Info – KASK: Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers

New to Kayaking? Check out our Safety Section for basic safety information and learn about our KayakSafe NZ workshops.

Paddler Information Centre (PIC)

This website is focused primarily on Sea Kayaking but much of the information we provide here is also applicable to most types of paddle craft.If your interst is more about racing Kayaks on flat water in a K1 or C1 or on the ocean in a Surfski or on a river in a Multisport or slalom boat then you should also visit Paddler NZ for specific information relating to those types of paddlecraft.

If your main interest is in Stand up PaddleBoards then we reccomend that you visit The SUP safety website.

On this website we have provided general information about sea kayaks, kayaking equipment and how to enjoy sea kayaking safely. Rather than reproducing specific information here we have provided links that our members recommend for specific information. We have added a section that provides links to the our favourite kayaking discussion groups.

A good first stop is Maritime NZ Recreational Paddle Craft Web Page.

If you are new to Sea Kayaking then you should check out our Safety section which has some good introductory videos and other material. Next check out the Introduction to sea kayaking course that Onlinesekayaking have put together, it covers all the areas in enough detail to get going including equipment selection and basic skills. For example instead of a full course on forwards paddling they have one lesson to go through the basics without getting stuck into the fine details. There is over an hour and a half of video instruction split into 20 individual lessons covering all the basics. (As a member of KASK you can get a generous discount, check here in the members area)

The growth in paddlesport participation has seen a significant growth in water sport related accidents and deaths as described in the article here that appeared recently in Paddling Mag and whilst the information is based on US data the message is equally valid wherever we take to the water in paddle craft. The article makes a good argument about why it’s worth spending a bit of time getting yourself informed and trained.

The information has been split into related topics under the following four broad headings:

Safety

Equipment

Resources / Skills

Discussion Groups

Browse through the pages for links to the information you are looking for. If you can’t find the information you’re looking for then hop into one of the discussion groups and ask the question. If you think that there is a source of useful information let us know by emailing [email protected] and we’ll check it out and probably add it to the site so we can all find it when we need it.