BASIC SAFETY RULES DURING RAFTING

You should always wear a safety vest. The kayak is stable however it is possible to score a capsize.

Avoid paddling a 1-person or solo kayak. There are times when the assistance of a second kayak is essential. This is especially true on difficult rivers. Amateurs should categorically not kayak in this way.

It is not allowed to get into a kayak after drinking alcohol, or to consume alcohol during the rafting trip.

One should "head" across natural obstacles. When passing under a low footbridge, do not lean sideways, lie down in the canoe on your back and move under the obstacle with your hands.

If there is a necessity and possibility of assistance from the water when crossing the obstacle, the first settlement should warn the others and help the others to cross the obstacle.

There should be only one settlement directly in front of the obstacle, the others should wait for their turn at a distance of several tens of meters, so that if necessary the settlement crossing the obstacle can maneuver the canoe, including going back to straighten the canoe when the current pushes it aside. In seemingly safe water, the biggest danger to a canoe is the other canoe.

The first team in the formation should always inform the others of the danger, a protruding stone, a peg sticking out of the water, a fallen tree, etc.

Every obstacle should be approached slowly; if the only way to cross it quickly, you should back up and cross it with momentum. Do not do this without discerning the situation.

You should avoid tilting the canoe in the direction of the current, this applies especially when the current has pushed the canoe against the obstacle and you are standing sideways, if you tilt like this you are sure to score a capsize.

Pay attention to other rafting participants, and maintain eye contact with the settlement flowing in front and behind you.

You should control the paddle, and be careful not to hit another participant, for example, in the head...

Clothing must not restrict movement and be too heavy, when it soaks up water during a capsize it will be as heavy as a stone...

You should not enter the water barefoot, sandals work best here, a thick sole is advisable, and kayak shoes are ok, but they usually have a thin rubber sole, besides, they are wet for a long time.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PROPER USE OF THE KAYAK AND SWIMMING IN IT

INSIDE

Getting in and out of a kayak is easy if you know a few tricks. It is most conveniently done from a low platform. Before getting in, don't forget to check your equipment carefully.

Start by making sure you are wearing a belay or life jacket and that it fits properly. If you're using an apron, it's a good idea to roll it up so you don't accidentally sit on it. Remember to keep the paddle within arm's reach at all times.

Always remember that when you transfer your body weight over the kayak, it must be exactly in the center of the kayak. If you do not follow this rule, the kayak will capsize. Begin boarding by firmly grasping the rear of the cockpit and inserting your feet into the center of the kayak, as close to the centerline of the hull as possible.

Lift yourself up and support your weight mainly on your hands. Calmly lower yourself down and sit in the middle of the seat.

Getting out of the kayak should be done in the same way, but in reverse order.

You might be interested in reading - Best Inflatable Kayak For Whitewater.

ROWING

Before paddling, you need to learn how the paddle works in the water and how to hold it properly. This seems simple and obvious, but there are a few details you should be aware of.

 

Example. If you are paddling, you slightly bend your fingers to form your hand into the shape of a spoon. Standard kayak paddles look similar. Their concave side is called the active side, or working side, because it is the side that pushes the water away, propelling the canoe. The other side of the paddle is called the backside.

A large number of paddles have asymmetrical feathers. They appear as if they are seated on the rod slightly obliquely. Make sure you don't hold the paddle upside down, as there will then be a greater twisting force on the rod due to the uneven paddle surfaces on both sides of the rod being submerged in water.

This force is not usually felt, but you subconsciously compensate for it by squeezing the rod harder and working your wrists. Asymmetrical pens were invented precisely to avoid this unnecessary effort.

It is recommended to have a hand spacing on the bar that corresponds to the distance between the elbows of the hands straight to the sides, or slightly less. It's usually a good idea to distribute the effort evenly among different muscles by slightly changing your grip as you row. Usually, you will feel the need for a wider grip for more power pulls and to control the boat, and a slightly narrower grip for long-distance paddling. Typical touring paddles are twisted, meaning that their feathers are rotated by a certain angle. This helps reduce the resistance created in the air by a feather that is not working at the moment.

We distinguish between right- and left-handed paddles. If you're starting out, it's better to get used to a right-handed paddle, since such is much more common -- both in stores and in rental stores. Using a left- or right-handed paddle is purely a matter of habit and has nothing to do with a kayaker's left- or right-handedness.

In this manual, we assume that you use a right-handed paddle. Your right-hand controls the paddle. This means that your grip with your right hand is fixed and does not change while paddling. Your right hand (wrist) controls the angle of the feathers.

