What's so good about kayaking?
Answers to FAQ's
Your first kayaking trip: What to expect
Why we love kayaking... and think you will too:Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing- absolutely nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.
Kenneth Grahame (The Wind in the Willows ) |
Whitewater kayaking is more than just a great sport. Kayaking, you will get to see parts of the country that no one else gets to see, beautiful and unspoilt. The river will always demand your attention, taking your mind of whatever problems you might have brought with you - letting you have a fresh look at the world afterwards. As you gain experience, you will enjoy mastering skills that allow you to "tame" the river's force to get you where you want to be - sitting in your boat in the midst of a swift current without being swept downstream by surfing its waves, and even using the river's currents to move upstream*.
You will meet good people. On the river we rely on and must trust each other. You'd be hard-pressed to find a kayaker who is distrustful or not trustworthy. Our club provides a safe environment and lots of good resources to get you started. * There is a wonderful movie out there, Rivering: An Ode to the Whitwater Obsession, on what kayaking is all about and why we love it so much. |
Answers to FAQs
Is kayaking dangerous? While adrenaline rush-inducing, kayaking is not a dangerous sport, unless you go out of your way to make it so, and certainly not when you start out kayaking with our club. As a beginner you will paddle with a group of experienced kayakers who will insure that you are well equipped. You will be taught the basic rules to avoid injury or hypothermia. You will be paddling on a grade 2 river, defined as a river where, even if you fall out of your boat, nothing particularly bad is likely to happen to you. As you increase your skills, the consequences of mistakes on more challenging rivers can become more serious. Fortunately the river difficulty grading system allows you to predict the difficulty and chances of injury on the rivers you decide to tackle. For most of us grade 3 and the very occasional grade 4 river provide enough challenges without excessive risks.
Do I need to be a good swimmer? Not really. You will be wearing a tightly fitting life vest that will keep you safely afloat. That is nice, but you will find that swimming with the somewhat bulky vest you will makes slow progress at best, certainly none at all if there is any current. Indeed the recommended position after "falling out of the boat" involves floating "sitting", feet forward, down river and waiting for your fellow kayakers to come and pull you to the side of the river.
Is kayaking an expensive sport? Certainly not initially, when you are starting out with us. Firstly, you do not need to join our club (and pay the very moderate membership fee) if you want to come along for a few beginners' trips to see how you like kayaking. A trip with us including contribution to petrol costs to get to the river and kayak and gear hire will cost you around $30. If you are getting more serious about kayaking and want to buy your own gear, you should be able to get a used kayak and gear for less than $600. Most of us slowly replace this initial set with higher performance (and more pricey) gear and kayaks over time.
Is kayaking only for young skinny people? No. As with most things, young people tend to learn kayaking skills more quickly, but several of our club members have started in middle age. Some of us continue paddling into their 70s. Having a few extra pounds is OK too. Boats come in different sizes to accommodate paddlers of different weight.
What about the eskimo roll? This useful technique allows you to righten your kayak once the river managed to turn you upside down. You will pick this up eventually, but you can enjoy grade 2 and even the occasional grade 3 trip before you have mastered it. We do on occasion hire one of the local pools to teach beginners how to roll. You can find out on our trip calendar page if any such rolling sessions are scheduled. If not, contact us and we will see what we can do to get you to learn to roll.
What do I do if my kayak goes upside down and I need to get out? The first thing to do is to push yourself out of the boat after pulling off the spraydeck. There is a loop at the deck's front end that you pull in order to do that. If you go upside down in a rapid, position yourself so you are facing downstream, "sitting" in the water with your feet up. When safe, you can try to swim to the edge or let other kayakers pull you there, using a loop present at the end of each boat to hold on to. Do not try to stand in fast flowing water, because your feet could ge caught between rocks at the bottom. Worry about yourself first. If you can, hold onto your paddle and/or boat. Don’t worry if you can’t. Others will get them. Best not to try to get your boat right side up. Air trapped in it will escape and it will fill up with more water, making it harder for others to drag it to shore.
