Paddle Canada’s opinion on PFD usage
First, a bit of the back story… For the past few months, Bob Purdy from Paddle for the Planet and Stefan Idzan from Kelowna have been leading a grassroots push to change Transport Canada’s PFD laws for stand up paddle boards.
Reason being is that current Transport Canada regulations, in a nutshell, state that a stand up paddler must have an approved PFD attached to their board or wear an approved PFD while on the water, with no mention of a leash.
Bob and Stefan have been petitioning loudly on this matter, as they strongly feel that Transport Canada should recognize the wearing of either a leash, or a PFD should be the choice of the paddler depending on conditions:
The wording of the regulation has resulted in the common practice of SUP board users placing a PFD on the top surface of their board simply to appease law enforcement. Paddle for the Planet views this practice as being unsafe for the reason that the effectiveness of the PFD is negated due to the fact that the user is not required to be attached to the board holding the PFD and is at risk of becoming separated from both the board and the PFD if the user falls in the water.
Paddle for the Planet is spearheading an effort to have the Canadian Marine Advisory Council (CMAC) and Transport Canada recognize the use of a standard surf-style board leash as a suitable substitute safety device for the current PFD requirement as it provides the user with a readily accessible, inherently buoyant safety device that reduces the likelihood of personal injury or death in a manner that exceeds the level of safety afforded to the user under the current requirement of a PFD (worn or not) and no board leash.
(Source: PaddleForThePlanet.ca)
Stefan has also compiled a research brief demonstrating the leash as a reasonable alternative safety device to the PFD. Check it out here, definitely a worthwhile read.
So back in September, after receiving a number of emails from concerned stand up paddlers agreeing with Bob and Stefan’s position, Transport Canada requested the advice of Paddle Canada, a Canadian kayaking and canoeing organization.
After consulting their community of kayakers and canoeists, Paddle Canada’s governing board chose to ignore Bob and Stefan’s findings and formed the opinion that stand up paddlers should wear PFD’s at all times Click here to read the document detailing Paddle Canada’s opinion.
In fact, Paddle Canada’s board even went so far as to say “We feel that the combination of the two (PFD and the paddleboard leash) normally represents the safest overall option, given the risks of this rapidly growing paddle sport”… But that’s a whole other argument best left for another time.
So from here, Transport Canada will be making a decision on the matter sometime soon but it’s not too late for your voice to be heard.
To the casual observer, this might all seem like a minor point, but PFD usage is a major issue for stand up paddleboard enthusiasts.
Here are a few more of the hot topics:
- Stand up paddleboarding involves a significant amount of cardio work, and wearing a PFD makes for a sufficiently awkward and uncomfortable experience.
- While waist pack inflatable PFD’s are a legal and a reasonably comfortable option, arguments can be made to show that a simple leash is a superior safety device. Why bother with the added complexity and considerable cost ($100+) of an inflatable PFD, when a $20 leash can be shown to be just as, and even more effective than an inflatable PFD?
- If you were to fall off your board in windy conditions, where would you rather be… Connected to your board, or bobbing in the ocean wearing a PFD with your board nowhere in sight?
- Paddle Canada’s take on the matter… “PC requires that PFD’s are worn for all paddling programs including SUP.” (Source). This blanket statement applies ALL programs, including surf. If you’ve ever surfed, you know this is a ridiculous implication and seems to illustrates Paddle Canada’s inexperience with surfing oriented sports.
You CAN make a difference here. Through this grassroots effort, Bob has managed to gather attention and start the dialog, and it’s now up to us to ensure fair and reasonable regulations are set in place to help grow this sport in the right direction.
Please post up here in the comments section, and be sure to visit PaddleForThePlanet.ca/PFD and tell Transport Canada know how you feel about this issue! And while you’re at it, get in touch with Paddle Canada to give them your thoughts on PFD/leash usage.
I strongly agree with Bob Purdy and Stefan Idzan
Paddle Canada should just stay the hell out of SUP, its run by a bunch of kayakers who have little or no SUP experience. PFD’s in the surf are just plain dangerous.
I saw this happen to BMX when the Canadian Cycling Association took ‘control’ of operations. They lost 12 clubs in one day and dorked out the sport. This can’t happen to SUP in Canada.
