Trip Advisor Pro

The whitewater rapids are the most difficult and dangerous places for a water craft to be. Even if inflatable kayaks are specifically-designed to keep you intact even on the most demanding of rapids, there are a lot of things you can take upon yourself to do for a safer kayaking expedition.

Experienced boaters will tell you that there is only so much that a highly-dependable and stable vessel can do to ensure you don't tip over. While they are designed to keep your lower body dry, you also need to ensure that you have the physical grit, power and endurance to bring an inflatable to safety amidst the swirling rapids.

Your safety on the water depends not only on your inflatable kayak but to an equal degree, it also depends on you. There are certain things you can do both to yourself and to your boat to prevent any untoward incident from happening.

First of all, make sure that you know what you are doing. This means taking lessons. It means you know exactly how to paddle.

This means you have to know how to kayak. Whether your father or mother or a member of the Coast Guard gave you the lessons doesn't really matter for as long as they were adept at kayaking. The long and short of kayaking lessons is that you should know how to handle whitewater.

It presupposes previous experience in much calmer waters before you can take your adventure to more demanding, less safe areas. It also means knowing how your blow up operates and what to do in case it gets punctured.

Your body and mind should be prepared for the activity. Kayaking often requires engaging in quick mental calculations. You need to have the capacity to make fast decisions. Water is a very volatile element and you have to be able to respond to it quickly as well. Physical strength is required if you want to bring your inflatable to the direction you want. So exercise and build your muscles and have a regular workout schedule. Whitewater rapids are no place for the weak-spirited and the weak-bodied.

Always check your inflatable kayak before inflating it or bringing it to the water. Inspect that the ground you put your inflatable on has nothing that could cause it to tear or puncture. Inflate your kayak and double check to see that it is still "swirling-rapid worthy." Despite the fact that most inflatables are durable enough these days, thorough checking of your rig is still recommended.

As a final precaution, see to it that all members of the kayaking expedition have their lifejackets or personal flotation devices on them. Since PFDs are useless when they're not on a person, they have to be worn before you start so that you don't have to worry about putting them on in the event of an emergency. Make a final check before paddling out and do not make room for anyone who is sick or high on drugs or alcohol. Bring only people who are ready and physically and mentally prepared for your expedition.