 THE ABC
. Always wear safety equipment: fastened life jacket, helmet. and light fastened shoes.
. Cover yourself and protect yourself from the sun, especially your legs which are very exposed on a sit-on-top and eyes because of reflections.
. Dampen yourself regularly, beware of the risk of sunstroke or cold shock.
. Hold your paddle correctly: the separation of your hands should correspond approximately to the width of your shoulders.
. Your kayak never stays still, you are always more or less drifting, think about paddling or anchoring.
. In the event of a soaking (capsizing), do not let go of your paddles and climb aboard again at the stern. Never stand upright in the river, swim on your back with your feet forward.
. In the event of problems, do not abandon your kayak, it remains your best lifebuoy.
. In the sea, to start out when there are waves, place your boat perpendicular to the beach and wait for a pause between the series to launch yourself.
. Always take something to drink and a few energy snacks. Eat and drink regularly.
. Never go alone.
. Inform a friend of your route.
. Inform yourself about the difficulties and ensure that you have the necessary technical competence.
 WARNINGS
. An apparently harmless but potentially fatal water movement, called a “roller” is present at the foot of many dams and weirs. It is strongly recommended that you do not approach it either from upstream or downstream. Only consider crossing it after reconnaissance. In case of doubt, do not.
. Never approach lock gates and sluices either from upstream or downstream. The current can trap you and suck you inside.
. Travel on the inside of bends for preference. The branches that sometimes accumulate on the outside can be dangerous. Do not get caught on them.
. Be wary of storms that can rapidly increase the flow in a watercourse.
 CHECKLIST
. It is imperative to know how to swim.
. There is no legal minimum age but the necessary motor skills are acquired at about 10
. There must be no medical contraindications for the practice of water sports.
 WEATHER
To get the best out your outing, consult the weather forecast.
Adapt your equipment and your programme to suit
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 RESPECT FOR OTHERS
. Change clothing discretely
. Pay attention, note whether an angler is busy fishing, if he has not seen you
warn him amicably
. Keep away from the bank and his fishing equipment, pass as quickly and silently as possible.
. Respect the best fishing times, early in the morning or at the end of the afternoon.
. Avoid travelling on the opening and closing weekends for 1st category fishing (2nd weekend of March and 3rd weekend of September).
. Inform yourself about kayak-angler agreements and local regulations
. In all cases, on land or water, do not forget that you owe assistance to any person in difficulty!
 EQUIP YOURSELF PROPERLY
Practice and recommendations in the natural environment
. Respect the terrestrial and aquatic vegetation of the banks. It provides protection from erosion and shelters abundant life.
. Keep away from migratory resting places.
. Note nest sites and spawning grounds, do not scrape the bottoms.
. Remove your waste and litter.
 CHOOSE YOUR BOAT
. “Sit-on-top” boats: open, it is easy to board and disembark.
Generally water drains away automatically (automatic drain).
. Decked boats: more technical and better adapted to certain conditions (waves, wind, cold.).
A “waterproof skirt” can be attached so as to travel dry.
 CHOOSE YOUR PADDLE
Their are 2 paddle types:
. The single paddle used in a canoe: it has a single blade, the handle end is fitted with an “olive” for the comfort of your upper hand. It is used in a kneeling position, or sitting for a sit-on-top. Size: it should reach the height of your chin.
. The double paddle used in a kayak (an in sit-on-top type canoes): it has 2 blades. Size: it must reach the height of your wrist (arm stretched above the head).
 INITIATION
These few words of advice do not replace the considered recommendations of professionals.
Find out.
1 - Boarding and disembarkation
Along a bank, place your boat parallel to the bank, front end upstream. Place your paddle at the rear and support yourself on it (one hand on the boat, the other on the bank) then slide into the boat. Put on you watertight skirt if necessary.
Facing the sea, place your boat on the beach and partly in the water, bow towards the sea. To disembark, do the same but with the boat pointing towards the beach. If you have difficulty, ask another person to help you by holding your boat.
2. - Getting in
Once in your boat, seat yourself comfortably
If you are using a kayak, spread your legs, find the support of your footrests then test your stability by making waves with your boat.
3. Move with your boat
- Take hold of your paddle:
Single paddle: one hand on the olive, with thumb inserted below and the other close to the blade. The hand holding the olive allows orientation of the paddle.
Double paddle: both hands close to the blades, separated by the width of your shoulders. The right hand is fixed and the shaft turns in the left hand.
To move forward immerse your blade so that it is facing the direction you want to go and pull. I this “cuts” the water it is because your blade is badly positioned and does not allow a solid support.
- To steer:
To go straight, control the slipping of the rear of the boat by paddling well aft.
In a double canoe: choose one side to paddle. Synchronise, do not hesitate to change side from time to time. Difficulties should be resolved together with additional paddle strokes.
Look well ahead, point your boat towards the place that your want to go and paddle. Make large repetitive movements. It is more effective to paddle gently and take the time to correct the path.
- To brake:
make a movement that goes back to front (the opposite movement to the one that takes you forward). alternately on each side of the kayak and for each person in the canoe.
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