When's your next beginners' trip? Have a look at our trip calendar or just contact us.
Other questions? Contact us!
We also have a Facebook page with more information.
Do I need to be a good swimmer? Not really. You will be wearing a tightly fitting life vest that will keep you safely afloat. That is nice, but you will find that swimming with the somewhat bulky vest you will makes slow progress at best, certainly none at all if there is any current. Indeed the recommended position after "falling out of the boat" involves floating "sitting", feet forward, down river and waiting for your fellow kayakers to come and pull you to the side of the river.
Is kayaking an expensive sport? Certainly not initially, when you are starting out with us. Firstly, you do not need to join our club (and pay the very moderate membership fee) if you want to come along for a few beginners' trips to see how you like kayaking. A trip with us including contribution to petrol costs to get to the river and kayak and gear hire will cost you around $30. If you are getting more serious about kayaking and want to buy your own gear, you should be able to get a used kayak and gear for less than $600. Most of us slowly replace this initial set with higher performance (and more pricey) gear and kayaks over time.
Is kayaking only for young skinny people? No. As with most things, young people tend to learn kayaking skills more quickly, but several of our club members have started in middle age. Some of us continue paddling into their 70s. Having a few extra pounds is OK too. Boats come in different sizes to accommodate paddlers of different weight.
What about the eskimo roll? This useful technique allows you to righten your kayak once the river managed to turn you upside down. You will pick this up eventually, but you can enjoy grade 2 and even the occasional grade 3 trip before you have mastered it. We do on occasion hire one of the local pools to teach beginners how to roll. You can find out on our trip calendar page if any such rolling sessions are scheduled. If not, contact us and we will see what we can do to get you to learn to roll.
What do I do if my kayak goes upside down and I need to get out? The first thing to do is to push yourself out of the boat after pulling off the spraydeck. There is a loop at the deck's front end that you pull in order to do that. If you go upside down in a rapid, position yourself so you are facing downstream, "sitting" in the water with your feet up. When safe, you can try to swim to the edge or let other kayakers pull you there, using a loop present at the end of each boat to hold on to. Do not try to stand in fast flowing water, because your feet could ge caught between rocks at the bottom. Worry about yourself first. If you can, hold onto your paddle and/or boat. Don’t worry if you can’t. Others will get them. Best not to try to get your boat right side up. Air trapped in it will escape and it will fill up with more water, making it harder for others to drag it to shore.
When's your next beginners' trip? Have a look at our trip calendar or just contact us.
Other questions? Contact us!
We also have a Facebook page with more information.
Your first kayaking trip. What will it be like?
First thing to do is to contact us and we will advise you on when we have a beginner's trip suitable for you. Once that is sorted...
What you need to bring*
If you hire the kayak and gear from us, you need to bring:
What you need to bring*
If you hire the kayak and gear from us, you need to bring:
- Clothing to wear on the river. Polypro or fleece clothing or a thin wetsuit are good options. NOT COTTON. Even in the summer you will get very cold wearing cotton. A thin rain jacket to keep off wind and water is also a good idea unless it is a very hot day.
- Shoes that can get wet and will not come off your feet if you fall out of your boat.
- Water. Ideally your your water bottle should have a clip to tie it into the boat somewhere.
- Sandwiches and perhaps a few candy bars (if you do fall out of a boat it is often good to have a candy bar to recharge your batteries once you have been "rescued").
