Safety Rules for Kayaking
When signing up for paddle board tours down the river or by the bay, one must know how to interact with ships. This can be confusing and scary. If you are a beginner and are using kayak rentals out of curiosity and recreational purposes, there is probably going to be a guide to help you through.
So there really is no reason to find the ordeal daunting at all. Kayaking is an exciting sport, but that does not exempt anyone from not being cautious. Check out some of the safety tips for paddlers.
• It does not matter if you are kayaking in the river or open water, you need a life jacket. Most people keep a life jacket with them in the kayak, but that is not much good in case they get separated from the kayak with the life jacket out of reach. This is a simple but very important way to keep you safe. At Kayaks and Boards there are always life jackets at hand for all paddle board rentals and tours, surf board rentals, and kayak rentals and tours.
• There are some days when the ocean is way too rough to go out on. When the waves go above 2 to 3 feet you might want to wait for a better day. If you plan on braving the surf, be smart about it and notice the pattern of waves before you head into the water. Breaking waves always come in even number sets of either 8 or 6, after this the water is calm, which is your cue to get in. But before you do, remember to double check for the hatches that must be shut tight, and the drain plug which must be screwed in.
• When you are out at sea and you look back, everything on shore will look the same to you. Because of this it is very important that you pick out a landmark where you are starting from at the beach, this will take care of making it easier for you to find our way back.
• Never paddle out farther than you are capable of kayaking back. Sometimes you need to open hatches in the water, in this case you must be super careful not to flip the boat.
• Use the right kind of kayak. You might be into extreme adventuring but its imperative that you pick out your gear according to the level of experience you have with kayaking. For instance, if you are a beginner, or only have kayaked a few times before, you must choose the sit on top type kayak. This kayak is sealed entirely, can be rolled over when it flips, and allows you to climb in and paddle easily.
