Kayak tips for women

[jazzalbart]

I would suggest you to do kayaking in flat water and if you are new to kayaking then you should try with inflatable boat. It is easy to paddle and much comfortable and stable in deep water.

[lovelygamer]

Wet exit absolutely terrifies me, especially in the pocomoke river-the deepest in the world for it's width (besides the nile). I absolutely know I'll freak out if I ever end up getting dumped out. I was VERY careful my first time out. I can swim though and I do wear my pfd- so I won't end up dead. My other half says he's only seen one boat flip in his six years of paddling and his friend was being a jerk and TRYING to cause drama, so it was no surprise. I'll see what's more local for education.

One of my friends gifted me a guided kayak tour which I'm hoping to take soon. I did go look at boats and gear twice so far. I haven't had a chance to get back out and paddle, but hopefully later this month. The heat has been too intense. Were looking at a perception for a starting boat, perhaps a 10 foot. They run about $400 new.

I plan to stick to flat water, safe kayaking. I'm happy looking at birds as I slowly roll along near the banks. I like small tributaries. There is an evening guided tour at Assateauge that interests me.

[tulip]

I get that the idea of a wet exit is scary. It was for me, too. I would suggest taking a safety course and learning to wet exit and a few rescue techniques. Practice them in a controlled environment so that you are comfortable with how to do it. Then go back every year for a refresher course. Kayaking, like cycling, has risks and being prepared is alot more fun than being caught off guard.

There's wonderful paddling in your area. Enjoy it!

[Kubla]

I get that the idea of a wet exit is scary. It was for me, too. I would suggest taking a safety course and learning to wet exit and a few rescue techniques. Practice them in a controlled environment so that you are comfortable with how to do it. Then go back every year for a refresher course. Kayaking, like cycling, has risks and being prepared is alot more fun than being caught off guard.

There's wonderful paddling in your area. Enjoy it!

Sound advice from Tulip (as always!) When I took kayak lessons with a small group of women, nobody *wanted* to be the first to flip their boat on purpose to practice a wet exit. Yours truly finally bit the bullet-if only to get through it. I don't like being underwater, and get disoriented when I'm upside down (hated tumbling in school) so I had a few personal concerns. In addition, I was quite overweight at the time and struggled to get back in the boat- but eventually managed it.

Frankly I still would prefer not to, but once you've done it a couple times, it helps you gain a little confidence. You will know what to expect instead of having that nagging fear of the unknown.