Paddling - Kayaking and Canoeing: What’s the Difference?
Paddling is one of the few outdoor activities that can give an adrenaline rush, a scenic view and an amazing experience all in one. It doesn’t matter if your just looking for some heart stopping exhilaration, the like of which you would usually get on a roller coaster ride or getting a feel of the sounds of nature and a sense of the power of God. You could find that the extreme sport you’ve been waiting to make your passion, is paddling. Paddling can refer to any act by which a person maneuvers a vessel through the water via a paddle. The two most common sub-categories of paddling are known affectionately as canoeing and kayaking.
But the two terms can quite often be confused. Recent advances in the technology with regard to boats and paddles, has blurred the lines between what is considered kayaking and canoeing. There was a point in time when canoes were basically ‘open boats’ and kayaks were ‘closed boats’. This actually refers to whether or not the rider's legs were inside the boat or exposed to the air. Then, as if to confuse things even further, came about the ‘sit-on-top kayak’ where the paddler is completely exposed to the air as well as the ‘closed canoe’ where the canoeist is enclosed in the boat. All confusion aside, there are some basic signs that can help one distinguish between the two.
Basically, canoeists tend to sit on a seat with their legs underneath them as sitting on a bench. But there are some canoes in which the rider has to kneel down inside. Most canoes as mentioned earlier, are ‘open’ and therefore the canoeist and the gear are exposed to the air. In most cases, the canoeist uses a paddle with only one blade. Kayakers, on the other hand, sit in a seat on the floor of the boat with their legs directly in front of them. Most kayaks are ‘closed boats’, meaning that the kayaker sits inside of the kayak in what is called a cockpit. Kayakers typically use a paddle containing a blade on each side of the shaft.
Besides the differences in the types of boats that paddlers use there are also different types of paddling. Whitewater paddling involves navigating swift moving rivers. Sea kayaking takes place in large bodies of water and often for long durations of time. Recreational paddling can include anything from a lazy day on a lake to a means by which one goes fishing or bird watching. The possibilities are truly endless.
The people who consider themselves paddlers are as diverse as the boats they paddle and the environments they paddle in. Some are die-hard whitewater kayakers and others thrive on a leisurely paddle on a secluded lake. And still others do it simply for the company the sport affords them to keep. Whatever the circumstances that drives these people to decide to paddle, one thing keeps them coming back. It is the indescribable feeling that one gets by stepping into their boat, pushing away from land, dipping their paddle into the water, and taking that first stroke. As they leave their cares, problems, and stresses on the banks and shores of their lives, they are floating and they are free.
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