Risks of Kayaking and Canoeing

In every sport and activity, there are risks, they must be understood and precautions must be in place to maximise fun and safety when enjoying your favourite activities, this applies to both canoeing and kayaking.

One risk when doing water sports like these is a muscle injury, your upper body is used extensively and constantly when you’re doing canoeing and kayaking, therefore you must ensure that you’re warming up properly when you’re preparing to go (padlespesialisten). Furthermore, if you do injure your muscles then swimming can become difficult, so you must follow other precautions such as wearing a buoyancy aid.

Possibly the most obvious risk is drowning, however, there is a lot to do to prevent this, you must understand the risks associated with different features on a river, this includes, but is not limited to, locks and sluice gates (https://www.padlespesialisten.no/categories/sup). Being competent at swimming is important and wearing a buoyancy aid is always a must when doing any water sports.

Severe weather is another risk that is associated with doing water sports, if the weather turns south, it can cause a drastic problem in the water. Currents can become very strong and you can be pushed and pulled about without being able to control. You must research in the days and hours leading up to your kayaking or canoeing trip to ensure that the weather will be in good conditions. You should avoid extremely cold or windy weather.

Portrait of happy couple kayaking on lake

Linking to weather, hypothermia is also a risk, if you’re extremely cold for an extended period of time then this can lead to hypothermia which is the term used to describe a drop in body temperature. Once again, you must ensure that the weather is not going to be foul in the hours and days leading up to your kayaking trip, additionally, wearing appropriate clothing is a must otherwise if you do get wet then you’re likely to suffer the consequences a lot more.

Sadly, in modern times a lot of our water supply can be contaminated, which is why you must be careful when choosing a location to participate in water activities, many diseases and illnesses can be spread through water which you want to ensure that you do not have. Precautions such as water quality being assessed before paddling, and covering cuts and grazes with plasters must be taken to ensure safety. Moreover, you must remember the basics for example: wash your hands before eating after paddling. A lot of the time when you’re paddling your kayak in contaminated water, you do not know, so following these precautions, all the time prevents any issues.