Disintegrated Coiled Solid Plastic Leash Photo: Zach Handler in surfski.info discussion
The Mockes in South Africa train paddlers to grab their boat when they fall in and to rely on their leash as a back up only in case they miss or lose the grab (even grabbing your surfski can pose some risk - see rigid carry handles). In the unlikely event you are pulled airborne by a waterspout you may not get a chance to grab your surfski. In any case you absolutely should make sure that your leash and its connections are in good shape and strong. And you want to test your leash set up for minimal tendency to tangle up with you or anything else when you fall in. Staying with your surfski can have a number of potential benefits, particularly when swimming to safety is difficult or impossible. Even if you cannot successfully remount, if you can get your upper body onto your ski, in cold water you usually will be reducing your rate of heat loss. And for airborne search and rescue, a surfski is visible from far greater distances than your person floating in the water. See Last Minute False Bay Rescue
Most of our wiki commentary on this page is based on the idea that leashes should be bombproof, particularly for open ocean or cold water use. But it should be noted that paddlers who regularly play in or traverse surf breaks and places where waves may break irregularly often say that they want their leashes to have a breaking point below where their bodies may start to be in danger or injured. Even though their standard practice is to unleash when going through surf breaks, very experienced surfskiers can still be surprised or caught off guard by breaking waves, or if they are racing they may shave things a little too close. We have seen some comments to this effect on surfski.info and other places and we will try to add more information along these lines as we can collect it. But if you are paddling in such areas, it would probably be very wise to consult with experienced and respected local paddlers about their preferred leash setups and best practices (how to avoid endangering yourself AND others in the water when you traverse the surf zone, etc.?) Also see the quick release section below (although if you are looking for a quick release as a fail safe after starting to get dragged by your surfski in surf, you probably want one that you can simply release without needing any extra strength as you might need to pull a carabiner or hook style release to clear what it is hooked to). Some paddlers who traverse surf breaks report managing much better with end connected leashes than center mounts. We do not know how big such breaks/waves are and clearly there is some limit in wave size beyond which you do not want to still be connected to your surfski in any fashion. Of course that size of breaking wave is typically one you want to stay away from if possible.
When we read about leash failures and someone comments along the lines of “…stuff happens” we don't really care much for that take on such happenings. We believe that 99.999…% of leash failures occur due to paddler neglect and/or excessive “frugality”, or bad leash design, all of which is avoidable. That kind of stuff should really be far more rare. If you choose a well constructed leash and you keep it good condition, you should absolutely be able to count on its not failing you.
That said, there are no industry standards for leash strength, construction or durability. We are convinced that some types of leash construction are much stronger and more reliable than others. And whatever style and brand of leash you decide to use, they most likely will wear out and lose their reliability over time unless they are exceptionally strong and are exposed to limited stress or environmental degradation. Leashes with less robust construction exposed to more stress, UV, etc. can more rapidly lose reliability.
There are numerous stories about incidents both disastrous and fortunately survived where velcro in a leash failed. Velcro that is old and/or dirty can have significantly reduced holding strength. Another problem with velcro is that it may not re-stick nearly as well once it is wet. Velcro that is in good shape and clean when stuck together dry has a general reputation for reliably keeping its bond after getting wet. But velcro that is already wet before fastening may have less holding strength (this needs some testing - how much does velcro age and condition factor in with reduced holding when connecting already wet velcro??). If a leash gets tangled or for some other reason on the water has to have wet velcro unfastened, once the velcro is refastened the leash may be less secure than when it was first fastened for a paddle outing. But one definite rule is don't rely on older, worn velcro.
Apologies to the makers and users of leashes of this type where the coiled section is just a solid plastic, but we do not like them. We have seen numerous instances where the plastic failed. If you use this type of leash you might seriously consider replacements on a regular basis. The biggest weakness seems to be where the ends of the plastic are joined to something different. Often such junctions are covered by something like shrink wrap. If you simply cut that covering off, you will at least be able to monitor those connections for signs of fatigue. This surfski.info thread has photos of several failed plastic leashes.
There are reports on surfski web sites of various quick release mechanisms releasing on their own. It is not always clear whether the problem was not being clipped in properly to begin with or actual random release due to pressure or torque that came from something other than the paddler's hands. But failure due to a design that leads to operator error is just as bad as outright failure of the mechanism. So we strongly advise you to consider using release mechanisms that are more robust, like locking carabiners or belts with strong, reliable release buckles. Also, metal release clips and carabiner gates can become stiff over time (which can interfere with full closure), but a little WD40 and repeated open/close actions can eliminate such resistance.
FlickOff Quick Release - we do not have experience or reviews of this waist leash. But if you paddle in conditions where you may need a very simple, very quick release of your leash, you may want to investigate these leashes.
Some Paddlers Use Slip Bowline for Quick Release (this is NOT the same as tying a bowline from a slip knot). Probably better not to use this unless you are confident you know exactly how to tie and use it correctly.
