A sea sock is a piece of safety equipment used in

sea kayak A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak developed for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and the ocean. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They trade off the man ...

ing. It is a large waterproof bag, fitting the lower body of a kayaker, that is placed inside the kayak and attached tightly all around the rim of the cockpit. The paddler sits inside the sea sock and fits the sprayskirt over the sea sock and cockpit

coaming Coaming is any vertical surface on a ship designed to deflect or prevent entry of water. It usually consists of a raised section of deck plating around an opening, such as a cargo hatch. Coamings also provide a frame onto which to fit a hatch cove ...

as usual. A sea sock is used to keep a kayak from filling up with water in case of implosion of the sprayskirt or emergency exit of the paddler from the

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

. When correctly installed only the sea sock will be filled reducing the quantity of water to be bailed out after the paddler re-entry while maintaining flotation and stability of the hull. In some situations, it is possible to empty the water in the sea sock by turning it inside out. Though it is used in kayaks of various shapes and sizes, it is almost a compulsory accessory for paddlers with high-volume kayaks that have no bulkheads, where the quantity of water filling the kayak could be unmanageable and in "skin-on-frame" kayaks where the construction method makes the adoption of bulkheads impractical. It should be used in conjunction with flotation bags adding an extra level of security.

References

Canoeing and kayaking equipment {{Water-sports-stub