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Kayaking Articles
Whitewater Kayaking Course 101
by Damon Z. Sweet
Whitewater Kayaking Course 101
Whitewater kayaking is an exciting sport that is safest when you know what you're getting into before you even push your kayak into the water. Kayaking involves quick thinking, smart judgment, and analytical skill--that's what makes it so interesting and fun. As a kayaker, you'll learn to look over the river and decide the risks and safest ways to navigate the rapids. Here are a few tips to help you analyze a river for a whitewater kayaking vacation:
Develop good awareness of the water you're facing. Is it moving very quickly or more slowly, and are there are any currents you should be wary of. Try to learn as much as you can about the river you'd like to descend. if possible, you'll want to know ahead of time if there are impassible areas where you'll have to portage (that's walk around an obstacle with your boat) as opposed to taking a breakneck risk. Study the terrain around you. Are you on a mountain that clearly offers steep descents, wild water, and speeds that may exceed your whitewater kayaking skill level? Or is the slope of the terrain more gentle, thus promising a quieter trip with just a few thrills? I always boat with a map of the river so I can visualize the twists and curves of the river stretching in front of me?
Be on the lookout for downed trees, branches, fence posts, auto bodies or any other obstacles in the water. While manageable, these kind of river hazards are plentiful. You'll want to spot them before you're on top of them and in potential trouble. Bridge piers are another thing to watch for while whitewater kayaking, as is the risk of barbed wire or any other lines stretched across the water. Other hazards include dams, tight squeezes between rocks or whirlpools that may be difficult to paddle out of if you get sucked in to the swirling water. Whew! That sounds like a lot, but you'll quickly learn to take these obstacles in your stride.
Before you start your whitewater kayaking trip, you'll want to know the weather conditions and temperature of the water. Check the weather--if there are impending storms (particularly thunderstorms) in the forecast, pack up and save your kayaking for another day. You'll be dealing with enough wet and water without the additional burden of heavy rains.
Check the water temperature and make sure you are dressed appropriately with little risk of hypothermia in the event you capsize or get soaked in spray (hey, you will get wet). One well known kayaking adage is, "It's easy to cool off but can be very difficult to warm up".
You'll also want to check the class ratings of the rapids you're planning to head down. On most kayaking rivers, different class levels are assigned to each sections of whitewater with many factors involved in developing those classes. Knowing the different classes for rapids and your own skill level in river whitewater kayaking can go a long way toward determining whether you should take the plunge or not.
Did I mention that you should always wear a personal flotation device (PFD)? The US Coast Guard sets the regulations on personal floatation devices. There are five categories that you can choose from, though only type III and type II are really appropriate for paddle sports.
One other word of advice--get some professional instruction. Instruction is an investment that will vastly increase your skill, safety and pleasure. Instruction is an investment that will vastly increase your skill, safety and pleasure. You can make HUGE progress in a two to four day course with good instructors. It’s a great way to develop those foundation skills. You'll learn kayaking skills much faster from an instructor than you will from your friends or by trial and error.
