Here’s a guide:
Kayaking
Canoeing
Canoe polo
Canoe racing
Canoe sailing
Whitewater kayaking
Quadrathlon
Surf Kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking is generally differentiated from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is defined by the International Canoe Federation (the world sanctioning body) as a boat where the paddler faces forward, has their legs in front of them, and uses a double bladed paddle.
Almost all kayaks have closed decks, however, there are many sit-on-top kayaks, and these boats are growing in popularity. A canoe is defined as a boat where the paddler faces forward and kneels in the boat, using a single bladed paddle. Canoes can be closed deck or open deck.
Whitewater kayaking involves taking a kayak down rapids. Sea kayaking sometimes also referred to as Ocean Kayaking involves taking kayaks out on to the ocean or other open water e.g., a lake. Sea kayaking can involve short paddles with a return to the starting point or "put-in" or expeditions covering many miles and days.
Kayaks are classified by their intended use. There are 6 primary classifications:
• polo,
• slalom
• whitewater
• surf
• touring/expedition
• light touring/day tripping
• general recreation.
From these primary classifications stem many sub-classes. For example, a fishing kayak is simply a general recreation kayak outfitted with features and accessories that make it an easier kayak from which to fish. Also within these classifications are many levels of performance which further separate the individual models. In other words, not all touring kayaks handle the same.
There are 2 major configurations of kayaks - "sit on tops" which as the name suggests involves sitting on top of the kayak in an open area and "cockpit style" which involves sitting with the legs and hips inside the kayak hull and a "spray skirt" that creates a watertight barrier around the waist. Whether a kayak is a sit-on-top or a cockpit style has nothing to do with which classification it falls under. Both configurations are represented in each of the five primary classifications. While most kayaks are designed to be paddled by a single person, other configurations include tandem and even triple cockpit boats.
Because of their range and adaptability, Kayaking is popular amongst divers, fishers, and adventure enthusiasts.
Canoeing
Canoeing is the activity of paddling a canoe for the purpose of recreation (also called a float trip), sport, or transportation. It usually refers exclusively to using a paddle to propel a canoe with only human muscle power. A kayak is propelled using a paddle with two blades where paddlers sit with their legs mostly extended in front of them, whereas canoes are propelled using single- or double-bladed paddles where the paddler - a "canoeist" or "canoer"- is kneeling or sitting on seat or thwart, with their knees bent and their legs more or less beneath them. Kayaks are usually closed-decked boats with a spraydeck, while canoes are usually open boats. There are also open kayaks and closed canoes. Technically, a kayak can be seen as a special kind of canoe. When exactly a canoe can be called a kayak is difficult to determine though, and often arbitrary. Internationally, the term canoeing is used as a generic term for both forms though the terms "paddle sports" or "canoe/kayak" are also used. In North America, however, 'canoeing' usually refers only to canoes, as opposed to both canoes and kayaks. Paddling a kayak is also referred to as kayaking.
Open canoes may be 'poled' (punted), sailed, 'lined and tracked' (using ropes) or even 'gunnel-bobbed'.
In modern canoe sport, both canoes and kayaks may be closed-decked. Other than by the minimum competition specifications (typically length and width (beam) and seating arrangement it is difficult to differentiate most competition canoes from the equivalent competition kayaks. The most common difference is that competition kayaks are always seated and paddled with a double-bladed paddle, and competition canoes are generally kneeled and paddled with a single-bladed paddle. Exceptions include Canoe Marathon (in both European and American competitive forms) and sprint (high kneeling position). The most traditional and early canoes did not have seats, the paddlers merely kneeled on the bottom of the boat. Recreational canoes and kayaks employ seats and whitewater rodeo and surf variants increasingly employ the use of 'saddles' to give greater boat control under extreme conditions.
