As the shock of hitting the water and doing a wet exit passes, it's important to keep collected, and to act quickly. Its important that you keep a hold of your paddle and boat, in the kind of conditions that sometimes cause capsizes (windy, rough seas) it's amazing how fast your kayak or paddle can get away from you. Once you've got control of your gear, look around and see if your partner(s) are nearby and able to help you. If it looks like they are, a T-Rescue can be one of the quickest ways back into your boat.

As the rescuer approaches the boat of the swimmer, he'll position himself so that he's perpendicular to their kayak, with the bow of your boat near his cockpit. The person in the water should always keep a firm grip on either their boat, or the rescuers boat, it's very easy to get seperated and that complicates the rescue.

The rescuer keeps a firm grip on the kayak, and lifts it up and over the cockpit of their boat. If needed, the person in the water can assist by putting downward pressure on the stern of the kayak (Anytime one is doing rescues with a ruddered boat, care must be used, as rudders frequently can injure). Lifting the boat in this manner gets most of the water out of the cockpit.

Once the boat is drained, the swimmer's boat should be maneuvered alongside the rescuers, positioned such that the boats face in opposite directions. The Rescuer should then lean on the swimmer's boat, firmly grasping the cockpit to provide as much stability as possible. The paddles can also be placed perpendicular to the kayaks, while the rescuer puts pressure on them, to provide even more stability.

At this point, the swimmer should be positioned just behind the cockpit, with his legs behind him.

Giving a strong scissor kick with the legs, the swimmer heaves himself onto the back deck of his kayak. At this point it's very important to keep the center of gravity low. The swimmer should not attempt to sit or kneel on the kayak, but to remain with their chest against the deck.

Keeping their chest against the deck, the swimmer should spin around, to where they are looking at the stern of the kayak . As they spin, they can put one, then the other, leg into the cockpit of the kayak. Carefully scoot towards the bow of the boat, and once you butt is over the kayak seat, spin such that you can seat your self in the kayak.

All too often, the rescuer thinks his job is done now, and paddles away. Remember, this person just capsized. It may have just be a moment of not paying attention, or it could indicate a problem. Before leaving, help the recovered paddler get his gear back, his skirt back on, and check that they are OK. One fairly common cause for capsizes can be sea sickness, and without further attention, there will likely be another capsize soon. In any case, make sure the recovered paddler doesn't need more help before leaving the scene.