By Cole Van Lue

If you’ve never gone kayaking, you are really missing out. Kayaking is one of the most popular outdoor activities, and for good reason. But if you’ve never been kayaking before or have seen how it’s done, it can be very intimidating. In this blog post, we are going to discuss several tips that may prove very valuable to a first-time kayaker.

Find a Calm Area

While kayaking is a workout, it should also supposed to be relaxing. Unless you are a professional kayaker that is racing down white-water rapids, kayaking shouldn’t be too extraneous. Therefore, you should try to find calm areas to kayak in. Unless you are an experienced kayaker, you may want to stay away from lakes that are busy with boaters or rivers that flow very quickly.

Look for Fair Weather

The last thing you want to do when kayak is get out on the water when bad weather is approaching. Before going on a kayaking trip, make sure the weather is going to be favorable. Of course, it is not a good idea to go out on the water when storms are in the forecast. However, just because it is sunny out doesn’t mean it is good kayaking weather. For instance, if it is extremely windy out, you may find it very hard to move anywhere out on the water. Ideally, you want to select a day where there is no chance of precipitation and minimal wind.

Pace Yourself

It may take you a minute or two at first to learn the proper technique for kayaking. However, once you master the skill, it may be tempting to “fire on all cylinders” and see how fast you can go. While this may be okay to do when you are on a short kayaking trip, longer trips require a lot of stamina. If you use all of your energy at once, you may find it difficult to get to your destination.

Pack Light

If you have a lot of gear or extra things in your kayak, it will make gliding across the water a lot more difficult. You can save your arms and shoulders some soreness by not weighing down your kayak.

Go in the Morning/Evening

This time of day is usually ideal when kayaking on lakes. Not only are there few boaters out, but usually the winds are light and the temperatures are comfortable. During these times, the water surface sometimes resembles glass.

We hope you enjoyed these tips and tricks for new kayakers. More great content is coming soon!