The International Canoe Federation is the world wide canoeing organisation and creates the standard rules for the different disciplines of canoe/kayak competition. The ICF recognises several competitive and non-competitive disciplines of canoeing, of which Sprint and Slalom are the only two competing in the Olympic games. The United States Canoe Association is widely considered the American authority in sport and recreational canoeing, and recognizes many ICF classes. Other national competition rules are usually based on the rules of the ICF.
Canoe polo
Is a competitive ball sport played on water, in a defined "field", between two teams of 5 players, each in a kayak. The object of the game is to get the ball into the opponent's goal (i.e. to score goals), the team scoring the most goals in a set time being the winner.
The game is often described as a combination of water polo, basketball and kayaking. The tactics and playing of the game are not unlike basketball or water polo but with the added complexity of the boats, which can be used to shield the ball.
Rules
The ball, a waterpolo ball, is passed from hand to hand among the players, with some use of the paddle on the ball also allowed. A player in possession can be tackled by being pushed over on the shoulder or back, players may only have the ball in their possession for a maximum of five seconds. Players can 'dribble' the ball by throwing it out of reach, ahead of themselves or sideways into the water. Most of the rules concern the safety of the players involved. Penalties include goal- and sideline throws, free shots, goal penalty shots, and penalty cards.
Substitutions can be made at any time during the game without notifying the referee, the player has to cross the back line before another player can come on. If these rules are not followed a player is nominated by the captain of the offending team to be removed from play (sent off).
Pitch
Canoe polo is played either indoors in swimming pools or outdoors on a pitch which should measure 35 metres by 23 metres. The edges of the pitch are marked by the sides of the pool, or better, by floating ropes (similar to lane markers in swimming).
Referees
There are two referees (one on each side-line) and they are on foot rather than in boats. The score is kept by the scorekeeper and the timekeeper monitors the playing time and sending-off times. The goal lines are monitored by 2 line judges. Before play commences scrutineers check all kit for compliance with regulations
Goals
The goals (measuring 1 by 1.5 metres) are a frame with a net, suspended 2 metres above the water. A player, acting as goalie, defends the goal with their paddle by sticking it up vertically, special rules concern the goalie, such as: the attacking team not being able to interfere with or jostle them. The length of the paddles used by the goalies are often longer than those used by other players.
Timing
The game is officially played as a 20 minute game consisting of two 10 minute halves. The teams swap ends at half-time. Each half begins with a "sprint" where each team lines up against its goal-line and the ball is thrown into the middle of the pitch by the referee. One player from each team sprints to win possession of the ball.
Canoe racing
Sprint
Canoe sprint, which is referred to by the IOC as "canoe/kayak sprint", is one of the two forms of the canoeing disciplines that are featured in the Summer Olympics, the other being canoe slalom. Marathon racing is not an Olympic sport. In non-Olympic years, the main event are the World Championships.
Canoe sprint takes place on a straight course divided in lanes, on calm water. The distances recognised by the ICF for international races are 200 m, 500 m, and 1000 m. Each boat has its own designated lane, except for races over more than 1000 m, where there also may be turning points. Men race in canoes and in kayaks, women only in kayaks except for in Canada and the United States (after 2000), where women's canoe is an event raced at both Canada Games and National Championships. For each race a number of heats, semi-finals and a final may be necessary, depending on the number of competitors.
The official boats recognised by the ICF as 'International Boats' are the following: K1, K2, K4, C1, C2 and C4, where the number indicates the number of paddlers, “K” stands for kayak and “C” for Canadian or Canoe, depending on location. Kayaks have a steering rudder, which is operated by the (foremost) paddler with his feet; in a kayak a paddler is sitting, while in a Canoe he is kneeling on one knee. The ICF rules for these boats define among others the maximum length, the minimum weight and the shape of the boats. For example, by ICF rules, a K1 is at most 520 cm long, and weighs at least 8 kg for marathons, or 12 kg for sprints. In 2000, after the Olympic Games in Sydney, the ICF withdrew width restrictions on all boats, spurring a fury of innovations in boat designs. Modern boats are usually made of carbon fibre and/or aramid fibre with epoxy resin.
