During a beginner lesson one of the most important concepts I like to teach is catching eddies. Understanding how to enter and exit an eddy allows a beginner kayaker to break apart a rapid in order to better plan out the next move. Hopping from one eddy to another also allows a kayaker to better ferry across currents, perhaps to avoid an obstruction downstream. Eddy lines are also great tools when learning to bury the bow and stern for various playboating moves.
When entering an eddy I think of three things: Speed, Angle and Lean (S.A.L.)
SPEED:
Having momentum when entering an eddy is key. Speed will carry your entire boat over the unstable eddyline, rather than just your body. Not having speed will allow the stern to be swept right on top of the eddy line, often ending in a flip.
ANGLE:
Entering the eddy perpendicularly will allow the boat to cross the eddyline
smoother and faster. This means turning the boat from facing downstream, using a downstream sweep stroke for instance, to square up to the eddy line. LEAN:
When turning into an eddy a kayaker will lean into the turn, similar to leaning into a turn on skis or a snowboard. This means leaning upstream while crossing over the eddy line to "hook" into the top of the eddy. Remember to continue to paddle all the way into the eddy as to not get stuck on the eddy line! Also, you'll want to aim to enter the eddy just behind the obstruction, or at the top of the eddy. Here, the eddy line is most defined and narrow and where the current is the calmest in the eddy.
Good luck and keep eddy hopping to improve those whitewater kayaking skills!
Be sure to check out Wilderness Voyageurs Kayak Instruction where we can personally tailor a day of instruction to meet your needs and improve your kayaking technique whether it be on the Middle Youghiogheny, Lower Youghiogheny or even the excitin Class 5 white water Upper Youghiogheny River!
