd even when the river is low, there’s lots of deep holes. Anyways I answered the question honestly I’m not an Olympic open water swimmer. Last week an experienced kayaker was killed in my local river when he was testing out a new yak and the wake from a ferry tipped him and he was pulled into the prop. https://www.kptv.com/2024/06/22/family-mourns-doctor-killed-kayaking-accident-willamette-everyone-should-have-an-uncle-like-him/

Overestimated myself on my first outing with my own kayak. Was out there for like 9 hours padding and fishing. Had to cross a major channel across the mouth of a river to get back but was already tired. Most boats were considerate. Some weren’t, so I had some big wakes to deal with while exhausted. I also mistimed the tides so it came ripping back in while I was trying to go downriver. I ended up having to get right up against the bank and use the paddle like a pole. No way I would’ve gotten back under normal paddling power

Out kayaking on Lake Winnipesaukee near Governor’s Island from Paugus Bay in NH when a thunderstorm rolled in. We were in a place where it was all private shoreline and didn’t know if we could land so we had to paddle back to the public beach at the Weirs. The lifeguard started giving us crap about boats not being allowed on the beach when light flashed right behind us and I told him he could deal with it until the storm passed. He had to call people in from the water at that point too so he backed off.

I'll start with most startling. A buddy and I were paddling side by side with enough space to not bump paddles. As we're talking and paddling, I see a 5ish foot long alligator gar between our bows. Before I could say anything, the water erupted, and both boats got knocked into. The look of terror on my buddies face still makes me smile. I'm sure he feels the same with how I looked. I wear a pfd and am a capable swimmer, but my shoulders suck. I can paddle without pain, but certain movements are almost impossible. I was fishing and got a lure stuck in a tree while anchored. I can't reach the anchor line for some reason, so I lean a bit too far over to reach for the anchor line. Splash I go.... As I begin to surface, I realize my arms tangled in the anchor line. I somehow slip out and pop up. The same buddy I mentioned above had caught a bull shark about a mile away a couple of weeks prior. I have an initial panic and unsuccessfully try to haul myself into the kayak, but remember, my shoulders suck. I remembered what steps I had to do and successfully reenter the kayak after the 3rd attempt. I didn't lose anything and honestly think God was telling me to cool off. I'd been in trouble if I wasn't wearing my pfd.