Kayaking is a recreational sport in which participants use specialized boats called kayaks in a wide variety of waterways. Kayaks are boats which take a number of forms, depending on the function for which they are designed. People can take kayaking trips on the ocean, up rivers, in surf zones, and along white water courses. Participants can often have minimal skills and still greatly enjoy themselves. Some people take kayaks with them when they travel to go kayaking, and others rent kayaks or participate in guided kayaking trips at a destination.
A kayak is a boat with a covered deck and a small hole for someone to sit in. The legs of the sitter are concealed, warm and dry, inside the boat. They were originally designed for use in the Arctic, where cold water spilling into a boat could potentially be dangerous for someone using it. Many traditional kayaks were custom made for the individual user. Kayaks are propelled using double bladed oars, and they can be quite rapid and maneuverable.
One of the most common types of kayaking is recreational kayaking in rivers and lakes, using wide, highly stable kayaks. Because the water is usually relatively calm, people do not need much experience to enjoy this type ofkayaking, although preparing them for a spill with life jackets is an excellent idea. More skilled kayakers enjoy ocean kayaking, which involves taking kayaks out onto the open ocean. More complex currents and big wavesmake this type of kayaking more dangerous.
The Philippines is one big coastal community, being the second largest archipelago on the planet after Indonesia. With 64 out of 79 provinces having coastlines and 7,107 islands, it is a natural playing field for water sports, environment and adventure tourism activities.Kayaking is one of the most popular aquasports worldwide belonging to the paddling community such as canoeing, sculling, dragon boating and most recently surfboard paddling. This is also because kayaking is an Olympic sport. While it can be considered an extreme sport featured in adventure races, it complements many recreational and environmental activities and causes, such as bird watching, fishing, diving, photography and ecotouring.
For more information, visit: the Kayak Philippines Website.
References: Kayak Philippines, wisegeek.com
