This skills Q&A article was originally published in Adventure Kayak magazine.

What’s the easiest way to get an injured paddler back in their boat after a capsize?

Portland, Oregon-based American Canoe Association instructor and British Canoe Union five-star leader Paul Kuthe uses the scoop rescue get a swimmer with a shoulder injury back in their boat. This rescue, which involves floating a swimmer into an angled, flooded cockpit and then levering the boat upright, is also Kuthe’s last-resort means of getting large paddlers and those with limited upper body strength out of the water. While it’s a “wet” rescue (unlike the classic assisted T-rescue where the cockpit is emptied before the swimmer climbs aboard), the scoop is fast and requires little effort on the part of the swimmer. “It’s also the only way to rescue an unconscious or completely disabled paddler,” Kuthe adds.

He breaks the rescue into five stages. First, the swimmer’s boat is aligned parallel to the rescuer’s boat and tilted away to partially flood the cockpit. Second, “float the swimmer’s legs into the cockpit first and be sure to cram as much of their body as possible into the boat, including their hips,” says Kuthe. Then recline the swimmer’s torso against the back deck to position their center of gravity closer to the axis of rotation. The next step is to push down on the near-edge of the swimmer’s boat to lever it upright. Kuthe says it’s often necessary to combine forceful downward pressure with a strong yank on the swimmer’s PFD shoulder strap or clothing. Finally, raft up with the swimmer to pump out their cockpit.

This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Early Summer 2013. To watch a video demonstrating the scoop rescue, download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.