There are four different types of kayaking. each is very different form the next and involves different equipment, right down to a different kayak. The average kayaker stays true to his (or her!) chosen type, mostly because of the added cost of owning a separate boat and a separate set of equipment. But also because a sea kayaker usually can't imagine plunging through dangerous rapids any more than a white water kayaker can stand spending hours on a flat river, which touring kayakers adore. I hope that this page and the pictures help to make things a little but clearer for those of you who don't know one kayak from the next. :o)

Sea kayaking is exactly what the name implies - kayaking on large bodies of water such as a sea or an ocean. It's a little bit more dangerous than river kayaking, and no where near as dangerous as white water kayaking. It sometimes involves long trips and remote locations, although it's more common to just go out sea kayaking along the shore for an afternoon. The boats are nearly the same as touring kayaks, although they don't require as much storage space because sea trips usually aren't as long as touring trips. As a result, they are sometimes much shorter - around the 10 foot range.

Touring is extremely similar to sea kayaking, except the trips are usually longer , as are the boats. Touring normally takes place on rivers and lakes rather than seas and oceans. It's the kind of kayaking that most people think of when they think of camping and paddle in sites. Trips two weeks or longer are not uncommon in the type of kayaking!

White water kayaking is just that - kayaking on white water. As far as the kayaker is concerned, it's usually "the bigger the rapids the better." Rapids are classed though, so if you are just starting out you should definitely start out with class one rapids, which won't be the exciting waterfalls, boulders and eddies that your thinking of right now, but which will help you learn the technique. The main difference in equipment in white water kayaking is the helmet, which every white water kayaker should wear. As for the boat, it's usually under 10 feet and has no storage at all. White water kayaks can easily be identified by their bow, which turns up rather than pointing straight ahead.

The final kayaking type is slalom. It's the white water kayaking that you see in the Olympics. It involves a course of various white water obstacles, such as boulders, mini water falls, eddied and holes. The difference is that the paddler must negotiate a series of gates hanging just above the water while they go down the course. Some gates have to be entered from the front, others by turning around and going back through them. Slalom kayaking is the main competitive type of kayaking.