Listened to Lab Rat foiler (in conversation with James Casey) a few days ago, and earlier today the Generic Foiling Podcast. Both touched on this scary scenario of failing into the PW and it wrapping around body, legs, arms, face etc.

Any tips for self rescue? Can one practice or do drills? At my local swimming pool?

Yes, I'm getting a kite knife.. but wonder how effective it is. Do I need a different knife? A scissor ? Wolverine gloves?

Gav, Gwen, Cynthia! Your next video on this please? Or maybe the Swiss dude (with the enormous 'flava-safa') from SupBoarder Mag! He's hilarious!

This is serious. All info welcome.. don't want to die in a trash bag!

I wear a Vaikobi v4 PFD and a hook knife in my Ozone stash belt. I think that's about the safety you need (or can get). I feel a lot safer with the PFD when far out. Just stay away from breaking waves and you'll be fine.

I think it's less of a risk with smaller parawings (shorter lines).

It's a bit freaky when it occurs, but it is not like a kite that could power up and the lines become im-moveable.

I have fallen into the pwings a few times and had lines around my neck and shoulders. First thing is to not panic and just get to the surface so you can breathe even with the wing over your head, then patiently remove one line at time.

Panicking with that many lines could quickly become a real issue. If it is concern for you, wear a PFD, that will at least get you to the surface.

I'll give some steps to hopefully avoid using a hookknife - but I'll say it here first. Don't hesitate to cut lines and ruin a parawing if it means survival. And be prepared to also cut the canopy fabric if it's wrapped around your face.

Anyway, non-hook knife tips if you get tangled in the parawing:

- First priority is to clear the fabric from your face so that you can breath.
- Next make sure that you can freely move your arms. Even if you have lines wrapped around your face and neck, the chances of it reinflating and doing any strangulation that way feels fairly slim (but be aware that most parawings will sink after a while, you don't want that dragging you under). Once a parawing is down and in the water, it generally stays down rather than reinflating.
- Once your arms are mobile, prioritize getting back onto your board. Awkwardly clamber on if you have to. At this point the parawing is probably still an absolute cluster**** and may be wrapped around your shoulders, torso, leash whatever. Just get floating. Catch your breath and assess.

That's the bare minimum. Even if you still have it tangled around limbs, leashes etc, you can probably paddle in at this point and try to sort it out on dry land. Try to trap as much fabric as possible underneath your chest as you paddle in - stop it from scooping water.

If conditions are mild and you're happy to float there to sort out the mess, work on getting the fabric and lines free from your body - don't worry about the later task of untangling the lines from each other or the canopy. Prioritize separating it from your body. Consider taking off your leash as you do this - sometimes you'll also have to take the leash off the board too.


Bonus notes on detangling a parawing - applicable for any situation, not just for after you fall into it and have followed the above steps.

1. Your first step is to get a clear canopy. Don't worry about the lines tangled with themselves or the bar. Just focus on the canopy first. Make sure the tips are free, make sure there aren't any "line-overs" where there is a line running behind the canopy and over the leading edge (it looks like the canopy is "pinched").

2. Once your canopy is free, it helps to power up the parawing a bit - if the lines are a little tensioned it helps you see the steps you need to take to detangle them. If the parawing & lines are limp in the water, you can't see what needs to happen, and you run the risk of further tangles - you also run the risk of the canopy getting tangled in the lines again. Be prepared for the parawing to behave really weirdly with a line tangle - it will jump up and down, veer left and right, and controls may be completely opposite for depower etc. It's okay, you'll get used to how to counter those movements with experience as you detangle.