Yes I also strongly agree with Bob and Stefan. Unfortunately PC is involved with SUP in Canada and has a lot of pull due to there “experience” in the paddling community. Sup is still a very new sport especially in Canada and is gone to have some growing pains. Hopefully the CMAC will not only listen to PC but also to the others directly involved in the industry in order to come up with the right legislation for this sport and not just lump it in with other similar/related sports. I believe in the freedom of choice and think that with a little education the individual should be able to make the correct choice for there ability and the conditions while enjoying the sport of SUP. The wrong decision could greatly affect this sport in Canada and its rapid growth continuing into the future. Nice comparison Kevin to BMX a while back, Don’t let this happen to SUP. Anybody and everybody involved in the SUP world should be contacting PC and the CMAC and telling them politely and professionally there opinions on this NOW. Your voice needs to be heard and can make a difference.
While PFDs certainly have their place, I strongly disagree that they should be mandatory for use while stand up paddling. I would much rather be able to paddle efficiently and be attached to a 10′ + buoyant object, than be forced to wear a PFD.
It’s great to see a dialogur happening, the stronger the voice, the better the regulation will be when it is finally changed! Voice your opinion and concerns to Paddle Canada, Transport Canada and CMAC (Canadian Marine Advisory Council), they want your input!
I can’t believe this issue is being debated. The whole surf boarding and SUP sport is based on using a leash and having freedom of movement. The people insisting on PFD’s for SUPs should be required to learn and experience stand-up-paddling before they have the privilege of setting the rules for the sport. I am sure that they would quickly change their minds if they actually experienced Stand-Up-Paddling. Wearing a PFD would ruin SUP for me – having a PFD sitting on the board would be of not much use as it would likely take much more effort to find and put on the PFD than it would to just pull on the leash and grab the board. I hope the folks in charge of making the rules are reasonable and will listen to the people who know what SUP is about.
Hey Bob,
I sent an email to PC, and CMAC with my concerns over the PFD issue. I really don’t think that PC has the best interests of SUP at hand, they just see us as extra members and revenue. I also have some issues with them sending out certified PC SUP instructors that have little to almost no SUP experience, like what was done last weekend in Nova Scotia. Pretty bad that a SUP instructor doesn’t even own a board.
I have to agree that Paddle Canada may not have SUP’s growth and interest in mind, but they do have some great Instructor Trainers like Norm and Bodie, who are great for the sport. PC should seek the advice of people like this. I think making leashes law is great, I’m not sure that eliminating PFD’s is the way to go though…
I’m all about being true to the roots of the sport and how nice it is to have the freedom of movement, but lets keep in mind that not everyone on a paddleboard will have the skill, confidence, or even swimming/water safety ability that most frequent paddlers do. I do think that surfing should have some different guidelines, but I think that alot of SUP in Canada is taking place on inland lakes, ponds, and rivers.
I’m in the emergency services in a community surrounded by water and I know that when you trust that the average person will have common sense, bad things happen.
On a personal note I don’t even notice the waistpack pfd and as far as cost its the cheapest part of my SUP investment!
I’ll save it for another day but we could go into the ineffectiveness of waistpacks if you wack your head or take in a mouthful of water before deploying it.
Sorry for the novel.
Wearing a PFD while surfing in particular is not only stupid, it is absolutely and horrendously dangerous. I have been a surfer for most of my 47 years and have surfed everything from canoes, kayaks, boogie boards, shortboards and longboards in waves from ankle to double overhead. I have popped up too early on a couple of occasions while I was learning to surf shortboards and was clocked by a 7lb surfboard that just about opened my skull up like a can opener. Wearing a PFD is just dangerous and potentially lethal. You cannot get under the water and avoid the 20-30lb board from striking you at speed when wearing a PFD. This is ridiculous and I won’t do it. Let me have my day in court. It would be easy to prove to a judge how idiotic this law is! If someone argues that they wear PFDs at Peahi, well that is to reduce a 30ft hold down where the last thing Laird Hamilton is worried about is getting hit by his 5lb shortboard let alone a 25lb SUP.
Asking a canoe and kayak body to rule on surfing? What kind of pseudo academic weenie thought of that? Maybe we could ask Sydney Crosby, or Justin Bieber for that fact, they have just as much knowledge as the yahoos who made a recomendation about something they know nothing about.
Word to Chris B!
It is absolutely ridiculous to dumb down a sport through certification/over regulation so more people with little or no experience can get involved without earning their stripes through hours of experience. This is what tends to naturally produce proper judgment (of course there are always exceptions but we’ll leave that to Darwin).
