BOOKS

Here is the list of Suggested resources by Paddle Canada: The materials below express an appropriate point of view, level of knowledge and level of skills for each skills level:

Flatwater course or Introduction to Kayaking. Aim
Flatwater introduces the novice to paddling a kayak in calm, sheltered water.
Rescue techniques at this level incorporate the use of a paddling partner and it is essential for all Flatwater certified paddlers to travel on the water with others who have been trained in the techniques of assisted rescues.

Sea Kayaker’s Savvy Paddler: More than 500 Tips for Better Kayaking by Doug Alderson

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Sea Kayaking Level 1:Aim
Level 1 provides the skill and knowledge for day long sea kayaking trips in sheltered waters (non-wilderness areas). Successful completion of Level 1 indicates competence to paddle a sea kayak within a sheltered bay in the company of one or more paddlers with Level 1 or greater skill and knowledge.

Expanded to include sections on seamanship, navigation, and health issues, the completely updated and redesigned new edition of David Seidmanтм”s bestselling guide reaffirms its reputation as the best sea kayaking guide available. A top-to-bottom introduction for novice and mid-level kayakers, this highly visual handbook provides kayakers with the whole scoop on everything from gear, transportation, and paddling technique to the finer points of Eskimo rolling, rescue protocol, group and solo paddling. The Essential Sea Kayaker by David Seidman.

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Sea Kayak Strokes is a concise, fully illustrated manual for learning and improving paddling skills.
Written for paddlers of all skill levels, Sea Kayak Strokes is filled with tips and suggestions for improving and maintaining overall paddling technique.
Alderson’s manual will help you paddle your kayak farther, more safely and with less effort. When you do l,500 strokes per hour, small improvements in your technique make a big difference in your comfort, success and overall progress. By Doug Alderson.

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This book is a comprehensive course in all the techniques of sea kayak rescue for beginning, intermediate, and advanced paddlers. Step-by-step photos illustrate the many ways to right a swamped or capsized boat and safely reenter the kayak. Covering both self-rescues and assisted-rescues, this manual provides additional information on towing disabled boats and rescuing swimmers. Sea Kayak Rescues By Roger Schumann, Jan Shriner

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Sea Kayaking Level 2: Aim Level 2 provides the skills and knowledge for proficient kayaking at sea in moderate conditions, on overnight trips along a moderately exposed coastline with frequent easy landing opportunities.

Complete Sea Kayak Touring is the perfect guide for the newly proficient sea kayaker who’s ready to move on to the next level of adventure. It covers everything from boats and gear to paddling techniques, rescues and recoveries, navigation, planning and provisioning, camping and cookery, cold-weather paddling, and more. By Jonathan Hanson.

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Ever try to get over the hump of learning how to use a chart & compass for kayak navigation? Boring, wasn’t it! Well, this magic book almost makes it FUN! And you’ll learn a few more things about kayak navigation, too (such as taking in account the effects of wind or current on your planned course). Sea kayaking seems easy – almost too easy – at first, but there’s a lot that can go wrong, what with winds, currents, weather, etc, so get over that learning hump with this easy-to-understand book. Sea Kayak navigation simplified By Lee Moyer

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The Ultimate Guide to Sea Kayaking is a four-part video by World Champion Kayaker, Ken Whiting, and expert sea kayaker Alex Matthews, which provides both new and experienced paddlers with the knowledge and skills necessary to safely and comfortably enjoy sea kayaking. DVD by Ken Whiting and Alex Matthews. Trailer here.

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Sea Kayaking Level 3: Aim

Focus on the development and practical application of leadership, risk-assessment, decision-making, judgment, group management, and general seamanship, in the context of a multi-day journey,
Participate in a multi-day journey that includes changing conditions and varying terrain
Develop the skills necessary to lead a small group of recreational paddlers on an overnight journey.
Develop the skills outlined in Level 2 to a higher standard of proficiency.

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Published by Environment Canada. 198 pages, color pictures, spiral bound.
“WEATHER, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, IS A PROCESS – a process of becoming, through the stream of time. This process can be seen in the daily changes of sun, clouds and wind, and in the cycle of the year.” Living with Weather by Owen Lange.

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Sea Kayaker Deep Trouble by Matt Broze and George Gronseth – “twenty harrowing, real-life accounts of sea kayaking accidents that will both keep you on the edge of your seat and instruct you with potentially life-saving lessons. These tales, drawn from Sea Kayaker magazine, are the result of interviews with accident survivors, witnesses, and rescuers. From capsizes and hypothermia to brushes with sharks and entrapment in sea caves, the situations are described in chilling detail and then subjected to expert analysis. Sea Kayaker’s Deep Trouble is rounded out by a comprehensive introduction to sea kayaking safety and three dozen sidebars offering tips on equipment, techniques, and improving your skills. “

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Sea Kayaking Level 4:Aim

Sea Kayaking Level 4 Skills provides the skills and knowledge for sea kayaking tripping during multi-day trips along an open coast with rough conditions. This course includes a leadership component.

Handbook of Sea Kayak Safety and Rescue, written by Doug Alderson and Michael Pardy, and published by Ragged Mountain Press in 2002.
A great resource for kayak enthusiasts and professionals; the book covers a wide range of topics related to safety and rescue including: judgement and leadership; equipment; trip planning, self and assisted rescues, and rescue methodology. Note that the 2 authors combine something like 50 to 60 years of paddling and instructing… long time on the water. You can read their resumes here: www.skils.ca.

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This book covers the basic principles of navigation that are pertinent to kayaks in clear practical terms, with special emphasis on the effects of wind and current. Piloting techniques are distilled down to those that can be done from the seat of a kayak.

The treatment of tides and currents is more thorough in this book than in most others on the market, especially when it comes to reading the water to interpret currents and for estimating the effects of wind on progress to weather. There are also convenient tricks included – such as how to quickly predict the current at times between peak flow and slack – that do not appear in other books.Fundamentals of Kayak Navigation By David Burch.

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PERSONAL PICKS, JUST GETTING STARTED:

Kayak Surfing was just a blast, Bill Matos is an awesome witter and manages to put words on sensations, describes concept and give a new approach to this unknown sport that deserve much more attention (well, it’s a personal point of view of course, but I feel strongly about it!). The pictures are amazing, and I simply couldn’t stop going back to it for a while. A neat present for anybody that like adrenaline and don’t mind salt water…..