Controlling direction in tide races

May 09, 2021
 

James has spent many hours playing in the tide races of North Wales. A sea kayak is the perfect craft to play in this environment but it is also a challenge to control and surf straight.  This video is a short section of a lesson that forms part of our comprehensive paddling in tide course.

To enjoy this environment you need to be a competent paddler working with an experienced team that are comfortable performing rescues in dynamic conditions.  Tide races can be friendly where the conditions get smaller the further you get washed down tide or they can be unfriendly where the waves get bigger the further down tide you go.  

The technique James goes through here is a key skill which will enable you to control your sea kayak on the wave and keep the kayak surfing straight.  You can practice this technique in calm water to get used to the opposite edge rudder and develop the muscle memory.  Then when you come to use it in more advanced conditions your body is already used to the position.  Remember if the kayak has too far gone past 11 o'clock you wont be able to recover to straight and you should just let the kayak run out and get into your low brace.

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