Getting in your kayak

1.                  Look for a good area to get into your kayak: You will need to find a good spot to enter the water; an area where the water is shallow, calm, and where there are no rocks.

2.                   Getting your kayak in the water: Slide your kayak into the water with the bow (the front) first, place your hand firmly on the stern (the back) and position your kayak so that the cockpit is in water shallow enough to stand in.

3.                   Secure your kayak before you get in:Place your paddle perpendicular to the boat (just behind the seat in the kayak and up against the cockpit rim) then put your closest hand (across your kayak) on the paddle with your other hand holding the rim of the cockpit to steady the kayak.

1.                   Start getting into your kayak: Place your leg into the kayak (shifting your weight and butt over the kayak) whilst keeping your other foot on the ground. Sit on your kayak, grabbing onto the paddle with your other hand to steady yourself and sit down on the back of the cockpit.

2.                   Bring your other leg into the kayak. Lean back on your butt, keeping your foot on the floor of the kayak and bring your other leg into the kayak.

3.                   Slide into the kayak. Make sure you have good balance, (while gripping the paddle) keep both feet firmly planted on the floor of your kayak and slide into your kayak.

Holding your kayak paddle

1.                  Get to know the structure of the kayak/paddle. A kayak paddle (unlike a canoe paddle) has two blades attached to the shaft of the paddle. The blades are what pulls you and your kayak through the water and the shaft is the part of the paddle that you hold.

2.                  Have your paddle face the right direction. It’s a common mistake for beginners to hold their paddles backwards the first time they start kayaking. As a beginner, it may not seem to make a difference which way your paddle is facing, but it does have a big change on your power of stroking. Have the part of the paddle blade that is concave or smooth facing you, the face of the paddle is the part you want to pull through the water.

3.                  Have your paddle right-side up. Many kayak paddles are asymmetrical meaning there is a top and a bottom to the paddle blade. It is important that you hold the paddle as it is designed, The top of the paddle is more horizontal than the bottom and the bottom has more of a tapered effect. Sometimes there is even horizontal writing on the paddle, keep the writing upright and not upside down and this will help you remember to hold your paddle correctly.

4.                  Know your control grip. If you are right handed, your control grip will be with your right hand and if you are left handed your control grip will be with your left hand. When taking a kayaking stroke, allow the paddle to rotate and reposition in your “loose hand” to make sure that each paddle always enters the water smoothly. The control grip does not change positions once it is on the paddle.

5.                  Grasp your paddle and hold it. Grab your paddle and make sure to place the control grip on the paddle first. Have your hands are centered on the paddle and the distance between your hands should be just a little over shoulder width apart.

Taking a forward stroke

1.                   Hold your paddle properly; place your control grip on the paddle first then your other hand. Make sure that your hands are centered on the paddle. The distance between your hands should be just over shoulder width apart.

2.                   Make sure to have proper posture in the kayak. Sit upright with your legs securely in the thigh braces and the balls of your feet against the foot supports.

3.                   Rotate your body. Rotate your body while extending and retracting your arms. For example; If you want to take a stroke on the right side, rotate your torso counter-clockwise while extending your right arm and retracting your left arm.

4.                   Take the stroke. Place the right side of your paddle blade in the water near the feet and rotate the torso as you’re pulling the blade through the water along side of the boat, retract your right arm while at the same time extending your left arm.

5.                   Setup for the next stroke and rotate your grip. As soon as you’ve finished the stroke on the right side of the kayak, your paddle should be setup for the next stroke on the left side of the boat. Next to rotate your grip, you need to bend your wrist on the control grip hand. Allow the paddle to rotate in your other hand(The loose hand) until the paddle blade is lined up to enter the water at the proper angle and grasp the paddle with your “loose hand.”

6.                   Take the next stroke. Once you’ve rotated your grip, place the left paddle blade in the water near the feet and rotate the torso while pulling the blade through the water along the left side of the boat while retracting your left arm and extending your right arm.

Getting out of your kayak

1.                  Secure the kayak with a tie line. This isn’t a mandatory step, but if you are getting off on a dock, it’s extremely recommended.

2.                  Use the paddle to steady the kayak. Since the kayak is in water, one off balance moment can send you swimming.

3.                  Crouch. This gets you ready to follow the next steps, if you are going to get out onto a dock, swing your bottom out of the kayak onto the deck, swing out your legs, onto the deck.

4.                  If you are getting out on shore (shallow water, not on a dock, but ground.) put one leg onshore, stand up, putting most of your weight on the foot that is on shore, put the other leg on shore.

5.                  You are now out of your kayak! (Hopefully without getting too wet!)

Take care, and always remember to be safe no matter where your happy trails take you!   Written by Matt Cromar