Everyone has the occasional swim that happens while you're out of sight. You're friends are either up or down river of you. Most of the time this happens when you're in some class II stuff between the bigger rapids. For me, it's usually some small ledge hole or a "gotcha" rock that causes me to flip and part company with the boat. Very embarrassing
You're paddling friends don't see you flip over. If you're very adept at self-rescue, like most seasoned open boaters, you get over to the bank quickly. You drain the boat and hop back in before they round the bend upstream. If this happens to me I don't tell anyone in my group. Especially if they're in kayaks. We get enough teasing from the butt boaters as it is.
When we get to the take-out someone might say "Well, we didn't have any swims today" or " I had a dry head day". I keep quiet if I've had an "unseen swim" on that trip. That's my little secret.
Last Sunday afternoon we paddled up to the public take-out on the Ocoee. It had been a great fall day on the river with few rafts and beautiful weather. I commented that no one in our group swam today. Being amongst an all open boat group, one fellow admitted to an "unseen swim". No one teased him. In fact we were surprised at how fast he caught back up with us after his swim above Flipper.
So, my fellow T-grip paddlers, does this ever happen to you? You can confess your swims. You're amongst friends here. The Rev. Jerry Swimwell says it's good to confess your swims.
I had my first swim in two years this summer I was back in the OC this summer. The day after making all of my rolls on the Nolichucky I found myself under the canoe in Lost Guide on the Pigeon. I had forgotten to tighten my thigh strap at the put-in & as soon as I finished beating rocks into submission with my head I set up, snapped & out comes my knee...followed by the rest of me
During the downriver portion of the combined event at OC Slalom Nats I hit a rock, flipped and beat a bunch of rocks into submission with my head. I was using my bent-shaft outrigger paddle & everytime I tried to set up to roll the blade would dive. After 4 or 5 failed attempts (all the while beating more rocks into submission with my head) I decided to swim. Later that day, during my 2nd slalom run. I had missed gate 2 (how in the world do you miss gate 2!?!). When I got in the eddy for gate 10 (the upstream beside the wave) I saw that the next boat had not started. With a good run already on the books, my first 50 of the event & a little extra time, I decided to surf. I filled the boat & flipped as I peeled off of the wave. Finally, I made my roll
Remember, no matter how long it's been since you swam we're all just between swims.
As a skateboarding frind of mine said, in that scene, "if nobody saw it, it didn't happen". I think that applies to swims. Unfortunately he also said it applies to cool, intentional moves
Personally, I'd prefer folks I'm paddling with see my swims...that way I know they're paying attention!
I don't swim as often as I used to, mostly because I've gotten better skirts (bad skirt+low cut boat=submarine...arooga, arooga, Dive, Dive!).
This year I did have too good experiences: One swimming out of the wheelboy (caught in a looong wave train just before a bridge pilon and bad timing (kept trying to roll just in the trough...by the time I was up the crest of the wave was tossing me over again....sigh). My wife was right there, and much more concerned than I. But now I know I can easily swim out of the wheelboy, and that knowledge is worth a lot of piece of mind.
The other was a non-swim...it was the first time I've taken a really hard hit when upside-down in a long while. Thankfully I have a good helmet. Thankfully I still have all my teeth....I was tucked up against the deck and washed down against a rock hard right after I went over (unintentional bow stall as I recall (Sith)). Unfortunatley the Sith cockpit rim is right at upper teeth level for me (Martin's anyway).
Thankfully I still rolled right up, though I did tweak my sholder a little....it was a looooong low brace to get back up
My roll is 99.5% but I've broken a blade blunting(carbon blade...twice last year, must have had some micro fractures from creeking) swam both times, I've got stripped right out of my CU fly windowshading in garb on the Ottawa(before I installed a lap belt) swam. Tweeking the outfitting of my G-force C-1 got me swimming a few times also...until I got the right fit
I've seen some of the world's best get trashed in Haute Tension's transformer hole on the Gatineau river...swam...
Therefore, givin the proper context, EVERYBODY swims, it's healthier that way and if you say you never swim, you're lying
I typically manage to swim at times of maximum visibility and embarrassment (e.g. my last swim was in the middle of my second run at the June Esopus Slalom, with lots of other racers and spectators watching my ineptness).
However, my son and I did have "unseen swims," each in C-1, about 2 years previously at the same race. My son had worked his way up racing in Class I slaloms and paddling Class II-II+ rivers and I thought he was ready for the Esopus Slalom that year. I coerced him into taking an early morning practice run with me before anyone else was on the course. He asked that I go first. When I looked back after one of the harder moves through a hole at gate 5, I saw him flip. He was quickly out of his boat and moving to the nearby shore. However, as a concerned parent, I paid more attention to his safety than to where I was going. Consequently, while looking back I drifted over a small pourover and flipped in the slack water downstream. After missing two hasty rolls, I was also out of my boat and headed to the shore. Fortunately, we both quickly emptied and got back in, before anyone was the wiser.
Don't quite have the OC roll down yet, so I swim when I have to...I fight it hard, but sometimes I still go down. The sad thing is, it's generally not in a big feature that you feel justified in swimming...some little insignificant nothing that you pay no mind too that bites you.
And nope, never have had the luxury or an unseen swim.
Im still a beginner in OC, I swim often trying to surf, usually in front of double bladers, but its ok cause if they laugh I just hit the switch and spray them with the bilge Take that you butt boaters!
... never ever happens to me... 
...
