How to Learn Kayak Safety Rules

If you want to hit the waters in a kayak, take a starter course first to keep you and your boat safe. From thrilling rapids to calm lakes, kayaking is a wonderful way to enjoy the water, but it can be dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. A safety course can keep your kayaking adventures fun by teaching you the basics of safety, including what to do if your boat is capsized.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Form of payment

1. Use the yellow pages or an online search to find a place to rent kayaks. Many kayak rental companies offer safety courses with the boat rental.
2. Visit the rental shop or its Web site to find out if it offers kayak safety courses.
3. Sign up for a class, or rent a kayak if the shop offers classes only with rentals.
4. Prepare as instructed to get the most out of the class, bringing any materials that the instructor suggests.
5. If an ecology group safeguards a local body of water, they might be able to steer you to a kayaking course.

Tips & Warnings

• A safety course is an important first step to making sure you have a safe kayak trip. The single-person boats are generally easy to operate, but tricky to maneuver when things go wrong.
• Never attempt to kayak without self-rescue training, or you could end up trapped upside down in the water.