6. Aquatics

Show line rescue

6e.
With a helper and a practice victim, show a line rescue both as tender and as rescuer. (The practice victim should be approximately 30 feet from shore in deep water.)

A line rescue allows a team of two strong swimmers—a rescuer and a rope tender on shore—to safely rescue a struggling or exhausted swimmer approximately 30 feet out in deep water while maintaining continuous control from land.

You must demonstrate both the role of the tender and the role of the rescuer.

The Line Tender Rescue Procedure

Equipment and Preparation

  • A long rescue line (at least 50 feet of floating polypropylene rope).
  • A flotation device (such as a rescue tube, ring buoy, PFD, or kickboard).
  • Tie a large bowline knot in the working end of the rescue line to form a secure loop.

Role of the Rescuer

  1. Don the harness loop: Place the bowline loop over one shoulder and under the opposite arm so it rests diagonally across your chest and back, leaving both arms completely free to swim.
  2. Carry flotation: Hold the flotation device securely in one hand or under your arm.
  3. Swim out: Enter the water and swim toward the practice victim using a breaststroke or head-up crawl, keeping your eyes on the victim at all times.
  4. Present the device (avoid contact): When 5 to 10 feet away, extend or push the flotation device into the victim’s hands. Shout: “Grab the float!” Never let the victim grab your body.
  5. Signal the tender: Once the victim has a firm grip on the flotation device, raise one arm overhead and call out clearly: “PULL!”
  6. Support during retrieval: Turn on your back or side, holding the flotation device with the victim, or supporting an unconscious victim’s head above water, as the tender hauls both of you smoothly to shore.

Role of the Tender

  1. Anchor stance: Stand or drop to one knee in a stable, braced position on the shoreline or dock.
  2. Manage the line: Arrange the line in clean, loose coils on the ground. Do not stand on the coils. Feed the line smoothly over your hands as the rescuer swims out, ensuring there are no snags, knots, or tangles.
  3. Never wrap the line: Never wrap the rope around your hands, wrists, or waist. A sudden pull could cause severe injury or drag you in.
  4. Watch continuously: Keep your eyes fixed on the rescuer and the victim throughout the approach.
  5. Haul in on command: When the rescuer signals “PULL!”, haul the line in using a rapid, steady hand-over-hand pulling motion until both swimmers reach shallow water or the dock.
A tender braced low on shore holding the rescue line looped against the body, never wrapped around a hand or wrist

What to Do If a Watercraft Capsizes

In addition to line rescues from shore, every Scout must know the rules for self-rescue during a boating capsize:

  1. Stay with the boat: Modern canoes, kayaks, and rowboats contain flotation chambers or buoyant materials in the bow and stern. Even when completely full of water (swamped), a canoe will easily support several people holding onto it.
  2. Account for all buddies: Immediately locate your paddling partner and confirm they are uninjured.
  3. Stay on the upstream side (in moving water): Never get between a swamped boat and a rock or downstream obstruction.
  4. Hold the painter or gunwales: Hold onto the ends of the boat or grab the gunwale to keep your head above water.
  5. Bring the boat to shore: If near shore in calm water, kick your legs while holding the swamped canoe to swim it into shallow water, where you can roll and empty it. In open water, hold onto the hull and wait for an assisted rescue (such as a canoe-over-canoe rescue from a buddy boat).