Since I wwent whitewater rafting back in June I’ve had this urge to get back on the river… only this time not in a 4-6 person raft, in my own kayak. There’s something about the kayak that makes the whitewater more exciting. You site lower to the water, feel the rapids more and don’t have to rely on anyone else. It’s your vs the river.

Now living in Florida, I don’t really have a lot of access to whitewater kayaking. Ocean kayaking yes… but not whitewater rivers. So I probably wouldn’t buy a kayak at this point since my trips will be limited. I plan to go to western North Carolina at least 5 times a year … so depending on weather I could get maybe 3 kayaking trips in. Definitely not enough to buy my own kayak … yet.

Even though I’m an experienced rafter, that doesn’t mean I could just hop in a kayak and hit the Class IV and V’s. I would need lessons … several of them. Kayaking is different from rafting in that you’re sitting in the boat. You can flip over and be going downstream with your head under water… so it’s important to know how to perform a kayak flip. That and other techniques are why you need lessons.

Here are two videos that show you whitewater kayaking at it’s best. These are Class V rapids. The first video is shot of a Green which is pretty close to where I stay in North Carolina. I’d love to conquer it some day.