When you’re first starting out kayaking, it can seem a little daunting. Not only does kayaking give you the freedom to explore the beautiful waterways and natural environments available here in the UK and abroad, it’s also fantastic exercise. However, it’s important to start at the beginning before you get out on the water.
It may sound silly, but understanding how to safely get in and out of the kayak is an important first step – it’s not as easy as jumping in and out. In fact, it can be quite difficult if you don’t know what you’re doing and there are a number of different things you need to think about before you can embark on your trip.
At Cambridge Kayaks, our expert team has years of experience helping beginners right through to seasoned professionals get to grips with a sit on top kayak. In this latest blog post, we’ll be discussing the best way to enter and exit the kayak.
Take note of where you are entering the kayak
Depending on where you are getting into your kayak, you need to think about the best way of getting onboard. Whether you are on the shore, on a dock or even in the water, there are slightly different techniques.
Shoreline
If you are just beginning, it’s much easier to opt for entering from the shore, including lakeside, riversides and also the sea shore. The trick is to get the kayak as close to the shoreline as possible. This makes it easier to sit inside the kayak and then push yourself off into the water from a seated position. Taking it nice and slowly means that you will be able to balance yourself as you float on the water for the first time.
Docks
Entering a kayak from a dock can be slightly more challenging. First of all, you need to lower the vessel into the water and keep it parallel to the dock itself. You should then make sure that you place your paddle on the dock within easy reaching distance from the kayak – this ensures that you don’t float away without a paddle!
You’ll want to make sure that you position yourself and the kayak at the lowest point of the dock – the higher up you are, the more difficult it is to get in.
In water
This is the most difficult way to enter a kayak, however it is important you know how to do this in case you ever run into trouble whilst out on the water. Keeping the kayak stable is the most important thing in a situation like this. Take it slowly as you carefully pull yourself into the kayak, ensuring that you stabilize the vessel regularly. When you are halfway into the kayak and your bellybutton is in line with the edge of it, you can twist your legs so that they swing into the kayak.
How to exit the kayak
It is unlikely that you will need to exit the kayak on open water, however when the time comes to exit the kayak on the shoreline or at a dock, you simply need to reverse what you did to enter the kayak.
Cambridge Kayaks has a wide range of kayaks available for beginners right through to advanced levels. View our full range across the rest of our website.
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