3. Next, you'll take a "top-down" approach to systematically untangling the cascades (A-Cascade (front lines), B-Cascade (middle lines), C-Cascade (rear lines). You don't have to fix everything at once - take it one thing at a time, it's generally harder to make the tangles worse if you take a second to look at the lines. You'll basically be doing one of the following movements:

- There will be a super obvious line "sitting on top" of the lines that should not be there, and you just pick it up and pull it back over the bar so it's no longer on top. It doesn't have to go where it's supposed to immediately - just not on top.
- The second movement takes some knowing what to look for, but you'll quickly learn that you can "thread" the entire bar back through a gap in the lines and it will immediately solve the bulk of your tangles. From there you might have to pick a few lines off the top and you're golden. It's important to note that you generally won't see the obvious "re-thread gaps" in the lines with this technique unless the lines are tensioned. You'll know it when you see it. It's kind of like the cat's cradle games that kids play with string.

Basically you'll alternate these two movements bit by bit until you have a free bar! Lastly, you may have to "spin" the bar (like you're screwing a corkscrew) if just the middle lines are looped around the bar and nothing else.

If you want to practice on a light wind day, exchange parawings with your friend and try to **** up their lines super bad before giving them back to each other, then work on detangling them.

And I can't say this enough - if your parawing lines have tension, it's much easier to figure out how to detangle them. OBVIOUSLY THIS ONLY COUNTS WHEN YOU'RE SEPERATED FROM YOUR PARAWING. Don't be stupid and intentionally try to power up your parawing if YOU are tangled with IT.

Select to expand quote

zarb said..
I'll give some steps to hopefully avoid using a hookknife - but I'll say it here first. Don't hesitate to cut lines and ruin a parawing if it means survival. And be prepared to also cut the canopy fabric if it's wrapped around your face.

Anyway, non-hook knife tips if you get tangled in the parawing:

- First priority is to clear the fabric from your face so that you can breath.
- Next make sure that you can freely move your arms. Even if you have lines wrapped around your face and neck, the chances of it reinflating and doing any strangulation that way feels fairly slim (but be aware that most parawings will sink after a while, you don't want that dragging you under). Once a parawing is down and in the water, it generally stays down rather than reinflating.
- Once your arms are mobile, prioritize getting back onto your board. Awkwardly clamber on if you have to. At this point the parawing is probably still an absolute cluster**** and may be wrapped around your shoulders, torso, leash whatever. Just get floating. Catch your breath and assess.

That's the bare minimum. Even if you still have it tangled around limbs, leashes etc, you can probably paddle in at this point and try to sort it out on dry land. Try to trap as much fabric as possible underneath your chest as you paddle in - stop it from scooping water.

If conditions are mild and you're happy to float there to sort out the mess, work on getting the fabric and lines free from your body - don't worry about the later task of untangling the lines from each other or the canopy. Prioritize separating it from your body. Consider taking off your leash as you do this - sometimes you'll also have to take the leash off the board too.


Bonus notes on detangling a parawing - applicable for any situation, not just for when you fall into it (so this is assuming the parawing is tangled with iteself and not anything else):

1. Your first step is to get a clear canopy. Don't worry about the lines tangled with themselves or the bar. Just focus on the canopy first. Make sure the tips are free, make sure there aren't any "line-overs" where there is a line running behind the canopy and over the leading edge (it looks like the canopy is "pinched").

2. Once your canopy is free, it helps to power up the parawing a bit - if the lines are a little tensioned it helps you see the steps you need to take to detangle them. If the parawing & lines are limp in the water, you can't see what needs to happen, and you run the risk of further tangles - you also run the risk of the canopy getting tangled in the lines again. Be prepared for the parawing to behave really weirdly with a line tangle - it will jump up and down, veer left and right, and controls may be completely opposite for depower etc. It's okay, you'll get used to how to counter those movements with experience as you detangle.