Paddles for propelling are double-bladed for kayaks, and single-bladed for canoes, and are usually made of carbon fiber with epoxy. For kayaks so-called wing paddles are generally used, the blades of which are shaped to resemble a wing. These paddles are more efficient than traditional paddles, presumably because they create extra "lift" in the direction in which the kayak moves. The wing blade has undergone many evolutions in the past two decades, evolving from a flatter blade to one with a more pronounced curve to better catch the water. For racing canoes, the blade will typically be short and broad, with a 'power face' on one side of the blade which is either flat or scalloped out. The shaft will typically be longer than a tripping canoe paddle, because the kneeling position puts the paddler higher above the surface of the water. More recent designs of canoe racing paddles will often have a slight bent-shaft (a concept conceived by Gene Jensen in the 1950s), but not to the degree used in marathon paddles. Many high-performance canoe paddlers prefer the feel of a carbon-fibre shaft mated to a wooden blade, while nearly all high-performance kayak paddlers use paddles made completely of carbon fiber.
Flatwater races are over 200m, 500m, 1000m, and "long distance racing" such as 2 km or 6 km.
Marathon
Longer distance races over mostly flatwater courses, possibly including one or more portages. Course lengths typically vary from about 2 miles to the epic 201 km Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon on the Thames, and the 420 km "World's Toughest Boat Race", the Texas Water Safari. USCA rules specify that a Marathon course may not have rapids over class II on the International Scale of River Marathons are long distance races on rivers, lakes, estuaria or even open sea. The course may include obstacles such as shallows, rocks and portages. Under ICF rules, the minimum distances for international races are 20 km for men, and 15 km for women. The races may be divided in several parts and/or several days. World Cup and World Championship races normally are about 35 to 40 km long.
As there are no maximum distances, marathon racing has its extremes, such as the Devizes to Westminster Marathon in England (about 200 km), the Tour de Gudenå in Denmark (120 km) and the Berg River Canoe Marathon in South Africa (248 km).
Canoe sailing
Racing a canoe using sail power, fitting a Polynesian outrigger or a Western canoe with sails.
Polynesian sailing canoes
The first sailing canoes emerged in ancient Polynesia over a thousand years ago. The canoes were built from Island materials such as plaited leaf sails, island woods, organic webbing. The manned paddled sailing canoes explored the vast Pacific Ocean. The Polynesian voyaging canoes are to ancient Polynesian culture as the invention of the wheel in Asia and Europe. Today there is a revival of canoe sailing in Polynesia and racing is very much alive in the Hawaiian Islands in particular. Hawaiian sailing canoes have evolved: Wood has been replaced by fiberglass and carbon, sails are now made from Dacron and Kevlar.
The Hokulea is an example of a replica of a Polynesian voyaging canoe. It has made many voyages across the Pacific.
Racing inter-island is very much alive in the Hawaiian Islands.
North American sailing canoes
Canoes have been used for sailing since at least the 1860s. There are several racing classes of sailing canoes: Cruising Class or 4 Meter, C Class or 5 Meter, International Decked Sailing Canoe, and the American Canoe Association Class.
Whitewater kayaking is the sport of paddling a kayak on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. Whitewater kayaking can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater. River rapids are graded like ski runs according to the difficulty, danger or severity of the rapid. Whitewater grades (or classes) range from II or 2 (the easiest) to VI or 6 (the most difficult/dangerous). Grade/Class I can be described as slightly moving water with ripples but for that reason is not considered 'Whitewater.' Grade/Class II/2 can be described as moving water providing some small degree of challenge. Grade/Class VI can be described as extremely severe or almost unrunnable whitewater, considered almost certain death, such as Niagara Falls.
