Whitewater Paddling - Running Drops
Any kind of drop, whether it’s sloping or vertical, may pose danger to kayakers. Therefore, it should be handled with careful planning and procedure.
Moving through a sloping drop entails paddling through a big hydraulic at the bottom. The best spots for paddling through are downstream Vs, as well as gaps in the pile. When going down a water ramp with two or more flows crossing each other, you should position yourself on the top flow.
When you plan to go down a vertical drop such as waterfalls which usually have powerful hydraulic re-circulation systems at the bottom, consider the height of the drop. Since going down a vertical drop is a serious matter, mull over your plan carefully. Ask yourself: Can you go down the drop uninjured?
Basically, there are two ways of running vertical drops: meltdown and boof.
Meltdown involves going through or under the hydraulic. On the way down, you have to make sure that your hull stays in contact with the water. With your weight forward while on the lip of the drop, move down with your Kayak Paddle placed along the boat. Control your speed if the drop is steep.
Boof, on the other hand, entails projecting the boat forward, and making it land flatly on its hull. This involves serious Paddling before leaving the lip, and making a last stroke before take-off. Boofing is not recommended when running a very high vertical drop except if the water below is very aerated.
Mainly, you need to know what the water below is like when running any kind of drops. You can measure the depth through the use of a paddle. Make sure that there are no obstructions like rocks or trapped trees under the water. Obstacles on the water may entrap you and your Kayak once you go over the drop.
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