Maritime NSW targets kayakers as NSW records 7 deaths on waterways

Kayaking’s soaring popularity during the Covid pandemic has led to a big spike in paddlecraft deaths on NSW’s waterways, leading authorities to launch an education blitz.

Kayaking’s explosion in popularity during the pandemic has led to a big spike in paddlecraft deaths on NSW’s waterways.

This year seven people have lost their lives on paddlecrafts — kayaks and canoes — up from two the previous year.

Layla Zabel, 26, from Ermington, always wears a life jacket when paddling her new kayak. Picture: Julian Andrews

The fatalities in 2021 included a 36-year-old man found dead in the Nepean River earlier this month. The man was seen struggling and going below water before he was found dead, without a life jacket.

Life jackets must be worn when paddling more than 100 metres from the nearest shore on enclosed waters, and at all times on open waters in NSW.

Lack of life jackets contributed to at least some of this year’s death toll.

With more kayaks on our waterways — and more calls for help from people in trouble — Maritime NSW has launched an education blitz targeting inexperienced paddlers.

Of the 10 paddlecraft deaths since 2019 eight were in kayaks, one in a canoe and one in an inflatable dinghy.

Maritime NSW officer Rianna James talks to kayaker Tom Sherlock and his group of friends.

In October, Peter Finch, 33, died saving his four-year-old son Jaxon after their kayak capsized at Gwandalan, near Lake Macquarie. Neither were wearing a life jacket.

In June, a four-year-old girl drowned in the Karuah River in the Hunter Region when a kayak overturned. She is the youngest death from kayaking in NSW in the past three years.

Four people aged between 25-39, two aged 40-49, and three over 65 have lost their lives since 2019.

Novice kayaker Layla Zabel, 26, purchased her kayak on a whim during the second Covid lockdown — all outdoor pursuits have boomed during Covid.

She was shocked to hear the deadly statistics.

Since starting the sport, Ms Zabel has had a few close calls that could have turned deadly if she hadn’t acted on advice from her more experienced friend to wear a life jacket.

“It started raining and the water became really choppy so the kayak started filling up with water … by the time I did get back to the wharf I was almost fully submerged in water,” she said.

Maritime NSW has launched an education blitz targeting inexperienced paddlers.

For Maritime NSW boating safety officers, these incidents are now all too common.

“We had six call-outs to help kayakers in distress in a two-day period, now I’ve never seen that scale in any campaign we’ve run,” Maritime NSW’s principal manager operations and compliance Chris Doolin said.

“Because of Covid, sales have increased and there’s definitely more kayakers on the water of every age and every experience range.”

Mr Doolin said inexperienced kayakers were getting caught in choppy Sydney Harbour waters after the weather turned for the worse.

Another common problem is kayakers is not checking the tides and getting fatigued when battling against the tide.

Tom Sherlock, a Sydney kayaker of more than 30 years, said often his group would have to help inexperienced paddlers in the harbour who capsized or got stuck.

Sydney Harbour Kayaks has seen a 58 per cent increase in rentals between July and October this year compared to 2020, and during the second lockdown, winter sales equalled those of mid-summer.

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Originally published as Maritime NSW targets kayakers as NSW records 7 deaths on waterways