Pushing people through certification courses for the sake of making a few bucks is the worst thing to happen to any sport, and it couldn’t be truer in the case of Paddle Canada getting involved in SUP. I’ve witnessed more than a few newly minted “SUP Instructors” paddle around my area and good god…the only reason they have that cert now is because they paid their fee.
As far as safety is concerned, the industry needs to be encouraging individuals to take responsibility for their own safety based on their own ability levels. I wonder what the crew in Maui would say if some safety obsessed cert junkie started lecturing them about wearing a PFD before putting in for a Maliko run?
Is it not ironic that in the latest issue of KANAWA (Paddle Canada’s own magazine) they show pictures of stand up paddler (and certified instructor) Bodie Shandro front and centre after crossing ‘the channel of bones’ sans PFD? Yes, I know that he had a support boat, but this supports the argument that with experience comes good judgment and Bodie has both, which is why he is fine with crossing a dangerous body of water without a PFD…but in our nanny state of Canada that would be breaking the law and subject to a fine.
Chris B: The issue is not 30 foot hold-downs in Peahi, let’s be realistic here. The more realistic issue is inexperienced “Joe paddler” losing his board while paddling on his home lake in the interior of Canada and drowning. Before consulting Justin Beiber and Sidney Crosby maybe we should take a step back and try not to exaggerate the issue.
A hurricane does not recognize man made borders. In the same vane safety will not recognize any law that is on the books. Nothing replaces common sense when it comes to safety. There is more to safety than the wearing of a pfd or a leash. Safety is an attitude, best served with experience, although required by all levels of ability on all bodies of water. If successful in getting leashes recognized as a safety device, the issue doesn’t end there. What about cold water safety? Surf safety, as has already been mentioned? Rivers? Should it be mandatory for a paddler to check water, wind, weather and ability before heading out? Absolutely! Do we need Transport Canada, CMAC or Paddle Canada to legislate these things? Absolutely not. The regulations exist to provide a minimum of safety by a governing body that is a fact of life in Canada. That governing body needs to be informed in clear and concise terms or we will all be contributing hard earned dollars to the coffers of the uninformed.
Mike – Not exaggerating at all, for surfers, who surf, on a coast, with waves. I want to be able to get under the water and away from a board, and stay there until I hear the thwap of my board hitting the water. No drama, no embellishments. The United States are looking at what I consider a pretty decent idea. Their recommendation is to wear a life jacket if not in a designated swimming area with a lifeguard (not that Canadian lifeguards would allow that) or in surf zones. Surfing as a sport is still in its infancy in Canada, there might be a thousand surfers in Canada, and only a couple hundred that surf throughout the winter when the surf is actually decent, while there are millions of surfers in the US. I am thinking that the US trumps Canada for corporate knowledge in this regard and perhaps we should look to our southern cousins to see how they manage it and not place our recommendations for regulations in the hands of a governing body that knows nothing about the sport. I agree with Bob, wholeheartedly, it’s about the conditions. If I was to venture down a rapid on a SUP board, I would opt for a PFD at the risk of getting thwapped any day. My one consolation is knowing well that the police have a lot better things to do than chase me down in a surf zone to give me a ticket for not wearing my PFD. Oh, and I vote for Bob as President of SUP Canada, you nailed it dude.
I strongly support the position of Bob Purdy and Stefan Idzan that PFD’s should not be mandoatory for SUP’s. I white water kayak, surf, windsurf and kiteboard. I always wear a PFD and helmet when white water kayaking and windsurfing in high winds. However SUP is different. It should be categorized as a surfboard with no PFD regulation. It should be left up to the individual to decide if a PFD is appropiate. Sometimes I am SUPing for exercise in calm lake water and it is 30 C. It makes no sense to have a PFD on at this time and it is usless to have it attached to the deck.
No one will ever regulate surfers be it sup or prone. The Coast Guard or police will not even question you if you have the intent to surf.
PFDs are for body recovery on the west coast they do not save lives in the ocean, if you think they do put on your mustang PFD paddle out 150 yards in a pair of trunks kick your sup away and try to swim back to shore, then respond to this…. proper wetsuits and leashes well thats just common sense.I can’t remember the last time a surfer drowned around here.
