Kayak Session Magazine | The International Whitewater Magazine
Published on June 10th, 2025 |
by Kayak Session
While paddling a line he’s run plenty of times before, Dane Jackson found himself in a spot no kayaker wants to be. The move is normally pretty clean—ride the curler just right of a big hole and cut back left—but this time, the curler collapsed beneath him, sending him straight into the meat of the feature.
“It’s definitely one of those holes you always avoid,” Dane said. “Pretty sure no one’s actually ended up in it before—until now.”
Despite trying to fight it, he couldn’t grab a breath and had his paddle ripped out his hands and eventually had to swim. The beatdown was rough. Dane walked away with a torn MCL, torn calf muscle, and impact fractures to his femur and tibia.
“Not exactly how I pictured my first big kayaking injury,” he added, “but thankfully it wasn’t worse.”
He’s already on the recovery path and staying motivated—no doubt he’ll be back on the water before long.
