Basics
As an instructor I try to provide experiences that simulate more difficult conditions while still being…
As a kayak instructor I want to know if my students can wet exit from their kayak. I am sure my students…
Reducing exposure time and not having to do a wet exit and recovery are excellent reasons for perfecting…
One of the most fundamental skills a paddler needs to master is stabilizing their partner's kayak so…
The first time I was asked to stand in my kayak as part of a training exercise I couldn't imagine the…
The shoulder dislocation is to kayaking, what a blown ACL is to skiing. Why is this injury so dreaded?…
Unfortunately, too often, I hear of paddlers with sore shoulders or those recovering from shoulder…
The 3 Golden Rules of whitewater paddling are a set of rules that all paddlers need to apply, regardless…
I always tell my students "when nature calls, answer!" If you are in your kayak and out on the water how…
In order to be visible while kayaking, you must stand out. But many bright colors don't have the…
Getting through a surf zone can be challenging. Having an understanding of the forces in the surf zone…
Summertime is here and the masses head for the water. Some of those masses are us kayakers. By electing…
Eddy turns are the foundation for paddling in current, enabling you to enter and exit river and tidal…
If you've ever been to a sea kayaking symposium, you've probably run into one of those folks armed with…
This is the most straightforward rescue, beyond simply righting the boat and pumping it dry. Approach…
I tell everyone that kayaking on the sea is a dry sport - and, unless you are involved in surfing or…
A wet exit is a mandatory skill for any modern day kayaker to learn. As an instructor it is one of the…
What's the best way to quiet a novice paddling class? Mention the "Eskimo Roll." Nothing worries…
"The noise resembles the roar of heavy, distant surf. Standing on the stirring ice one can imagine it is…
"Only half of kayaking has to do with hard skills. The other half is mental, and your mental state is…
By Tim Sprinkle Whitewater rivers are, by their very nature, chaotic and confusing places. Mixing bowls…
There are many different ways to communicate. One of the more reliable ways of doing so is with paddle…
After leading groups formally and informally for over thirty-five years, I have witnessed an interesting…
By C. L. Cowan Experienced paddlers, surfers and beach divers use rip tides as readily as river runners…