This requires turning around every minute or so and taking a panoramic view of everything in front, back and on both beams. I can t tell you how often I have been paddling with others and had to yell out to one to watch for this or that craft coming up behind or on his or her rear quarter. The paddler simply was lost in the bliss of being out there and unaware. Look at the bow of a boat that is coming in your direction. This will tell you a lot.
People often panic thinking that they re about to be hit.
But the situation is easy to check. If you can see equal sides of a boat on both sides of its bow s centerline, you are likely to be hit. If the sides are unequal it is likely to be a miss. This is something that the reviewer in the negative Sea Kayaker review of my book took issue with saying that s so wrong it s dangerous. I feel relieved when I see one side growing in dominance over the other.