3. Next, you'll take a "top-down" approach to systematically untangling the cascades (A-Cascade (front lines), B-Cascade (middle lines), C-Cascade (rear lines). You don't have to fix everything at once - take it one thing at a time, it's generally harder to make the tangles worse if you take a second to look at the lines. You'll basically be doing one of the following movements:

- There will be a super obvious line "sitting on top" of the lines that should be at the top, and you just pick it up and pull it back over the bar so it's no longer on top. It doesn't have to go where it's supposed to immediately - just not on top.
- The second movement takes some knowing what to look for, but you'll quickly learn that you can "thread" the entire bar back through a gap in the lines and it will immediately solve the bulk of your tangles. From there you might have to pick a few lines off the top and you're golden. It's important to note that you generally won't see the obvious "re-thread gaps" in the lines with this technique unless the lines are tensioned. You'll know it when you see it. It's kind of like the cat's cradle games that kids play with string.

If you want to practice on a light wind day, exchange parawings with your friend and try to **** up their lines super bad before giving them back to each other, then work on detangling them.

And I can't say this enough - if your parawing lines have tension, it's much easier to figure out how to detangle them. OBVIOUSLY THIS ONLY COUNTS WHEN YOU'RE SEPERATED FROM YOUR PARAWING. Don't be stupid and intentionally try to power up your parawing if YOU are tangled with IT.

Do you leash the parawing?

Select to expand quote

Faff said..

zarb said..
I'll give some steps to hopefully avoid using a hookknife - but I'll say it here first. Don't hesitate to cut lines and ruin a parawing if it means survival. And be prepared to also cut the canopy fabric if it's wrapped around your face.

Anyway, non-hook knife tips if you get tangled in the parawing:

- First priority is to clear the fabric from your face so that you can breath.
- Next make sure that you can freely move your arms. Even if you have lines wrapped around your face and neck, the chances of it reinflating and doing any strangulation that way feels fairly slim (but be aware that most parawings will sink after a while, you don't want that dragging you under). Once a parawing is down and in the water, it generally stays down rather than reinflating.
- Once your arms are mobile, prioritize getting back onto your board. Awkwardly clamber on if you have to. At this point the parawing is probably still an absolute cluster**** and may be wrapped around your shoulders, torso, leash whatever. Just get floating. Catch your breath and assess.

That's the bare minimum. Even if you still have it tangled around limbs, leashes etc, you can probably paddle in at this point and try to sort it out on dry land. Try to trap as much fabric as possible underneath your chest as you paddle in - stop it from scooping water.

If conditions are mild and you're happy to float there to sort out the mess, work on getting the fabric and lines free from your body - don't worry about the later task of untangling the lines from each other or the canopy. Prioritize separating it from your body. Consider taking off your leash as you do this - sometimes you'll also have to take the leash off the board too.


Bonus notes on detangling a parawing - applicable for any situation, not just for when you fall into it (so this is assuming the parawing is tangled with iteself and not anything else):

1. Your first step is to get a clear canopy. Don't worry about the lines tangled with themselves or the bar. Just focus on the canopy first. Make sure the tips are free, make sure there aren't any "line-overs" where there is a line running behind the canopy and over the leading edge (it looks like the canopy is "pinched").

2. Once your canopy is free, it helps to power up the parawing a bit - if the lines are a little tensioned it helps you see the steps you need to take to detangle them. If the parawing & lines are limp in the water, you can't see what needs to happen, and you run the risk of further tangles - you also run the risk of the canopy getting tangled in the lines again. Be prepared for the parawing to behave really weirdly with a line tangle - it will jump up and down, veer left and right, and controls may be completely opposite for depower etc. It's okay, you'll get used to how to counter those movements with experience as you detangle.

3. Next, you'll take a "top-down" approach to systematically untangling the cascades (A-Cascade (front lines), B-Cascade (middle lines), C-Cascade (rear lines). You don't have to fix everything at once - take it one thing at a time, it's generally harder to make the tangles worse if you take a second to look at the lines. You'll basically be doing one of the following movements:

- There will be a super obvious line "sitting on top" of the lines that should be at the top, and you just pick it up and pull it back over the bar so it's no longer on top. It doesn't have to go where it's supposed to immediately - just not on top.
- The second movement takes some knowing what to look for, but you'll quickly learn that you can "thread" the entire bar back through a gap in the lines and it will immediately solve the bulk of your tangles. From there you might have to pick a few lines off the top and you're golden. It's important to note that you generally won't see the obvious "re-thread gaps" in the lines with this technique unless the lines are tensioned. You'll know it when you see it. It's kind of like the cat's cradle games that kids play with string.

