My good friend Moulton Avery of the National Center for Cold Water Safety mentioned recently that perhaps it was time to revisit the Sea Conditions Rating System (SCRS) on this website. Since the sea is dangerous and unpredictable, I think he’s right, so here’s a post introducing the Sea Conditions Rating System.
River kayakers have the River Difficulty System which rates rivers from Class I (moving water with a few riffles) all the way up to Class VI which is extreme conditions with violent rapids requiring an expert team. Sailors have the Beaufort Scale, but neither of these rating systems apply to a small kayak in surf, caves, or rock gardens. To remedy this, Eric came up with a rating system for sea kayakers, and it works really well. You can access his article about this system in the link entitled “Articles” at the top of our website.
The most important thing to know about this system is that its primary function is to encourage kayakers to take time before setting out. Eric recommends accounting for the worst case scenario when using the scale. It’s worth pointing out that while your put in may be calm and mild, around the corner there could be big winds and/or seas. Or your take out may have breaking waves. This is what happened to us when we went on retreat last year. One should also account for the passage of time. For example, the tide ebbs and flows, and winds and swells typically, but not always, pick up in the afternoon. Fog can roll in, and if you’re out for a long time, fatigue can become a factor.
There are ten factors to consider when using the SCRS. The first is water temperature. You add one point for each degree below 72 degrees Fahrenheit up to a maximum of 40 points. Water temperature starts at 72 degrees because that is a temperature most people are comfortable swimming in. Cold water is the number one killer of paddlers, so it receives a lot of weight in the algorithm. You also automatically add twenty points if you’re paddling in rocks.
Each factor should be addressed thoughtfully if you’re solo; if you’re in a group the factors should be discussed as a team till consensus is reached. When you’ve totaled the points for each factor, add them up and divide by twenty to get the class level.
In the SCRS article, Eric offers a detailed exploration of each factor. He gives a sample scenario so you can see how the system works, and he also uses the scale to assess his own experience kayaking across San Francisco Bay in storm sea conditions. When all the factors are considered those conditions rated a Class 6! He probably shouldn’t have been out there that day. But he lived, and went on to create the SCRS so others can avoid preventable life or death experiences.
Eric winds up the article with some caveats and encourages people to take the time and effort to assess the complex factors which affect us on the unpredictable sea. It’s true that we are often eager (nervous?) before we launch and it’s easy to look out and go, oh yeah, great day, let’s go! But maybe you were scouting from a bluff, and things look a lot different, i.e. bigger, from the beach. Or maybe you just watched the ocean for five minutes or so and you didn’t see the gynormous set that came in right after you turned your back.
Please check out the SCRS. Share it with your friends. You’ll enjoy this article!
We’d love to hear your feedback on the SCRS! Please tell us your thoughts by clicking below.
Lots of really good points, especially about changing conditions. As sea kayakers, we know by experience that conditions can deteriorate within a few short minutes. Thanks, Nancy!
Hey Tony, glad you liked the SCRS. I really had fun looking at photos and doing the math. One thing about this rating system is that it tends to up the danger level of a scenario, but that’s actually realistic based on the changing conditions you mention. It’s hard to rate a sea kayaking scenario because unlike on a river, so many things can change. The longer you’re out, the more things can happen, and as you point out things can change very quickly. By rating a situation higher than it might initially appear kayakers can pause and plan well.
Hi, Nancy
I hope you are well. I’m writing to request use of this article and the SCRS for use in my sea kayaking classes at Prescott College (www.prescott.edu). I’d like to print it in a handbook students would use on the course – as we are usually far from internet sources on our expeditions. I’ve been aware of the SCRS for many years – first reading about it in Sea Kayaker Magazine, and I’ve referred to it as I’ve taught students about risk assessment in sea kayaking.
On a personal note, I want you to know that I found out about Eric’s death shortly after I was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm in 2013. Then and now, I strive to live as full of a life as Eric did. I had my aneurysm repaired in 2017. I just completed my second circumnavigation of Isla Tiburon with students after 7 years away from kayaking and expeditionary leadership.
Regards,
Dave
Hello, Dave! So good to hear from you! Absolutely, please use this article and the SCRS in your sea kayaking classes. We are happy to contribute anything we can to the furthering of safety in sea kayaking, and we believe the SCRS is a valuable tool for assessing conditions. Just give us credit, that’s all we ask. Also, if it’s not too much, I’d love to have one of your handbooks. I’m happy to pay for it. The other Rangers would love to see it, and we might even do an article on your classes and how you’re teaching them if you’d be okay with that. I can send you my mailing address via email if you’re willing to part with one of the books.
Thanks too for the update on your aneurysm. I am so glad you’re still kayaking and teaching. Eric had three surgeries total, and was heading for two more when he died. His Aorta just kept shredding and it was his time, but it’s good to know his legacy is alive and well.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting. Please let me know if I can have a handbook. All the best,
Nancy