This packet of articles and links to further resources covers all of the ACA River Kayaking subject matter. Additional coverage on some topics is provided that you may find useful as you gain more experience. If you have time, read through the various articles and jot down any questions you might have. After the class, you can review subject areas you want to brush up on. The packet also has a large number of web resources such as links to gauge and river descriptions that you will probably want to bookmark. I hope you come to enjoy kayaking as much as I have.
Planning and leading a Beginners Class is a significant undertaking. This section of documents provides an overview on what to expect and various administration issues.
A great deal of this subject comes under trip planning. Think about the gear you and others need to bring. What will the weather be like? Where can I get good information on the streams I plan to paddle. Who will I be boating with - will I be safe paddling with them?
Safety and rescue training is a whole major topic of its own. The ACA has a separate Swift Water Rescue (SWR) course that is taught over a two day period. Each of our clubs provide the ACA SWR Class several times a year and I highly encourage you to take advantage of this training. When you venture into class III Intermediate paddling, I really feel this class is mandatory for your protection and your fellow paddlers. Besides various rescue techniques, you will learn a great deal on how to avoid incidents in the first place.
Kayaking can be an expensive sport but it doesn't have to be. A great deal of money can be saved by purchasing excellent used gear. You can find used gear on the various local club web sites and the BoaterTalk GearSwap Forum. The basic 5 pieces of gear are:
This section provides some background information to prepare you for the all important strokes section. We also cover logistics like getting your boat to the put-in, capsizing, and basic rescue concepts.
The paddling environment has quite a variety of features. Some are friendly and useful like waves and holes. Some are not like strainers, sieves, and low head dams. The following article is excellent and contains examples of many more features: Paddling Features. The following online book has great descriptions for river reading in chapter 2: River Reading. A shorter article on river reading with great diagrams is: River Reading Article.
I also highly recommend William Nealy's KAYAK book. This book does an excellent job of describing river reading in depth and is absolutely hilarious. Here it is on Amazon.com: William Neely's Kayak Book.
River running covers various topics like strategy, paddle signals, and scouting.
This section covers the basic paddling strokes you will need to safely navigate whitewater.
Now that you have a basic understanding of strokes, it is time to put that knowledge to good use. During the class, we will have you perform a number of flatwater maneuvers to develop solid boat control.
We will now venture onto whitewater. Whitewater is significantly more complex as you need to deal with currents, waves, eddies, and a number of obstacles. Obstacles like rocks and boulders form a number of useful features that we work with. One of the most important features on a river is an eddy. We use eddies for resting, scouting, and planning our next move. This section of the course will teach you how to work with eddies, waves, and current so these features can assist you in running whitewater in control and have a great deal of fun doing so.
This is our wrap-up section. We will quickly review key concepts such as how to stay in control and avoiding risks. Taking further training is also highly recommended, especially the ACA SWR class. It doesn't hurt to take basic first aid and CPR training as well - better safe than sorry. I highly recommend hooking up with a local club so you can find many boaters to paddle with at your present and future boating levels. Take your time exploring this great sport, there are many interesting trips at all river classifications. We will also cover a surprising large number of other paddling options like racing, canoeing, and play boating.
What - A Final Exam? We need to measure comprehension of key safety topics. The exam results will help us in future classes and give us one last try to better communicate challenging issues.