Don't squeeze the paddle too hard so that your right-hand doesn't tire quickly. Your left-hand holds the paddle loosely. This allows you to turn the stick and position the feather at the proper angle for hanging, backing, turning, and other maneuvers.

The "right hand fixed, left hand loose" grip is ideal for all maneuvers.

SWIMMING

Swimming forward is not difficult, but proper paddling techniques will help you swim faster, and more efficiently and put less strain on your joints. We will cover the basic elements of a proper paddle stroke. Remember that the ideal paddling style depends on your physical condition and the type of paddle. Before you start paddling, always make sure you are holding the paddle properly.

If you want to paddle effectively, proper position in the kayak is key. Sit up straight, relax your shoulders, and straighten up so you feel comfortable and can breathe easily. A kayak is not a recliner - don't recline on the back of the saddle.

Rest your feet on the footrest. Adjust the footrest so that your knees are slightly bent. In this position, you can swing them apart and rest them against the sides, which helps control the tilt of the boat. Keeping your legs together makes it easier to rotate your torso and allows you to paddle more effectively.

Make sure the footrest is sturdy enough to rest your feet firmly against it.

Remember that when rowing, you are mainly working your torso and legs. The arms and shoulders only transmit the energy that propels the canoe. To understand and master this basic principle, try paddling only by rotating your torso, and keeping your arms straight at all times.

At the beginning of the stroke, twist your torso to put the pen in the water at foot level, close to the kayak. The pulling hand (the lower hand, holding the pen is inserted into the water) should be as straight as possible. The other hand should be raised and bent so that its wrist is close to the cheek.

Press the footrest with the foot on the side of the pen dipping into the water. Dip the paddle vigorously into the water in a motion similar to driving a spear.

Begin the stroke by rotating your torso and keeping your arm straight pulling the pen. Apply pressure to the footrest with your foot (on the side of the stroke) to reinforce the action of the paddle. The stroke should be strongest at the beginning and weaken toward the end. In this way, you engage the strong musculature of the torso when the pen is in the optimal position.

The upper hand should remain relaxed. Remember not to squeeze the bar too hard so that the muscles can rest. Keep the palm of the hand pushing the paddle at about eye level and let it move in front of your face, from one side of the canoe to the other, to keep the paddle as vertical as possible.

End the stroke when the pulling hand is at torso level - continuing the stroke will reduce the efficiency of paddling, as you will have to overcome the resistance of the pulled pen.

Remove the pen from the water by moving it backward and away from the kayak. As you pull the pen out of the water, lift your elbow and let your wrist follow. Be careful not to raise your elbow above your shoulder and let your upper arm follow the rotation of your torso.

After taking the pen out of the water, prepare to pull with your other hand. Continue to rotate your torso so that you can begin your next stroke as far forward as possible.

Try to make your movements continuous and smooth. Remember that swimming forward is not the same as swimming straight -- we encourage you to read the rest of this guide.

COMMON MISTAKES:

• wrong position;
• insufficient torso rotation;
• extending the stroke too far, past the hip line;
• pushing the upper arm out too far, so that the angle of the paddle in the water is not as effective (the pen should be positioned as vertically as possible!);
• rocking the kayak by shifting weight from one side to the other;
• excessive strain on the wrists by bending them.

CONTROL

It seems obvious that paddling harder on one side will cause the canoe to turn the other way. However, using the vertical paddle stroke technique outlined earlier will result in more acceleration and only a small amount of turning. This means that in order to effectively turn, you need to slightly change the way you move the paddle and perform what is known as a wide forward stroke.

This is a basic technique for turning, as using it allows you to maintain both speed and paddling rhythm. You can perform the broad forward stroke both when the kayakis moving and when it is standing still.

Hold the paddle in the same way as when pulling forward. Put the pen in the water as far as you can comfortably reach and point the working side of the pen outward (away from the kayak). Keep your other hand fairly low. Hold the paddle at a slight angle to the water.

Make as large an arc as possible with the submerged pen, starting near the bow and ending near the stern of the canoe. The stroke should be performed mainly by rotation of the torso; the arms should remain as stationary as possible.

At the beginning of the stroke, you should try to push the bow away from the pen, and at the end -- draw the stern towards this pen: as a result, the canoe turns in the opposite direction to the one from which you perform the stroke.

NOTES:

Sometimes only a slight correction in direction is needed, and then you should do something between a regular and a broad stroke. To quickly turn the canoe in place, a good addition to the broad stroke forward would be a broad stroke backward. This is basically nothing more than a broad stroke made from stern to bow.