If your Sup ing on a lake.. well your bound to those rules you should have a pfd,whistle,throw rope,cell phone,travel plan,lights, helmet, be paddle Canada certified,drive a SUV Blah blah blah… kooks
Having just bought a SUP for my wife after we rented in Maui in November I was shocked to learn of this regulation for wearing PFDs back here. Has anyone seen the surf in Hawaii? Guess what, NO PFDs there!! Leash for sure, but a PFD, that is just plain ridiculous.
Thanks for being the voice of the real stand up paddle surfers!
you are all nuts. who will be the first dork sup rider to die because they went down a white water river without a pfd and/or a helmet and hits his head on a rock and dies! you types are all about bravado and bullshit. the guy who mentioned darwin is right, just remove yourself from the gene pool and improve the breed. by the way i am one hell of a wild windsurfer for twenty five years and ALWAYS wear a pfd.
I could not believe Transport Canada and the paddle association that was asked for its’ view could be so out of touch on this issue.I use a SUP on a glacier fed lake and know that after approx 3 mins of immersion one loses all feelings in limbs and hypothermia sets in shortly thereafter.It would be negligent to use a PFD in these circumstances(in lieu of a foot leash) and I wonder if there would be an action against the government for injury or loss of life in such circumstances.
I have practised falling off my board and re mounting it using the foot leash.It is simple , quick and without risk.My lake is not well populated and if one were to use a pfd it is not likely rescue from a 3rd party would occur or occur on a timely basis thus serious injury or death is a real possibility.Maybe someone from Transport Canada of the paddle association would like to give it a try.
TC is absolutely out of their league and jurisdiction on this matter. First off, if a particular individual doesn’t have the skills to swim safely, they should not be taking part in a recreational activity on the water where the very act of swimming is essential to their safety and others around them. If someone is interested in SUP on a river, then a swift water rescue course is essential, akin to backcountry skiing and an avalanche course. It’s for the safety of not only your own but the others in your group. Surfing is another issue and a PFD requirement hinders one’s very ability to surf safely. This is absolutely ridiculous.
just have found this post
just my opinion, for future reader
1- TC do not require a pfd in the surf zone (so no need a pfd, rope, etc for surfing)
2- A leash is a must, pfd or no. TC should put that in their stuff
3- They make pfd for paddling (shorter and all) so it’s not in the way when you do SUP
4- If they don’t require pfd for ALL SUP activity, there’ll be people drowning.
4.1 – Require a pfd ” on the vessel ” and not necessary on the PEOPLE is dumb, even in kayak, canoe, etc. People actually die because they can’t reach the pfd when they capsize.. lol, useful law…
5- Don’t know for little lake, but in the sea for coastal SUP, a PDF is not too much, and you can put food in it, it’s fun
6- I don’t think Paddle Canada are just kayaker who know nothing, if you think that you can try to contact them to change things. Certification are not just for the money, at the base, it’s a good thing to instruct people about everything about SUP and to teach them good stroke technic so they can paddle well and have fun. Why you don’t become great SUP instructor ?
7- More than the PFD, you need to wear clothes for the water temperature, not for the 30-degres-in-the-sun-sittin on the board temperature, remember that
8- Maybe law have change since, but I had time to loose, can’t go in SUP right now ! 🙂 Have a nice day
Are you kidding me? They want stand-up paddlers to wear PFD? The board IS a PFD. What’s next, surfers will be legally required to wear life jackets? Do they have any idea how unsafe that is? To not be able to dive under a wave is NOT SAFE. Whether I’m surfing a wave on a stand-up paddle board or on a surf board, I need to be able to dive under a wave. Not being able to dive under a wave is a huge hazard. It’s simple, wear a leash and you’re attached to a huge personal flotation device. This paddling group should exert power over something they know nothing about. Surfers and SUPers who wear wetsuits have the added buoyancy from the wetsuit, and protection from the effects of cooler water temperatures, unlike other paddlers who aren’t dressed to actually be IN the water. Furthermore, a life jacket obstructs your movement and agility on a stand-up paddle board, placing the individual at further risk as their manouvers may be compromised. ASI the international SUP school finds the leash is an adequate safety measure. I can see the desire to wear a helmet during white water rapid SUPing, however I think that the individual should be able to use their good judgement when choosing the appropriate safety equipment for themselves. If someone who can’t swim is SUPing, maybe they should learn how to swim first. If a place forced me to wear safety equipment that I didn’t think was safe, I’d either fight it in court or move to a place that’s not so controlling.