Paddle your own... An introduction to paddling kayaks, canoes and SOTs Revised edition, 2019 Paddle your own... Contents Introduction ii Background 1 Kayak paddling 7 Canoe paddling 18 Deep water rescues 28 Thinking about the weather 36 Finding the way 41 Hazards and risks 49 Canoe and kayak maintenance 52 Appendix: Knots 57 Appendix: Paddle Australia Safety Code 62 State Associations 65 Principal Sponsor Paddle Australia PO Box 6805 On the cover: With kayak, canoe Silverwater NSW 2128 or SOT you can explore Australia’s (02) waterways, here South Australian 9763 0670 Murray backwaters.
[email protected] <https://paddle.org.au> Paddle your own... Page i Introduction Welcome to paddling in Australia on behalf of Paddle Australia. Australia has a huge variety of lakes, rivers and sea conditions making for a great range of paddling activities for all. This variety, however, leads to different craft, different paddling skills and different dangers. All forms of paddling have a common base of skills and this booklet introduces you to: • paddle strokes • health and safety • craft. The variations on these central themes are learnt as experience is gained and, perhaps, specialisation takes place. Australian Canoeing also promotes the specialist areas of canoeing: Slalom, Freestyle, Sprint, Marathon, Polo, Down River and most recently, Ocean Racing. For more information on these in your State, contact local clubs or your State organisation. Start your paddling conservatively and build up as your experience and fitness develops. Join a local club for more paddler contact and for experienced help. Happy paddling! Jason Dicker Chair, Education and Safety Technical Committee About this book This book is based on the flatwater resources for the Paddle Australia Qualification Scheme.