PADDLER
I could say I do freestyle . But once you saw that my loops looked like this – you would know the truth ! Photo : Tom Clare
PADDLER
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Do you check on the person behind you whilst paddling and make sure to pass river signals on clearly ? If the spot where you are entering / exiting your kayak is tricky , do you offer to hold the next person ’ s boat to give them stability as they get in / out ? Someone who shows they are a safe and considerate paddler will likely be asked to paddle again . You can read more about being a safe paddler https :// delkayaks . co . uk / 2020 / 05 / 25 / whybeing-safe-is-the-first-step-to-becoming-anindependent-boater /.
Being helpful isn ’ t just limited to whilst you are on the river . Helping with the shuttle , taking some nice photos / videos of people if you can and generally checking in on people will all make you a desirable paddling buddy ! I have a waterproof phone and always try to get photos and videos of others on the water if I can and then send them the highresolution copies afterwards . I have realised from adventure sports that people appreciate people who can take good photos . If you want tips for getting better paddling photos – read phenomenal photographer Tom Clare ’ s guest blog https :// delkayaks . co . uk / 2020 / 11 / 20 / top-tips-forbetter-paddling-photos /.
3 . LEAVE YOUR EGO AT HOME
In simple words – don ’ t chat rubbish . Something I have noticed is that the best paddlers I know never boast . Paddlers who can paddle a chunky Upper Dart in a full slice are never the ones who would tell you that . They don ’ t paddle rivers to tell people they paddle those rivers ; they do it because they enjoy it !
My issue is that people who boast often don ’ t give a representative picture of their paddling ability . I once paddled the Upper Dart as a mock student for part of my friend ’ s Advanced White Water River Leader . It was at about 0.7 on the online gauge , and I noted that this was the lowest I had ever paddled it , and there were more rocks than I remembered . The ( quite lovely , I might add ) couple of guys who were also mock students with me exclaimed that this was the highest they had ever run it ! This made me laugh a little because the Upper Dart is , for whatever reason , seen as a bit of a test-piece river for UK paddlers . People like to say that they ’ ve ‘ run the Upper Dart ’, but I don ’ t think it counts if there was no water in the river at the time !
Paddling a class 5 river does not make you a class 5 boater . Photo : Tom Clare
I could say I do freestyle . But once you saw that my loops looked like this – you would know the truth ! Photo : Tom Clare