Kayak Basics

Video Transcript

"Basic kayaking tips. Before you are in the water make sure that you do have your paddle, boat, and life jacket. Once you are in the water these are some basic tips to follow to keeping your boat upright. Rule one is you keep your bottom in the bottom of the boat. No standing up and dancing. Rule two is you want to keep yourself in the center of the boat. Sometimes you get into the boat and your backside might be shifted to one side and your boat is sitting like this and this is that, the boat is not going to paddle well and also puts you on edge when you are paddling you might fall in. So you want to shift your back side to the middle. Also when you are paddling just reach with your arms on either side. You don't want to reach with your whole body that causes the boat to become unstable and you might fall in. Rule three is you want to stay nice and loose in the boat. This is called the boat boogie woogie and this allows you if there is any waves or, and some current you are going to be allowed to be nice and relaxed and rule four you are keeping your boat upright you see the opening that you are sitting in make sure that always points up. If it is upside down you are counting the fish or doing the wet exit and with these boats if you do happen to flip over you fall right on out and with your life jacket on you are just up at the surface preparing to swim to shore or somebody to assist you to get back into your boat. Also some basic techniques is when you are paddling is if you find that you are hitting your hands on the side is reach your thumbs on either side of the kayak so this way you are reaching out and you are paddling with your stomach and not with your arms. A lot of people when they first start out they are pulling with their arms like this and they're, you know, they feel that their arms are tired at the end of the day. What you want to do is nice relaxed arms and you are twisting with your stomach and this way you can paddle all day long and enjoy the trip."