What to do
- 1Don't panic — breathe. Take a deep, calming breath; you're wearing a life jacket and the boat floats.
- 2Grab the boat and paddle — hold onto both; the boat is your flotation and the easiest thing for rescuers to spot.
- 3Check your buddy — make sure they're up and okay; call out.
- 4Decide: reboard or swim in — in deep water, self-rescue (a scramble reboard, paddle-float, or an assisted T-rescue); near shore, push the boat in.
- 5Reboard low and centered — pull your chest onto the deck, get a leg over, and settle your weight to the center so you don't flip again.
- 6Empty the water — pump or bail; a buddy's boat (T-rescue) makes this far easier.
- 7Get warm and reassess — especially in cold water; if conditions caused the capsize, head in.
When to use it
- Every paddling activity — capsize recovery is a core skill, not an emergency-only one.
- Canoeing/Kayaking/Rowing merit badges — each requires capsize/rescue skills.
- Building the calm confidence that prevents a capsize from becoming a drowning.
Common mistakes & safety
- Stay with your boat — it floats and it's visible. Swimming away from a capsized boat is a classic fatal mistake; the boat is flotation and a signal.
- Panic and cold water kill, not the capsize. A calm paddler in a life jacket holding their boat is safe — get the breathing under control first.
- You're wearing your life jacket for this exact moment — which is why "everyone wears a properly fitted, USCG-approved life jacket" is non-negotiable.
- Cold water is an emergency multiplier. It saps strength and causes hypothermia quickly — reboard or get to shore fast and warm up.
- Practice in calm water; avoid rough water. Self-rescue only works if it's automatic — the best capsize plan is not paddling into conditions beyond your training.
- Check your buddy immediately — the buddy system means no one is alone after a capsize.
Going deeper
- Your boat is your best life raft. Swamped, it still floats and is far easier to see than a swimmer's head — never let go of it.
- Practice tipping over on purpose. The scout who has capsized and reboarded in calm water stays calm when it happens for real.
- Cold water changes everything. The clock is short — reboard or get to shore fast; don't linger "figuring it out."
Official source
Safety Afloat — Scouting America →Craft must float if capsized (Safety Afloat point 8). Capsize recovery must be practiced in the water, not learned from a page.