It’s a bright sunny day and you are feeling adventurous. So, you decide to try kayaking for the first time, but don’t know what to do and what to bring. Well you are in luck; this guide will help you be prepared and help answer all your questions about kayaking for the first time.
This guide will go over some reasons why you should kayak, some first-time kayaker questions, what kind of gears you’ll need, how to kayak with different paddle strokes, some safety tips, and some recommend places to go for first timers.
Reasons Why You Should Kayak
- Great exercise routine for the outdoors. It can increase your strength in your core, arms, chest, and shoulder muscles. Pretty much all of your upper body. Also, it can provide a great cardiovascular fitness. Kayaking is a low impact activity so its easy on your joints.
- It’s a great and exciting way to spent time with friends and family
- You can kayak in any body of water, so go out and explore. For beginners, try going to calm water such as lakes and inside bay areas. For more advance kayakers there is rivers and the ocean.
- You can fish from your kayak, you do need a fishing license.
First-time Kayaker Questions
- Is kayaking hard?
Kayaking for the first time will need some getting use to, but it’s not hard at all. because you can go at your own pace and most of the basic skills of kayaking can be learn within minutes.
- Do I need to take kayaking class before going out?
No, its not a requirement. It is a good way to start kayaking though because you will learn all the different types of paddle techniques in person and its way safer to go with a group than going solo for the first time.
- Do I have to buy all of the kayaking gears to start?
No, if you decide to take a course in person, they should have most of the things you’ll need for kayaking. You should try it out first to see if you like it before dropping money on a kayak.
If you don’t want to take a course but want to try kayaking, you should look for a rental shop near you. At the shop they should be able to recommend some good local spots to kayak for the first time.
Places You Should Go
For the first trip, you should practice your paddling techniques close to shore so if anything, you can swim back to dry land. You should be able to paddle forward, turn right and left, turn back around and reverse before going out further from land.
- What to look for on your first trip:
- Minimal to no current, flat water such as lakes, ponds, bay areas
- Easy spots to launch the kayak from such as docks, areas with no waves, and away from rocky areas.
- What to avoid for your first trip:
- Areas with lots of boats and other watercrafts moving
- Fast current
- Open ocean, even if you think its calm because the ocean current can change at any given time.
- Rocky areas
- Piers and fishing spots, you do not want to be caught on someone’s fishing line and hooks
What To Bring With You On The Kayak
There are certain things you should always bring on your trips for safety. You should plan on wearing clothes that are right for the weather and are somewhat waterproof or resistance because you may get wet. You shouldn’t over pack because if the kayak ever tip over you may lose your things.
- Must have gears for kayaking
- Personal flotation device (PFD) – Any coast guard approved PFD will work like a life jacket. Make sure it fit your body type. We strongly suggest life jackets with zip pockets so you can keep some important things with you at all times even if you flip over.
- Kayak and paddles – find the right size kayak and paddles to make your kayaking more enjoyable
- Dry bag – To keep valuables like keys and phone from getting wet. Depending on what type kayak and dry bag you get, you can attach the dry bag to the kayak. So even if the kayak flip over there is a less likely chance of your valuables getting lost in the water.
- Whistle – Just in case a boat does not see you kayaking, it should be attached to your life jacket.
- Elastic bungee cord or string – to tie your paddle to your kayak so if you drop your paddle into the water you can easily get it back before it floats away.
- Pocket knife – In case you need to cut the string that is attached to the paddles and kayak. You may need to cut this string if your kayak flips over and the string is preventing you from surfacing. This should be in your life jacket if it has pockets.
- Bilge pump – To pump the water out for sit in kayaks
- Car roof rack, straps and j hooks – For kayak transportation
- Kayak cart – For wheeling the kayak through the sand
- Personal items that you may want while kayaking
- Food and water – Depending on how long your trip is, you should bring some snacks and water to stay energize.
- Change of clothes or extra layer – In case you get wet or cold
- Sunscreen and sunglass – To prevent getting burned from the sun. Even though it may not be sunny the rays can hit the water and bounce back causing the same damages to the skin and eyes
- Headlamp and glow stink – In case it gets dark and you will have to use it to alert other boats around you.
- First aid kit – For any cuts because your hand may get wet and tender if its for a long period of time.
- Gloves – To prevent your hands from ending up with blisters from using the paddles.