If you want to practice on a light wind day, exchange parawings with your friend and try to **** up their lines super bad before giving them back to each other, then work on detangling them.

And I can't say this enough - if your parawing lines have tension, it's much easier to figure out how to detangle them. OBVIOUSLY THIS ONLY COUNTS WHEN YOU'RE SEPERATED FROM YOUR PARAWING. Don't be stupid and intentionally try to power up your parawing if YOU are tangled with IT.

Do you leash the parawing?

Never. I use a stiff harness loop attached to the bar to use with a harness hook when I'm sailing upwind - that's it.

There's not really any purpose to a parawing leash. If you completely let go of a parawing it will hilariously shoot off downwind but will then sit politely in the water for you.

Select to expand quote

zarb said..
I'll give some steps to hopefully avoid using a hookknife - but I'll say it here first. Don't hesitate to cut lines and ruin a parawing if it means survival. And be prepared to also cut the canopy fabric if it's wrapped around your face.

Anyway, non-hook knife tips if you get tangled in the parawing:

- First priority is to clear the fabric from your face so that you can breath.
- Next make sure that you can freely move your arms. Even if you have lines wrapped around your face and neck, the chances of it reinflating and doing any strangulation that way feels fairly slim (but be aware that most parawings will sink after a while, you don't want that dragging you under). Once a parawing is down and in the water, it generally stays down rather than reinflating.
- Once your arms are mobile, prioritize getting back onto your board. Awkwardly clamber on if you have to. At this point the parawing is probably still an absolute cluster**** and may be wrapped around your shoulders, torso, leash whatever. Just get floating. Catch your breath and assess.

That's the bare minimum. Even if you still have it tangled around limbs, leashes etc, you can probably paddle in at this point and try to sort it out on dry land. Try to trap as much fabric as possible underneath your chest as you paddle in - stop it from scooping water.

If conditions are mild and you're happy to float there to sort out the mess, work on getting the fabric and lines free from your body - don't worry about the later task of untangling the lines from each other or the canopy. Prioritize separating it from your body. Consider taking off your leash as you do this - sometimes you'll also have to take the leash off the board too.


Bonus notes on detangling a parawing - applicable for any situation, not just for after you fall into it and have followed the above steps.

1. Your first step is to get a clear canopy. Don't worry about the lines tangled with themselves or the bar. Just focus on the canopy first. Make sure the tips are free, make sure there aren't any "line-overs" where there is a line running behind the canopy and over the leading edge (it looks like the canopy is "pinched").

2. Once your canopy is free, it helps to power up the parawing a bit - if the lines are a little tensioned it helps you see the steps you need to take to detangle them. If the parawing & lines are limp in the water, you can't see what needs to happen, and you run the risk of further tangles - you also run the risk of the canopy getting tangled in the lines again. Be prepared for the parawing to behave really weirdly with a line tangle - it will jump up and down, veer left and right, and controls may be completely opposite for depower etc. It's okay, you'll get used to how to counter those movements with experience as you detangle.

3. Next, you'll take a "top-down" approach to systematically untangling the cascades (A-Cascade (front lines), B-Cascade (middle lines), C-Cascade (rear lines). You don't have to fix everything at once - take it one thing at a time, it's generally harder to make the tangles worse if you take a second to look at the lines. You'll basically be doing one of the following movements:

- There will be a super obvious line "sitting on top" of the lines that should not be there, and you just pick it up and pull it back over the bar so it's no longer on top. It doesn't have to go where it's supposed to immediately - just not on top.
- The second movement takes some knowing what to look for, but you'll quickly learn that you can "thread" the entire bar back through a gap in the lines and it will immediately solve the bulk of your tangles. From there you might have to pick a few lines off the top and you're golden. It's important to note that you generally won't see the obvious "re-thread gaps" in the lines with this technique unless the lines are tensioned. You'll know it when you see it. It's kind of like the cat's cradle games that kids play with string.