The kayak (or just 'boat') used in casual whitewater kayaking is different from those used in whitewater racing or sea kayaking. Traditionally, kayaks were made of animal skins stretched over wooden frames. Early whitewater boats were fiberglass or kevlar, and this is still preferred for racing due to the light weight, but most modern whitewater boats are typically rotomoulded from a tough plastic that is slightly flexible and very durable, if easily scratched. Boats can range in size from barely long enough to hold the paddler (around 1.5 m long)(or even smaller for children), up to 3.7 m or longer.
There are five 'sub-categories' in whitewater kayaking:
• River running: can be thought of as a tour down a river, to enjoy the scenery as well as experiencing challenging whitewater. River running includes short day trips as well as longer multi-day trips. Multi-day kayak trips often entail the use of gear-toting rafts to allow a more comfortable experience without a heavily-laden kayak. Downriver or 'Wildwater' racing is the competitive aspect of this category, racing canoes or kayaks down a river as fast as possible.
• Creeking: is perhaps best thought of as a subcategory of river running, involving very technical and difficult rapids, typically in the Grade/Class IV to VI range. While people will differ on the definition, creeking generally involves higher gradient (approaching or in excess of 19 m per km, and is likely to include running ledges, slides, and waterfalls on relatively small and tight rivers, though some will allow for very large and big volume rivers in their definition. Kayaks used for creeking usually have higher volume (more gallons or liters of displacement) and more rounded bow and stern, as these features provide an extra margin of safety' against the likelihood of pinning, and will resurface more quickly and controllably when coming off larger drops. Creek boats usually have increased "rocker," or rise, on the bow to go up and over obstacles and obstructions within the river. Extreme racing is a competitive form of this aspect of whitewater kayaking, in which kayakers race down steep sections and or generally dangerous sections of whitewater.
• Slalom: seeWhitewater slalom
• Playboating: also known as Freestyle or Rodeo, is a more gymnastic and artistic kind of kayaking. While the other varieties of kayaking generally involve going from Point A to Point B, playboaters often stay in one spot in the river (usually in a hole, pourover or on a wave) where they work with and against the dynamic forces of the river to perform a variety of manoeuvres. These can include surfing, spinning, and various vertical moves (cartwheels, loops, blunts, pistol and donkey flips, and many others), spinning the boat on all possible axis of rotation. More recently, aerial moves have become accessible, where paddlers perform tricks having gained air from using the speed and bounce of the wave. Kayaks used for playboating generally have relatively low volume in the bow and stern, allowing the paddler to submerge the ends of the kayak with relative ease. Competitions for playboating or freestyle are sometimes called whitewater rodeo in the US, but more frequently just referred to as freestyle events in UK and Europe.
• Squirt Boating: incorporates the use of low-volume boats to perform special moves in whitewater features. Squirt boating predates, and was critical to the foundation of, playboating. Squirt boats are often fairly long and flat, with low volume throughout the design. Because squirt boats are custom built to the paddlers weight, inseam, and personal preference, they are constructed with composite materials instead of plastic. Many squirt moves are intended to submerge all or part of the craft and paddler, such as the "mystery move," in which both the boat and the paddler submerge completely into the river's flow for several seconds and up to half a minute.
Techniques
• Paddle Strokes: a variety of different paddle strokes are used to guide, propel and turn the boat in various ways. Some strokes are used in combinations to perform maneuvers such as the 'S-turn.'
• Rolling: is an essential skill in whitewater kayaking. This technique allows a flipped boater to regain an upright position. There are a variety of different styles of rolling but in whitewater paddling the styles which offer protection of the face receive special emphasis.
• Bracing and Sculling: bracing is the use of the paddle to keep the boat upright. There are several different types of braces. Sculling is a more continuous method but is used less often in whitewater.
