Are inflatable kayaks safe in the sea is one of the frequent questions a lot of beginner and expert kayak users always ask.
Inflatable kayaks are not safe in the sea because they can be easily thrown off balance by strong sea waves, hypothermia can easily kill the user as kayaks do not have good coverage from extreme cold for the user.
When making use of a kayak, it is always in your best interest to use water bodies that are more stable.
This will guarantee the safety of the kayaking session as kayaks cannot withstand the strong waves the sea has.
In this guide, you will learn of the reasons why using an inflatable kayak is not safe in the sea or ocean.
Why Inflatable Kayaks Are Not Safe In The Sea, Ocean Or Turbulent Water Body
1) Large Sea Animals Can Easily Destroy An Inflatable Kayak
When someone ask are inflatable kayaks safe in the ocean? one of the things that flashes in my mind is the type of creatures that exist in the ocean.
When it comes to small and shallow water bodies, the type of water animals that are there is totally different from the big water bodies like the ocean or sea.
In the ocean or sea, there are sea creatures that are very large and dangerous.
This cuts across dangerous and carnivorous fishes like sharks.
Kayaking with an inflatable kayak in a sea or ocean filled with these dangerous creatures is like sending yourself out on a suicide mission.
The movement of these large sea animals close to your kayak is enough to make your kayak lose balance.
This is because when sea animals like sharks come to the surface of the ocean, they generate a lot of water imbalance in the water.
With a tiny inflatable kayak in such a water, the next thing will be a man overboard situation.
At worse cases, the carnivorous fish will end up eating the person in the kayak.
Such is a very bad experience.
That is why it is not safe to use an inflatable kayak on a sea or ocean.
2) Inflatable Kayaks Cannot Withstand Strong Sea Waves
On shallow and calm waters, the rate of water movement is moderate and slow.
But when it comes to sea or ocean water, the speed is not the same.
The speed of water movement in a sea or ocean is usually fast and dangerous for objects that cannot withstand it.
Such is the case of an inflatable kayak.
When an object that cannot withstand such magnitude of wave comes in contact with the wave, it loses balance.
In the case of an inflatable kayak, it will easily capsize.
This is one of the most dangerous experience that occurs when someone is kayaking on the water.
To avoid this, make sure that you use your inflatable kayak on a water body that is stable and does not run too fast.
This will help make your kayak session more safe and enjoyable.
3) Inflatable Kayaks Cannot Protect a User From Extreme Cold
One of the things you will encounter in the ocean or sea is a change in temperature.
This is often very cold a lot of times.
But irrespective of this level of cold, large vessels like cargo ships and cruisers are still able to drive without any health hazard to its passengers.
The reason is that they have means of controlling the temperature inside the ship.
This makes the ship more safe and healthy for passengers to stay in.
But when it comes to the case of a kayak, this is very different.
This is because a kayak is open and cannot shield its user from terrible cold that exist when you are on the sea.
Such is very dangerous when someone is exposed to it for a long period of time.
This leads to a health problem called hypothermia.
When someone suffers from this, it leads to the reduction in the temperature of the body.
Due to this, some organs in the body start to malfunction.
As the cold gets worse, these vital organs like the brain in the body completely malfunctions and this leads to death.
That is why it is not safe to kayak in the sea or ocean.
4) Inflatable Kayaks Are Not Resistant To Lightening
One of the things that cause damage to people on land and also people in the sea is when lightning strikes.
This is why kayaking on an ocean is not safe.
This can be very dangerous when you do not have a mechanism in place that neutralizes its powers.
When lightning strikes, the power that follows is a massive voltage that can easily bring havoc.
This is seen on land and even when someone is on the water like a sea or ocean.
On land, when there is lightning, it can easily destroy the electronic components in the house if there is no mechanism to neutralize its effects.
But when you have the necessary mechanism to neutralize its effects, it will render no harm to you.
Such mechanisms and devices to neutralize the powers of a lightning is present in large boats and cargo ships that use the sea and ocean more often.
But the thing is that small water objects like a kayak do not have these type of technology in place.
That is because they are not built to be used in extremely risky environments like the surface of a sea or ocean.
When a lightning meets a person in a kayak, it is always a total destruction.
That is why you have to avoid turbulent waters like the sea or ocean with your kayak.
Those waters are meant for the big players like large cruisers or cargo ships.
5) Kayaking In An Ocean Is Energy Draining
Another thing that makes using a kayak on a sea not safe is that kayaking on the sea is very energy draining.
When you kayak on a calm and stable water, it is easy to keep your kayak moving in the direction that you want.
But when it comes to the case of using an ocean or a sea, this is not always the same.
This is because water movement on the sea or ocean is more turbulent than that of a shallow and stable water.
Due to this, it will demand more effort from the kayak user to make sure that the kayak is going the right direction that the kayak user wants.
This makes the kayaking session more energy demanding for the person using the kayak.
As time goes on, the user will eventually get tired due to fatigue in the hand.
6) No Landmass Nearby
Have you ever been in the middle of an ocean?
One of the things you will discover is that you cannot have any sight of a land mass.
What you will see is just the water connecting with the sky on all the sides.
When a boat is in such a situation, it is always easy to navigate back to a land area.
That is because a boat has a lot of sophisticated devices to keep track of its destination and where it is.
But these are not present in a kayak.
In such an instance, it will be hard for you to return to land when you are kayaking on a sea without a device like a gps.
This is very dangerous as if you want to use a trial by error method, you may even be going deeper into the ocean.
In such a case, your chances of surviving is very slim as you might end up wandering for days without success.
That is why you have to make sure that you make use of a kayak on places where it is designed to function well.
This includes slow moving waters that are less turbulent in wave speed.
This will help make your kayaking moments a safe and enjoyable one.
Are Inflatable Kayaks Safe In The Sea Or Ocean When Using a Life Jacket?
A life jacket is one of the essential things you have to use when you kayak.
This is because it protects you from drowning should in case you fall from your kayak.
But surviving a man overboard situation on a slow moving water is easier than when the water is very fast.
In an ocean or sea, the water current is very turbulent.
Using a life jacket will not safe you from some of the dangers like contacting hypothermia due to prolonged exposure to cold.
That is why you have to avoid turbulent water bodies like the sea or ocean when you are having a fun moment with your kayak.
Conclusion
If you still wonder are inflatable kayaks safe in the sea or ocean? this lesson has really taken time to answer that.
What you have to do to maintain safety when you kayak is to make sure that you kayak on water bodies that are stable.
This will reduce the chances of getting hurt when you kayak.
It will also protect your kayak from damage.
Further Reading
Ways On How To Clean Your Kayak