Basically you'll alternate these two movements bit by bit until you have a free bar! Lastly, you may have to "spin" the bar (like you're screwing a corkscrew) if just the middle lines are looped around the bar and nothing else.

If you want to practice on a light wind day, exchange parawings with your friend and try to **** up their lines super bad before giving them back to each other, then work on detangling them.

And I can't say this enough - if your parawing lines have tension, it's much easier to figure out how to detangle them. OBVIOUSLY THIS ONLY COUNTS WHEN YOU'RE SEPERATED FROM YOUR PARAWING. Don't be stupid and intentionally try to power up your parawing if YOU are tangled with IT.

Thanks man! I think I'll play a bit in shallow water with the parawing, just laying it in front of me in the water and falling in it. Just seeing what it feels like having it on my body and face. Will lessen the panic when it happens out there.

As for board leash .. good point. I have a QR for that, but I would only QR it after sitting on the board trying to untangle / remove the PW from me. Of course if leash prevents me from getting back on board I'd QR

Good to know that one can breathe even with PW over the face or head (and PFD assist is key)

Thanks for sharing. It's good to sit and visualise scenarios at least so that when it happens a plan pops up

Select to expand quote

Thanks man! I think I'll play a bit in shallow water with the parawing, just laying it in front of me in the water and falling in it. Just seeing what it feels like having it on my body and face. Will lessen the panic when it happens out there.

As for board leash .. good point. I have a QR for that, but I would only QR it after sitting on the board trying to untangle / remove the PW from me. Of course if leash prevents me from getting back on board I'd QR

Good to know that one can breathe even with PW over the face or head (and PFD assist is key)

Thanks for sharing. It's good to sit and visualise scenarios at least so that when it happens a plan pops up

Practice tossing the parawing away from you on the water. You will find it hits the water and just sticks for the most part.

I've dropped it in the surf and got rolled by a wave, it is amazing how difficult it is to pull it out of the water, I think some real risk if you get rolled into the lines

Select to expand quote

bigtone667 said..

Thanks man! I think I'll play a bit in shallow water with the parawing, just laying it in front of me in the water and falling in it. Just seeing what it feels like having it on my body and face. Will lessen the panic when it happens out there.

As for board leash .. good point. I have a QR for that, but I would only QR it after sitting on the board trying to untangle / remove the PW from me. Of course if leash prevents me from getting back on board I'd QR

Good to know that one can breathe even with PW over the face or head (and PFD assist is key)

Thanks for sharing. It's good to sit and visualise scenarios at least so that when it happens a plan pops up

Practice tossing the parawing away from you on the water. You will find it hits the water and just sticks for the most part.

After I stopped using the leash (it made tangles unmanageable), the PW flying away is my biggest fear. I hold on with all my might.

Select to expand quote

bigtone667 said..
Practice tossing the parawing away from you on the water. You will find it hits the water and just sticks for the most part.

This trick is well tried and tested already, isn't it @MProject04 : ) Indeed, the PW just flies a bit (in a strong gust quite a bit actually, thanks for demonstrating how far it can go), and then waits there. But whenever possible, I try to never let go.

Select to expand quote

Taavi said..

bigtone667 said..
Practice tossing the parawing away from you on the water. You will find it hits the water and just sticks for the most part.

This trick is well tried and tested already, isn't it @MProject04 : ) Indeed, the PW just flies a bit (in a strong gust quite a bit actually, thanks for demonstrating how far it can go), and then waits there. But whenever possible, I try to never let go.

A picture of this moment exists!!?

Thanks Taavi! That's indeed my first session. Still learning to paddle with my head up like a cobra