Whitewater Kayak

Using A Whitewater Kayak - a Fun Sport

Going on a whitewater kayak adventure can be fun, exciting, and exhilarating; however there are a few basics that you should familiarise yourself with before even considering going on this sort of outing.  For one, the whitewater kayak sport is incredibly intensive.  Although you don’t have to be in excellent physical shape to whitewater kayak, you should have adequate upper arm and shoulder strength, so that you can use the paddles or oars properly, and have enough strength to take care of yourself in the rapids in the event of an emergency. 

You should also be able to hold your breath for a relatively substantial amount of time, in case your whitewater kayak were to tip. You also may want to simply tone up a bit so that your muscles are that much more ready for such a physical activity.

Preparing To Go Whitewater Kayaking

The basic equipment that you will need for your whitewater kayak trip is as follows: boat, whitewater kayak paddle, sprayskirt, helmet, and lifejacket.  There are of course other accessories which you can include, but these are the must-haves, the essentials. 

Signing up and attending even a few lessons before actually going on your whitewater kayaking trip is a good idea, so that you can actually have fun on the trip because you will know what you are doing.  Through training you will learn such things as bracing, rolling, and most important, wet exiting.  You will also learn such techniques as eddy turns, peel outs, ferrying, and surfing.

Purchasing A Kayak

Although you can rent a kayak at most kayaking centers, or the use of kayak itself may come included with your kayaking trip package, if you are planning on purchasing your own kayak, there a few important things to know.  There are several different types of kayaks: recreational kayaks, touring kayaks, whitewater kayaks, and downriver kayaks. 

• Recreational kayaks are those which are all-around boats that are designed for mild river trips. 
  
•  Touring kayaks are ones which are designed for extended wilderness trips and are very stable and have good carrying capacity. 
  
• Whitewater kayaks are designed with exceptional maneuverability in mind in order to be able to properly negotiate rapids. They are shorter and usually have more rounded bottoms.
   
• Downriver kayaks are those which are specialty boats that are designed to travel quickly through the water, and are usually very long and narrow, while their straight keel allows them to track efficiently, but they are difficult to turn.