Whitewater kayaking is a fun, engaging and exhilarating sport that requires both mental and physical skill and agility. It is not for the faint of heart nor the overly reckless. Many things can go wrong when attempting to run turbulent and rocky rivers. If you would like to learn whitewater kayaking, be ready to practice regularly and proceed slowly. Because paddling skills are often counterintuitive, the American Canoe Association strongly recommends a beginner course for all newcomers.
Essentials
Step 1
Know how to perform a wet exit. A wet exit is how you will get out of the boat if it flips. When skirting in, make sure your skirt's grab loop is outside and available; otherwise, you may not be able to pull it off to exit the boat.
Step 2
Get comfortable in your boat on flat water before attempting whitewater. Learn to paddle your whitewater kayak straight, without rocking. Practice your forward strokes, reverse strokes and sweep strokes.
Step 3
Practice edging--also called boat lean. Edging the boat is when you hold the boat on one edge; it is important to whitewater maneuvering. Practice in flat water while paddling forward.
Step 4
Learn to read water by paddling in current. A downstream V usually marks the path between obstacles. Learn to identify these for clean passage down a river. You must also learn to identify eddies, eddy lines, pour-over rocks, holes, hydraulics, strainers, standing waves, wave trains, rock ledges and deep channels. Recognizing these river features takes time and practice, but doing so should increase your fun as well as your safety on the river.
Step 5
Learn to ferry. Ferrying is a technique in which you point your kayak upstream at a 45-degree angle to cross the river in moving current. Ferrying gives you more control of your position in the river; without this skill, you are at the mercy of the downstream current. Ferrying can help you avoid obstacles, set up for the next rapid, catch an eddy or cross the river without going downstream.
Step 6
Practice catching and peeling out of eddies. Catching eddies helps you take a rest or allows you to stop and wait for the others in your group. Knowing how to properly exit an eddy back into moving current helps you avoid flipping over. These techniques are best learned from seasoned paddlers.
Step 7
Practice paddling upstream. This exercise--known as attainment--helps you improve your river-reading skills as well as your endurance. Use your knowledge of currents and eddies, not brute force, to make your way upstream.
Step 8
Develop a good brace. A good brace helps save you from tipping over in rapids.
Step 9
Learn to roll. The ability to right your boat without exiting it increases your safety on the river. It is always safer to remain in your boat than to come out of it.
Tips and Warnings
- Whitewater kayaking skills are not learned overnight. Instead of bombing down rivers at the outer edge of your comfort zone, practice paddling in easier water to develop good skills and habits. Do not be pressured into attempting runs too far above your comfort level. This could lead to an experience that will turn you off the sport for good. If you know you are going to hit a rock, lean into it. If you lean away from it, the force of contact will flip you in the opposite direction. This is a counterintuitive move; you may need to practice it or continuously remind yourself of it for it to become second nature.
- Never try to stand in moving current. Attempting to stand may result in foot entrapment, a scary situation in which your foot gets stuck under a rock or other debris, and the rest of your body continues to move downstream until your head is underwater.
Things You'll Need
- Kayak
- Personal flotation device
- Helmet
- Paddle
- Spray skirt
References
- American Canoe Association: Best Practices for Paddlers
- Whitewater Rescue Manual; Charles Walbridge and Wayne A. Sundmacher; 1995
- American Canoe Association: Paddling 101
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