• Boofing: in whitewater kayaking, refers to the raising of the kayak's bow during freefall, while descending a ledge, ducking behind a boulder, or running a waterfall. This technique is used to avoid submerging the bow of the kayak by ensuring it lands flat when it hits the base of the waterfall. The term is an onomatopoeia which mimics the sound that is usually created when the hull of the kayak makes contact with water at the base of the waterfall. Another type of boof is the "rock boof" which is a move that uses a glancing impact with a boulder at the top of a ledge to bounce the boater over a downstream feature, often finished with a mid-air eddy turn. Rock boofs result in sounds both at the top of the drop (boat impacting rock) and the bottom (boat bellyflopping into the water).
Equipment
In addition to the boat and paddle there are several other pieces of gear that are necessary for whitewater paddling. A buoyancy aid (BA) or personal flotation device (PFD), helmet, spraydeck are considered essential while a rope throwbag, knife, and safety whistle are recommended as standard pieces of safety gear. Many people also wear nose clips since flipping the boat is a normal part of the whitewater experience. In addition the boater must be dressed appropriately for the water temperature, which might imply a wetsuit or drysuit. The boat itself should be equipped with enough flotation to make pinning less likely and help enable its recovery.
Whitewater slalom
Whitewater Slalom is a competitive sport where the aim is to navigate a decked canoe or kayak through a course of hanging gates on river rapids in the fastest time possible. It is one of the two kayak and canoeing disciplines at the Summer Olympics, and is referred to by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as either "canoe slalom" or "kayak slalom".
Rules
Each gate consists of two poles hanging from a wire strung across the river. There are 18-25 (although nowadays there are more often near 18 than 25) numbered gates in a course and they are colored as either green (downstream) or red (upstream), indicating the direction they must be negotiated. Upstream gates are often placed in eddies, where the water is flat or moving slightly upstream; the paddler makes the 'breakout' from the main current and paddles upstream through the gate. Most slalom courses take 80 to 120 seconds to complete for the fastest paddlers. Depending on the level of competition, difficulty of course, degree of water turbulence and ability of the other paddlers, times can go up to 200 seconds. Each competitor has two runs on the course, and the final result is based either on the faster run (in smaller races or lower division races) or the sum of the two runs (in national and international competitions). In international competitions (World Cups, World Championships, Olympic Games) each competitor does two runs in the qualification round, the times are added to give the qualification result. Depending the number of participants of the event, 10 to 40 boats make it through to the semi-final; this consists of one run on a different course. The fastest 10 boats per event make it through to the final, where they navigate the semi-final course once more and times of semi-final and final run are added to give the final result.
If the competitor's boat, paddle or body touches either pole of the gate, a time penalty of two seconds is added. If the competitor misses a gate completely, displaces it by more than 45 degrees, goes through the gate upside-down, or goes through it in the wrong order, a 50 second penalty is given.
Development of Slalom Boats
In the 1960s and early 1970s, boats were made of heavy fiberglass and nylon. The boats were high volume and weighed 30 kilos. In the early 1970s Kevlar was used and the boats became lighter as well as the volume of the boats was being reduced almost every year as new designs were made. A minimum boat weight was introduced to equalize competition when super light materials began to effect race results. The I.C.F also reduced the width of the boats in the early 1970s. The gates were hung about 10 cm above the water. When racers began making lower volume boats to sneak underneath gates, the gates were raised in response to fears that new boats would be of such low volume as to create a hazard to the paddler. Their low volume sterns allow the boat to slice through the water in a quick turn, or 'pivot'.
Typically, new racing boats cost between $1,200 and $2,500. Usually boats are made with carbon fiber, Kevlar, and fiberglass cloth, using epoxy or polyester resin to hold the layers together. Foam sandwich construction in between layers of carbon,Kevlar, or Aramid is another technique in use to increase the stiffness of slalom boats.
Recently, the minimum length of these boats were reduced from 4 meters down to 3.5 meters, causing a flurry of new, faster boat designs which are able to navigate courses with more speed and precision. The shorter length also allows for easier navigation and less boat damage in the smaller man made river beds that are prevalent in current elite competitions.
