First Time Kayaking???

Question

Hello. I am going to be going Kayaking in about a month. It will be my first time. Im in relatively good shape, however is there any advice about strokes, or websites you've visited to help me out on my first time so I don't look like a lunatic... Anything will help and thanks!!!!

Answer 1

You can take a kayaking class where you will learn how to get in and get out and how to roll and what to do when you capsize.

Answer 2

there's way too much to talk about in terms of strokes. you'll get the hang of them anyway no problem.

the best kayak site is playak.com

its go loads of videos, articles, forums, boat and river information. great stuff

Answer 3

I know nothing about Kayaking at all, but my sister is currently travelling and rang home yesterday to say that she and her friend went kayaking and her friend tried to get out of the kayak while they were out far in the water, the whole thing collapsed, they lost their money and anything else that was in the boat and spent ages trying to get it turned up the right way again. So, don't do what she did!

Have fun!

Answer 4

there are some things you should know about poping your kayaking cherry first you have to make sure that you rub and stroke the rubber dildy hard and quickly before every plunge (kayaking lingo)

Answer 5

Kayaking is one sport gals actually can get better at than guys as strength and brute force don't translate into better paddling.  Learning how to work with the water and not against it sounds kinda Zen-like, but it actually works in this sport.  Most  women have way more flexibility in their hips and that's critical to maintaining balance, rolling the boat back up after a capsize, and dealing with rough water conditions.  Remember to separate what the upper and lower body are doing in the boat eg. don't stiffen up so you look like a basketball goal post in your boat.  

You didn't specify whether you were going to be doing whitewater, open water,  or flat water type kayaking, but a couple of things to remember when you start out are to make sure when paddling the boat that you use you entire upper body to propel the boat and not your skinny little biceps muscles(this goes for the guys too!!).  Rotating your shoulders so that your entire torso propels the boat will get you moving along quite nicely.  The other thing I stress(goes along with the torso rotation point) is that you NEVER want to get your hand behind the imaginary plane between your shoulders.  The ACA instructors used to call it "staying inside the paddler's box"(the box being the rectangle formed by your chest, both arms, and the paddle shaft and yeah, that sounds a little confusing on paper), but anytime your had gets back behind this plane, your shoulder is in a prime location for dislocation or separation and that can end not only your paddling career, but a lot of other things too.  If you need to take a reverse stroke, just make sure you rotate your entire torso back to make the stroke.  It's going to be a stronger stroke and a safer stroke because now your hand is still "in the box".

It goes without saying that you should always wear your PFD and make sure it's on snugly.  Proper footwear is key also.  No flip flops or steel toed work boots.  Wet suit booties allow travel over rocks and sand comfortably as do a lot of the water shoes being made these days. You should fit snugly in your boat as the more you "wear the boat", the more it will perform properly for you. Just make sure you're not in there so tightly that you can't wet exit when you want or need to.  Also make sure you dress for not only the air temperature for the day, but take into consideration the water temperature too.  Usually if the water and air temps don't add up to 100 F, then a wet suit is recommended.

If you need a website, I like www.paddling.net as a good generic starting point.  The American Canoe Association web pages are  helpful too.

Kayaking is a blast regardless of what type of water you paddle, but if your "leader" tries to coerce you into doing something you're not comfortable doing, you've made a bad choice of instructor/trip leader.   Leave the cell phone and Ipod and credit cards securely on shore.  Pack enough energy food and drink for the length of time you'll be out there, do use sunscreen and most of all, LEARN AND HAVE FUN!!

Self propelled travel of any sort ROCKS!!

Answer 6

don't worry about it you'll be fine, when i first started all i had to do was pay attention, do whatever felt right and within 30 minutes or so i was paddling quickly, easily and in a straight line. but if you want techical then. grip with whichever hand feels most comfortable then as you stroke twist the wrist, and keep the other hand loose, this way your paddle pushes against the water rather than slice through it.