Safety tips on what to avoid in long distance kayak trip will really help you avoid casualties when you kayak.
Kayaking is always filled with fun but in sometimes, it may create some bitter experience.
This is usually when there are some casualties involved.
Sometimes it could be a minor one.
But in other cases, it could be very complicated.
That is why you have to make sure that you avoid things that will bring casualties when you are in a kayak trip that spans across a long distance.
To ensure this, you have to practice long distance kayak trip safety tips.
Safety Tips On What To Avoid In Long Distance Kayak Trip
1) Avoid High Alcohol Intake
When you are kayaking, one of the things you should not joke with is your mental health.
This will help you avoid casualties like seeing your kayak flip.
When a kayak flips, it can cause casualties to the person in the kayak.
One of the reasons why a kayak flips is when you are not mentally stable.
As a result of that, you will not be able to have a full attention when you kayak.
This can lead to casualties which you could have avoided if you had a stable mental health.
2) Avoid Kayaking In Turbulent Water
When you want to make use of a kayak, you should know that kayaks are not made for extremely turbulent waters.
Kayaks are meant for leisure and water competitions on water that is stable with less turbulence in water movement.
In such a water, you will be able to paddle your kayak safely without casualties.
But when it comes to the case of larger water bodies with fast and erratic water movement, this is not always safe for a kayak.
In a turbulent water, a kayak is not always stable.
This instability causes the kayak to flip easily.
This exposes the person in the kayak to a lot of danger.
This is one of the things you should avoid in long distance kayak trip.
3) Do Not Kayak Too Far From Others
Most of the kayak trips that involve a long distance is always done in groups.
This always makes the trip more fun and engaging.
But the thing is that not everybody will be able to move at the same pace with others.
This will make the slowest person to be far behind while others are ahead.
To ensure the safety of the slow person, the kayaking speed of the other participants have to be reduced to avoid leaving the slow person behind.
This is only applicable in the leisure kayak time not in a competition.
When you are kayaking on a leisure time with your friends, the slowest person should not be left behind.
This will guarantee the safety of every one.
4) Carry a First Aid Box
While kayaking takes place, some minor health challenges may set in.
This includes health challenges like a muscle strain.
When this happens, the person in the kayak will not be able to paddle the kayak effectively.
To solve this, a drug has to be administered to the person.
This will help neutralize the muscle strain.
That is why it is very important to make sure that you carry a first aid box when the kayak distance to be covered is long.
This will help make sure that a minor health issue does not escalate into a major one.
5) Rest For The Day When It Starts Getting Dark
Another safety tips on what to avoid in long distance kayak trip is to make sure that you do not kayak in the dark.
When it starts getting dark, you have to make sure that you are out of the water as well as other people in the team.
Kayaking in the water when it is dark is very dangerous.
This is because your visibility will not be as good as it was in the day time.
That is why you have to make sure that you avoid kayaking in the night.
But if you are still in the water and it gets dark before reaching the closest place where you can rest for the day, you have to use your kayak light.
The kayak light will help provide some visibility.
Also make sure that you use a kayak flag.
This will make you visible in case a larger vessel is driving towards your location.
6) Do Not Join Long Distance Kayak Trip When Sick
Kayak trips that are long distance ones require a lot of energy to make sure that you keep up with the pace of others in the team.
This level of energy is really available to people who are not sick.
When someone is sick, the person should avoid participating in a kayak session that involves kayaking across a long distance.
This is because kayaking when sick will worsen your health condition due to the energy you need to put in when you paddle your kayak.
7) Avoid Using a Faulty Kayak
Another thing to avoid in long distance trip is to make sure that you are not using a kayak that is faulty.
Using a kayak that is faulty will only make your kayak to perform poorly.
At worse cases, the kayak may end up sinking.
Some of the faults in a kayak includes hole in a kayak or inflatable kayak losing air pressure.
One of the things that causes a kayak to develop holes is when you drag the kayak repeatedly on a rough surface.
This will wear off the surface of the kayak and this will cause the kayak to develop holes overtime.
Another cause of a hole in a kayak is poor storage methods.
If an inflated kayak is poorly stored, it could be easily punctured by a sharp object.
This reduces the reliability of the kayak for use.
8) Not Carrying Enough Water
When it comes to kayaking, it is one of the sports that takes energy.
As result of that, you will sweat also.
At that, some of the water in your body will be lost.
This leads to dehydration of the body which is not good.
To avoid this, you have to make sure that you hydrate your body to avoid health casualties.
In order for you to be able to hydrate your body, you have to drink water.
9) Not Carrying Some Food And Snacks
When you are kayaking, you will feel the urge to eat after kayaking across a long distance.
This is because kayaking is energy demanding.
That is why you have to make sure that you carry some snacks along with you when you are kayaking across a long distance.
10) Not Carrying Some Sugar Source
Another tips on what to avoid in long distance kayak trip is to make sure that you carry some sugar source.
The reason for this is to help give you some energy when you kayak across a long distance.
One of the things that happen when you are kayaking across a long distance is that you will lose some energy.
To be able to continue paddling your kayak, you must make sure that you carry a sugar source.
This has to do with soft drinks.
Make sure that you are not drinking a high alcoholic drink when you kayak.
This will cause you to lose mental stability and could lead to casualties.
11) Avoid Zones Where Kayaking Is Not Allowed
Before you embark on a long distance kayak trip, you have to make sure that you have a detailed rules and regulations of the places you will kayak across.
This is one of the long distance kayak trip safety tips you should jot joke with.
This is because there are government rules and regulations on every water body.
This is usually set by the government to avoid casualties.
In some water bodies, kayaks are not allowed to operate.
Using your kayak in places like that will put you in a serious problem with the government authorities.
That is why you have to check out for restrictions like this when you are planning the kayak trip.
12) Avoid Dangerous Zones
When you are kayaking especially in a group when the kayak distance is long, you have to make sure that you do not enter a bad zone.
This are zones in which thieves operate on the water.
Going into such places is not good for the people kayaking.
This could lead to casualties when being attacked which should be avoided at all possible means.
This is a great safety tips on what to avoid in long distance kayak trip.
Further Reading