Georgia Boating Safety Course

GENERAL PADDLING SAFETY GUIDELINES

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  Wear a properly fitted PFD and avoid alcohol. Be prepared to enter the water, and know how to swim.
• Standing up or moving about in a canoe or kayak greatly increases the chance of capsizing.
• Maintain three points of contact while moving around. (As you move a foot to step forward, you should be holding onto the boat with BOTH hands; then, with both feet down, move one hand at a time.)
• Load the boat properly (keep the weight centered both from side to side and bow to stern). The lower and the closer the load is to the boat's centerline, generally the more stable the boat will be, assuming there is adequate freeboardthe vertical distance between the top of the deck and the water line.. Stay within the limits of the boat's capacity rating.

• Keep your shoulders between the gunnels of the boat. When retrieving something from the water, reach with your paddle or guide the boat close to the object.

  

• Avoid extreme conditions, which can involve weather, distance from shore, water conditions, and current— including flood water or fast current beyond your skill level.
• Never paddle alone. There is safety in numbers.
• Take hands-on training. Paddling instruction will teach you balance, use of stabilizing strokes, safe exit and entry on the water, and rescue and recovery skills.