Boat design progression is rather limited year to year. Designs tend to focus on providing optimal performance for upcoming critical race venues. Olympic years tend to generate boat designs with specific performance characteristics tuned for the upcoming Olympic course.
There are rules governing almost every aspect of slalom equipment used in major competition, including sponsor advertisement. Some of these rules vary from country to country, consult your national canoe and kayak governing body for direct rules.
It is common for boat manufacturers to build elite competition quality boats lighter than the required ICF weight, thus competitors affix weight to the inside of the boat at the center point. This practice allows the boat to be more responsive to directional adjustments.
Whitewater racing
Also known as Wild Water Racing where competitors race specialised canoes or kayaks down a whitewater river (typically class II to IV whitewater is used).
Whitewater racing is a competitive discipline of canoeing in which kayaks or Canadian canoes are used to negotiate a stretch of river speedily. It is also called "wildwater" or "downriver" racing to distinguish it from whitewater slalom racing and whitewater rodeo or freestyle competition.
The object, simply stated, is to go from point A to point B on a river as quickly as possible. Typical wildwater venues consist of Class II - IV whitewater, in contrast to extreme racing, which takes place on more difficult streams. Match competitions generally consist of a classic and a sprint race. A classic course is 4-6 miles (6-10 km) in length or 25 to 35 minutes in duration, while the Sprint is between 500 and 750 meters and lasts around 2 minutes. Although there is some specialization, the vast majority of racers compete in both classic and sprint.
They are numbered within their class based on results from previous races and compete in reverse order (best paddler last), usually at one-minute intervals. To race successfully, paddlers must possess refined technical skill, as well as strength, endurance, aerobic capacity, and the ability to "read" whitewater.
Whitewater racing is also practiced by competing teams; each team is made by a group of three competitors belonging to the same class.
Boat design and helmets
Wildwater kayaks and canoes are long (4.5m) and narrow (60 cm), with a rounded hull profile, making them fast but unstable and hard to turn. Wildwater solo canoes (C-1) are 4.3 m long and 70 cm wide; 2-person whitewater canoes (C-2) are 5m long and 80 cm wide.
Rather than using wide sweep strokes to turn the boat, the paddler tilts the boat to one side, utilizing its curved profile to effect the turn in a manner similar to "carving a turn" in skiing. Two "wings" (flaring protrusions near the stern hull) meet the minimum width required by racing rules and add secondary stability, as well as enhancing the effect of carving a turn. When the boat is under way, most of each wing will be above the waterline so as to minimize drag. The use of kevlar, fiberglass, and carbon fiber construction has substantially reduced the weight of wildwater boats, while improving stiffness. The top part (the deck) and the bottom (the hull) are molded separately and then bonded together using kevlar or glass cloth strips and epoxy or polyester resin. A boat can be made in 2 to 3 days, but without an oven can take weeks to cure fully.
Before fiberglass boats, the common racing craft was the foldboat, usually composed of a wooden frame covered with canvas.
Competitors are also required to wear an appropriate Whitewater Helmet and PFD.
Training and Racing
Racers paddle down a course along the fastest jets of water. In order to go fast, they follow the edges of wave trains and hold as straight a line as possible down the river. If it is unclear which line is fastest, two paddlers simultaneously float the different options and see which boat moves ahead. Because of the high speeds, racers frequently run a river two or three times a day when training for a race.
Some racers practice on rivers if they are lucky to live near one. Usually they will paddle 5-10 miles a day, five to six days a week. Others practice on lakes or flatwater rivers. In northern areas rivers and lakes freeze, so racers sometimes train in an indoor pool, lift weights, run or do Cross-country skiing. When the rivers and lakes become free of ice then training is resumed outdoors.