Whatever type leash(es) you choose you have to have thoroughly practiced using them, remounting with them, before using them in conditions that are challenging for you and/or involve significant risk. Some problems may only fully express themselves in rough conditions. But reduce that likelihood with plenty of practice in calmer conditions and if and as soon as you discover new/greater problems in rougher conditions you need to immediately address them before your next outing. Is there any tendency to tangle (tangling a leg leash around your legs is not unusual particularly in rough conditions and forceful upsets - but if you find such tangling too frequent or too difficult to extricate yourself from then you need to look at changing the leash style or length to fix the problem), or more importantly if you are using multiple leashes is there any significant tendency for them to become inter-tangled which is something you really want to avoid either by changing leash styles and/or lengths so they can co-exist without interference. Example: youtube video of leg-wrap interference Note also in this video how much the mid-boat leg leash anchor keeping the surfski sideways pulls on the paddler and makes all operations more difficult in the water in this very strong wind. Cause to consider an end-anchored leash?
Leg leashes use a wrap that usually goes around your lower leg just below your knee, typically secured with velcro. The other end typically uses a leash anchor built into the ski under your legs or possibly attaches to your foot straps (but see comments about foot strap attachment corrosion),or sometimes surfskiers attach them on the bow - e.g. to a front handle - affording the same benefit of aligning the ski with the wind during a huli (as rear anchors described below in the waist leash section also cause skis to align). On many leashes this end of the leash may be velcro too. But it can also be something stronger, like a locking carabiner, or a sewn-in loop of spectra. In respect to wet velcro making weaker reconnections, leg leash designs that allow you to unhook from your leg wrap without disconnecting the velcro may be superior to those that require leg wrap velcro separation, but beware quick releases that can self-disconnect.
Meta Leg Leash
Leg Leash with Quick Release that may be subject to back release
Newer leg leash (2023) with quick release carabiner that is reportedly less subject to back release
As an alternative to the leg leash, some assemble a leash that attaches to a belt around the paddler's waist with a line that runs/attaches behind them. Some attach to existing or added mounting holes or pads directly behind their seats while others attach to a line that stretches between the stern handle and the storage straps on the back deck, while others just have a long leash that connects near the stern end. The preference for an attachment running all the way to the stern is based at least in part on preferring a surfski to line up parallel with the wind after a dump in big conditions in preparation for your remount. A sidewise remount from the upwind side works well in all conditions, given adequate remount technique and practice, although it is possible that the surfski may need to be turned or swum under in order for the paddler to get to the upwind side after a “huli”1) . Having the ski line up downwind after a fall can make it easier to turn the ski for an upwind mount without having the leash wrapped around the boat. It also presents the narrowest aspect of the boat to the wind thus decreasing the likely pull of the boat against the paddler and their boat leash. (For what it is worth, we have heard of at least one rare incident where a built-in leash anchor failed and was pulled loose by a leg leash in a particularly strong huli.) The back end of these stern lines is typically placed behind the rudder so that a rolling surfski is less likely to catch and wrap your leash with the rudder.
SUP oriented 2022 video on waist belts and quick release leash options
If you employ a waist belt for your leash/body connection, make sure you have a low enough profile buckle so that it does not interfere with remounts or catch and come open during remounts. Some folks also remove the balls sometimes attached to such buckles - to minimize inadvertant opening if caught on something - beveling the buckle lever edge corners also can reduce the likelihood of catching and opening during a remount. Side squeeze buckles like the one on the Meta belt seem less likely to experience a catching release, but judge, test, and make your own decision. Some waist belt users recommend keeping the belt somewhat loose, so that if you rotate in the water the belt can slip instead of causing your leash to wrap around you.
Note also that many surfskis do not come with any mounting points behind the seat or if mounting points are there all they have is bungie tied to those points. When renting or borrowing a surfski you may need an alternative leg leash when such a surfski has no adequate anchor behind the seat for a waist leash.
Another non-leg attachment alternative is to attach your leash to your life jacket. With this setup, make sure it is reliably sturdy. It can have more than one point of attachment for security. Or you can sew a particularly strong attachment point to your pfd for this purpose.
Richard Forbes SeaArc Video
A paddle leash can prevent you from losing your paddle when you flip, accidentally lose your grip on your paddle, or want to let go of your paddle to free up you hands. They are easy to make with a piece of cord and a carabiner. Simply tie a loop in one end for the paddle and tie the other end to the carabiner. Attach the carabiner to your pfd. Make this leash long enough to not interfere with your paddle stroke, but no longer. Some paddlers wear a very short leash from wrist to paddle. « NOTE » If you use a wrist leash you may be limiting which side you can easily remount on (See remounts) unless you have a quick release on the wrist leash (which will diminish your paddle security during a remount) - (the most common remount techniques involve holding the paddle with only one hand). Many paddlers only employ a paddle leash in higher winds when the wind significantly increases its ability to take a paddle far away in a moment of inattention, distraction, or flipped surfski. Carefully gauge how much risk you would be in if you lose your paddle. Some conditions may allow prone paddling if you still have your ski, while big enough conditions may make any kind of headway without a paddle difficult or impossible. Having a paddle leash also makes it much easier or just possible to use both hands temporarily for an occasional circumstance when needed such as adjusting/fixing something on your ski, or needing to call with a phone or radio.
Billy B's Leash System this is non-elastic leash system that secures the paddler and paddle to their surfski. It is easy to inspect for any wear or damage and employs no velcro.