- Sunscreen
- Some cash to pay for hire and contribute to petrol costs
What will happen on the day
You will meet with the other paddlers (or be picked up). Once car pooling has been sorted and kayaks and gear have been loaded, the group will usually drive to the get-out (the place where the trip will end). There is often a stop for coffee on the way. At the get-out everyone will change into their kayaking gear. The clothes you will wear after the trip, valuables etc. will be left in one car that will stay at the get-out. Then everyone will get into the remaining cars and the group will drive to the get-in (the place where the trip starts). There the boats will be unloaded. If it is your first trip, others will help you adjust seat and footrests in your boat. You will be given lots of instructions on how to get out of your boat on the river in case you need to, plus other useful advice - such as that you are now to consider rocks to be your best friends and why that is so. One or several experienced kayakers will be assigned to keep an eye on you and to assist you on the river.
After having you and other novices practicing some basic kayaking moves in flat water, the trip will start ... and your adrenaline levels will go up. Justifiably so, with rapids coming up, but rivers chosen for beginner trips have many flat sections between rapids, giving you also time to relax and enjoy the scenery. Theres is often a lunch on the river bank half-way down. As the group approaches each rapid, experienced kayakers will assist with advice on what to do and where to go. You will be asked to follow another kayaker who will pick an easy line through the rapid for you.
In spite of all the advice, your boat may on one or several occasions go upside down, after which you will get out and leave it behind. You and your boat will be "rescued" by your fellow kayakers - and reunited on the river bank so that you can continue the trip. None of it a big deal if you wear the right clothing and follow the simple rules in the FAQ section above.
If you feel uncomfortable trying to make your way on your own through a particular rapid, there is usually also the option of "rafting up" with your support person: by holding on to each other you will turn your two boats into a mini raft, which will bounce you safely down the rapid.
At the end of the river trip, you will in the very least have a feeling of accomplishment, and perhaps have fallen. in love with kayaking already. You will change into your dry gear. While waiting for the drivers to return with the cars left at the top, and on the way back to Palmy, everyone will recall adventures on this and previous trips.
Returning home expect to sleep veeery well that night.
Sound good? Ready to give it a go? Get in touch with us to set you up for your first kayaking adventure.
You will meet with the other paddlers (or be picked up). Once car pooling has been sorted and kayaks and gear have been loaded, the group will usually drive to the get-out (the place where the trip will end). There is often a stop for coffee on the way. At the get-out everyone will change into their kayaking gear. The clothes you will wear after the trip, valuables etc. will be left in one car that will stay at the get-out. Then everyone will get into the remaining cars and the group will drive to the get-in (the place where the trip starts). There the boats will be unloaded. If it is your first trip, others will help you adjust seat and footrests in your boat. You will be given lots of instructions on how to get out of your boat on the river in case you need to, plus other useful advice - such as that you are now to consider rocks to be your best friends and why that is so. One or several experienced kayakers will be assigned to keep an eye on you and to assist you on the river.
After having you and other novices practicing some basic kayaking moves in flat water, the trip will start ... and your adrenaline levels will go up. Justifiably so, with rapids coming up, but rivers chosen for beginner trips have many flat sections between rapids, giving you also time to relax and enjoy the scenery. Theres is often a lunch on the river bank half-way down. As the group approaches each rapid, experienced kayakers will assist with advice on what to do and where to go. You will be asked to follow another kayaker who will pick an easy line through the rapid for you.
In spite of all the advice, your boat may on one or several occasions go upside down, after which you will get out and leave it behind. You and your boat will be "rescued" by your fellow kayakers - and reunited on the river bank so that you can continue the trip. None of it a big deal if you wear the right clothing and follow the simple rules in the FAQ section above.
If you feel uncomfortable trying to make your way on your own through a particular rapid, there is usually also the option of "rafting up" with your support person: by holding on to each other you will turn your two boats into a mini raft, which will bounce you safely down the rapid.
At the end of the river trip, you will in the very least have a feeling of accomplishment, and perhaps have fallen. in love with kayaking already. You will change into your dry gear. While waiting for the drivers to return with the cars left at the top, and on the way back to Palmy, everyone will recall adventures on this and previous trips.
Returning home expect to sleep veeery well that night.
Sound good? Ready to give it a go? Get in touch with us to set you up for your first kayaking adventure.