Best Way To Get Into Your Kayak
Getting into the kayak for the first time will be awkward but you will get use to it after a few times. In order to launch out safely try going out from a dock or shoreline with no current.
An easy way would be on the shoreline, have another person hold the paddle and kayak to keep it steady while you climb in. Once you are in, the person can hand you the paddle and you are set to go.
How to Sit in a kayak
Most kayak will have footpegs where you place your feet on. Once you place your feet in, make sure your knees are slightly bent. You will have to sit up straight and right with your back against the seat.
Once you are sitting correctly you can start paddling out. With the right sitting posture, you will have a balanced kayak with more power in your paddling strokes.
How To Hold The Kayak Paddle
- Hold paddle with the concave part of the paddle blade toward you – Paddle companies usually place their logo on the blades of the paddle. So, you what to see those logos facing towards you.
- Point the pointy edge of the blade upwards
- The paddle must be centered on your body
- Your hands on the paddle are supposed to be slightly wider than shoulder width apart and elbows are 90 degrees
- Should use a relaxing grip on the paddle so it can help with muscle cramping in the forearm and will help prevent getting blisters between your index finger and thumb.
Proper Paddling Techniques
There are four different paddling techniques, forward stroke, reverse stroke, sweep stroke, and draw stroke.
Tips
When paddling focus on rotating your torso for more strength in your paddling strokes and not your arms that much.
Fully immerse the paddle blade into the water to get more power into your strokes.
Forward stroke
This stroke is the most used stroke out of the four. This will help you move forward in the water.
Steps
- Turn your torso to one side and immerse one of the paddle blades into the water around your knee area
- Move/ pull the blade through the water towards your body
- When the blade is next to your body, tilt the blade up and out of the water
- Repeat on the other side
- You should be moving in a straight line
Reverse Stroke
This stroke will help you back the kayak up. You can also use this to put on the breaks when you are moving forward.
Steps
- Put one of the blades into the water next to your hips
- Push the blade away from your hips toward your knees
- Once the blade is close to your knees pull the blade out of the water
- Repeat on the other side
- This should stop you from going forward and start going backwards
Sweep Stroke
This stroke will turn your kayak around so that you can be facing the direction of where you came from.
Steps
- Immerse the blade into the water next to your feet on one side
- Then make an arch with the paddle as far away from the kayak as possible, pulling with the lower hand and pushing with the upper hand on the paddle.
- Once the blade reaches the back of the kayak pull the blade up out of the water
- Repeat until you are facing the right way
Draw Stroke
This stroke will help you move the kayak sideways, very handy when you want to go up next to another kayaker or to be parallel with the dock.
Steps
- Turn to the side of where you want to go
- Reach out with the paddle and immerse one of the blades into the water
- Then pull the paddle towards you, once the blade is next to the kayak twist the paddle so that there is not a lot of resistance and push the blade back out away from the kayak
- Once the blade is away from the kayak twist the paddle back to normal and then repeat the process of pulling the paddle back towards the kayak
How To Dress For Kayaking
Depending on the weather and the temperature of the water, if its sunny and the water is somewhat warm or not too cold you should wear multiple thin layers because you will be kind of sweaty from all the paddling.
Wear clothes that are made of polyester and not cotton because if it get wet it will not dry as quick.
If the weather is cold and the water temperature is low and cold you should consider wearing a wetsuit under the life jacket incase the kayak ever tip over and you end up in the water. You do not want to be freezing cold afterwards.
How To Rescue Yourself
Your kayak may capsize and flip over tossing you out, when this happens do not panic you will still float because you are wearing your life jacket, knowing how to swim will help you out.
To flip the kayak back up in the right position, first go under the kayak on one side and push up hard as you can on that one side so that the kayak can flip back up but watch out for the kayak, it may hit you on your head.
Once the kayak is back to the right position, its time to get back into the kayak. In order to do this, you will have to be on one side and grab onto the other side of the kayak and pull yourself back up into the kayak.
Sounds easy but its harder than you think since now you are tired, and the kayak is not steady when you are trying to pull yourself back up, plus the life jacket might be in the way for this part of getting back onto the kayak.
You should practice capsizing your kayak in the bay area where its deep enough so you can practice flipping the kayak back up and practice pulling yourself back into the kayak.
So in a real situation you are ready to save yourself or someone in need of help.
Last And Final Tip
Remember to have fun and explore around the area once you get the hang of kayaking you can do other things with the kayak like go kayak fishing.