White Water Boats:

These little guys are quite different than there lake and ocean counterparts. If you’ve never been in one, start off with water that has little to no flow. A quick paddle about will soon let you know its uniqueness.

These boats are built to turn so going straight can be quite a challenge! The shorter the boat gets, the faster it will turn, but the slower it will go forward. Cutting out across the lake in one of these playboats is a great workout.

The moving water is where they are happiest if you can control them. Body position and angles become very important as you venture into moving water.

I strongly recommend you do your first few trips with someone that can give you some insight into these little boats and what the water is doing. After all, the water in a river is going every direction you can think of, not just downstream. Understanding this takes a little bit of time and practice.

Here are some points for you to consider and build on to enjoy your river experience.

1. Contact someone that can help make this journey easier, i.e. kayak instructors; a trusted friend who is already into it; most shops that sell the gear can direct you to someone who can help.

2. Be prepared to GET WET! This is not a dry sport; hence if it is some time in December or February that the notion has hit you, you need a lot more gear! Survival time in next to freezing water is about 2-3 minutes without the right gear, i.e. drytops, drypants, a drysuit, some good wetsuit gear will work (proper fit is essential for wetsuit gear to work). Even during the warmer season some protective gear is needed.

3. If you’ve never paddled before the basic paddling strokes will come in handy to get you from A-B. There are many places to find these, books, friends, instructors or the Internet.

‘Basic Paddle Strokes’ is about a one-day course. After the course you’ll know what they are and how they work. From there, it is your time in at practicing them that will make them more efficient. Forward, backward, sideways and bracing should be the minimum covered. For river running and playing the brace strokes are important. These guys are what keep you right side up most of the time.

4. Knowledge: This one is your lifesaver. The more you know about what you are about to do and it’s inherent dangers the less likely you are going to have to deal with a bad situation by surprise. Know your gear and how it works! Know who you are paddling with! Is there someone with you that can give guidance or are the blind leading the blind? Know where you are paddling. Is there a 40ft waterfall hiding around the next bend that someone didn’t mention or was never seen from the road before? Know that when you get to the bottom of your run you have a way to get back to your vehicle that’s 10 miles up the road! And that vehicle, at the bottom, is not much use with its keys safely locked inside the vehicle at the top…

Some things for the trip or better said “the adventure”!

A kayak is good, a paddle, a skirt that fits your kayak and you. A lifejacket or PFD as they are called now. A Paddling Jacket will be far more comfortable if you have access to one. A Helmet! For your first few runs you should be on a smaller, less aggressive river so a bicycle helmet will suffice. As you move up into heavier water, you will want a better helmet for the environment. And YES, you do NEED a helmet. There be rocks on the bottom of that river! And when you fall over it’s better to have your head protected. A signaling device, most have a whistle that is attached to the outside of the PFD somewhere. A full change of clothing either waiting at the take-out or in a drybag secured inside your kayak.

Now that you’re armed and ready to go here’s a brief look at the river and what’s happening.

Anywhere that there is an obstacle sticking out in the river (e.g. a jut of land from shore or a rock in the middle) it will create an Eddy behind it. An eddy’s water is actually moving back upstream.

These Eddies are a place where you can stop your downstream momentum. They come in every size, huge to tiny, and are your friends! Learn how to recognize them and use them. If you see an obstacle in the river ahead, you can ‘catch an eddy’ to stop your downstream movement and assess the situation. You may need to choose a path to shore and portage (walk) around the obstacle.

In a river you can get what’s called a Wave. The wave is where the water is squeezed into a narrower spot on the river and a smooth glassy tongue will lead you to the wave. Stay forward and paddle and you will pass right through the wave or faster moving water. The trick here is to keep the paddle moving. It provides the balance you’ll need. The water forming a wave will keep traveling downstream and flush you through.

A Hole can be a bit trickier. They can be described as sticky. They appear where there is more of a pour over, a sharper drop to the water. Like over a small waterfall. This water runs back upstream with some force and can be difficult to get out of if you get caught by one.

You can usually spot these from upstream. They look like a line across the water, as if you are going to paddle off the edge. If you are on a collision course with a hole (being it not a big one) PADDLE! If you’ve started out on a small river you will likely make it through the hole. If you’re looking at a hole the general rule says ‘if the water going back upstream is longer than your boat, you’re in trouble’. Should you get stuck in a hole, get out of your boat (assuming you haven’t learned your roll yet) and attempt to swim out one side or the other. If this fails, dive down to the bottom and catch the water flowing out the bottom, as per the diagram of the hole above.

Some hazards that exist on a river.

Strainers are very nasty and claim lives on rivers. These are trees that have fallen into the river and block your path. Give these obstacles a wide birth. Some strainers will block an entire river and be impassable by boat; in this case you must get out and walk around.

Looking ahead or scouting a piece of water before you run it is important. Know what’s coming. A surprise by one of these could cost you your life. The strainer is the most dangerous obstacle on the river. Steer clear!

Trees can get caught in the most unlikely places. Even if you’ve been down this river many times you should keep a sharp eye out for strainers.

If you spot one STOP your downstream momentum right away! Assess the hazard. This could mean getting out of your boat and going to take a closer look (scouting).Sometimes you will run into a rock sticking up out of the water. If you’re actually going to collide with one, take your body and throw it onto the rock! For god sakes don’t scratch your boat! But seriously, by leaning onto the rock, you’ll remain right side up and the current will push the boat around the rock one side or the other.

If you lean away from the rock (doing what’s called a defensive posture); the water will flip you upside down and up against the rock…this can be bad. A quick exit from your boat would be a must to avoid being pinned.

A very helpful skill to learn as you paddle is to LOOK where you want to go! See the spot you want to be in and make that boat go there. When you fixate on an obstacle it becomes a big magnet and into it you go. If you look at the clear path, that is where you will go.

This but scratches the surface of skills and things you should know to try White Water Paddling.

Our goal is to see more people in the sport enjoying it. I’ve seen many people quickly leave the sport because they came in the wrong path. Please feel free to contact me for more information and direction, there are some great resources in our area to help you out. Thanks for reading & happy paddling!