A quadrathlon (or quadrathon) is an endurance sports event composed of four individual disciplines. All four disciplines are completed in succession and the lowest overall time decides the winner.
The World Quadrathlon Federation defines that a quadrathlon consists of
1. swimming (3.2 km)
2. kayaking (20 km)
3. cycling (161 km)
4. running (42 km)
However, other combinations, for example with roller skating or mountain biking, are also common.
The distances, time duration and events depending on the organizing body, the location of the event and the time of year. During the winter months snowshoes and cross country skiing may replace running and swimming respectively. Other events such as standing long jump, triple jump, 30 metre sprint, and overhead shot put can make up the competition.
The sport, technique, and equipment, used in of surfing ocean waves with kayaks. Surf kayaking carries many similarities to surf board surfing, but with boats designed for use in surf zones, propelled by paddle. A number of kayak designs are used, but all are utilized to use the waves energy to propel ones craft.
Surf Kayaking is popular in many areas frequented by surf board surfers. The Sport has grown in popularity greatly over the last decades, in pace with the rise of sea kayaking, and modern building materials and techniques.
Equipment
• Boats: there are a number of specialty Surf Kayak designs available. They are often equiped with up to three fins. Specialty surf kayaks typically have flat bottoms, and hard edges, similar to surf boards. The design of a surf kayak promotes the use of an ocean surf wave (moving wave) as opposed to a river or feature wave (moving water). They are typically made from rotomolded plastic, or fiberglass, but are also available in Kevlar, or carbon fiber.
- Waveskis, a sit-on-top variety, carry many similarities to Surf Kayaks. Specialty surf kayaks and waveski's share many similarities with surf boards. Many Kayaks, such as those used in Whitewater kayaking, on rivers or tidal rapids, are used. Many whitewater designs can be fitted with fins, to assit in control on moving surf waves.
- Sea kayaks, generally used for day-trip, to expedition kayaking, are used in surf kayaking. Due to their long length, sea kayaks are difficult to maneuver in surf. The techniques and strategies utilized in landing kayaks, even when heavily loaded, safely through large open ocean surf, could be considered a sub-disipline of surf kayaking.
- Surf ski, a long narrow kayak, is generally used to race in open water and should not be confused with Surf Kayaks.
• Paddles: typically double sided kayak paddles. Length is generally proportional to dimensions of boat and paddler, but can range from 160-230 cm. Kayak blades are often 'feathered' (set on an angle in relation to each other), allowing the paddle to pass smoothly through the lip of a wave when paddling into breaking waves. It is not unusual for un-feathered paddles to be used as personal preference. Occasionally single sided 'canoe' paddles are used. This is perhaps attributed to whitewater canoe influence. Surf Kayak paddles are generally made from robust materials to last the rigours of the surf zone. Fiberglass, plastic, and carbon fiber are most common.
Surfing Open Ocean Swell
When paddling in following seas in open ocean swell, it is possible to surf ones kayak, thereby increasing one's speed. Ocean swell, having a longer distance between crests than wind waves, allows Sea Kayaks and other longer boats to surf down the front of the wave. This technique, especially when used on extended exedition trips, can add miles to one's day.
Dangers of surf kayaking
As with all water sports, surf kayaking carries inherent risks. Participants should gain experience in various swell heights, and wear suitable safety equipment. One should wear a helmet, and suitable PFD. The dangers of cold water immersion, leading to Hypothermia should be addressed by wearing a Wetsuit, Drysuit, or other suitable insulation.
Sea kayak touring sees many injuries associated with accidents in the 'Surf Zone'.[2] Techniques used in landing loaded sea kayaks through surf generally involve following behind the crest of a wave to avoide broaching in following seas.
When kayak surfing in areas frequented by traditional surf boarders, follow surf zone ethics (do not drop in or snake waves, and give right of way). If possible consider paddling a break free of surf boarders. Collisions between other surf kayaks boats or surf boarders can cause significant injury.
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