Kayaking is still one of the fastest growing of the water sports in the United States. While it’s true that anyone can rent a kayak and begin to paddle, most people don’t take a lesson to learn the essentials of kayaking. This how-to will tell you some of the beginning skills you’ll need to understand before getting into and paddling a kayak.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: A lifetime of enjoyment!
Here’s How:
- Know How to Properly Wear Your PFD
This first step is not something that just gets tacked onto these how-to’s. PFDs have a lot of straps and buckles and can be confusing for a beginner to put on. Furthermore, putting on the PFD doesn’t mean that it is adjusted properly. Knowing how to put on, adjust, and wear a PFD properly is a prerequisite for all water sports, especially for kayaking. - Know How to Adjust and Sit in the Kayak
The first thing any kayaker should do prior to learning how to kayak is to make sure that it is setup properly for the paddler. Without having proper contact with the backrest, foot supports, and thigh braces, the kayaker won’t be able to properly control the kayak. - Know How to Get into and Sit in the Kayak
Being able to get into a kayak while it is on land while being setup is one thing and getting into a kayak while it is on the water is another completely. Knowing the proper way to get into and sit in a kayak will save the paddler a lot of problems and keep them from getting wet right at the start. - Know How to Hold the Kayak Paddle
Almost every new kayaker holds their kayak paddle incorrectly until told otherwise. No lesson on how to kayak is complete without learning how to hold a kayak paddle. So, look like a pro and learn how to hold your kayak paddle properly from the beginning. - Learn the Kayaking Forward Stroke
Most people don’t realize that kayaks properly paddled are propelled by the torso and not the arms. That is why virtually all beginners paddle a kayak with the arms in a pedaling like motion, as in pedaling a bike. Learn to paddle by rotating the torso and get less fatigued, paddled longer, and put more power behind the blade. - Learn How to Exit a Kayak
After a great day of kayaking you assume the most difficult and dangerous part of the adventure is over. Think again. Getting out of a kayak can be a harrowing experience if done improperly. Learn how to, even practice how to, exit your kayak and you’ll save yourself some wet endings to your blissful afternoons.
Tips:
- Part of the fun of learning how to kayak is the process. Kayaking is a journey and not a destination so be sure to go at your own pace and to enjoy every moment of it.
- Learning how to kayak is best done with a friend. See if you can enlist a buddy into picking up the sport of kayaking with you.
What You Need:
- PFD
- Kayak
- Kayak Paddle
“Eager to catch up and excited to begin the river journey, I pushed off into the river – and then was startled almost out of my wits by the sudden violent splashing of a huge bull hippo bobbing to the surface, blowing and snorting, forcing me to swerve close to the papyrus to dodge him. My private opinion that an unmolested hippo was not dangerous to man was refuted when this great barrel-shaped hulk plunged after me in a vicious charge that left no doubt as to his intentions. He was nearly as long as my kayak and must have weighed well over three tons, yet his rage drove him through the water at an incredible speed. His nostrils blasted spray with every snort, and his yellow tusks were, to say the least, awesome… My frail kayak seemed ridiculously vulnerable.”
