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  • The Compass blog
    The Compass blog
Kayaking Preparedness: Know Before you Go

Kayaking Preparedness: Know Before you Go

What you should know before you go Kayaking Ocean River Sports encourages you to ‘Get Out There’. To help you have an enjoyable and safe experience, consider the following tips before heading out on the water in your kayak. Learning the Right Skills It is important to have the skills to safely get out on the water in your kayak. Know what conditions you can…
When to replace a PFD

When to replace a PFD

Do you know when you need to replace your PFD? Any time we get out on the water we have to think about safety. What is the weather doing? Have we left a float plan? How old is your personal flotation device(PFD)? These are the questions that need to be answered any time you head out for a paddle. A PFD or a lifejacket won’t…
How to Read Water for Beginners

How to Read Water for Beginners

By: Russell Henry Knowing how to read water while paddling is vital for safety and enjoyment A huge component of paddling in moving water is being able to read water; being able to tell what is currently happening with the water and how it will cause your boat to react. If you can’t read water, you won’t be edging correctly, won’t have the correct angle…
Whitewater Kayaking Close Call

Whitewater Kayaking Close Call

Russell Henry shares the story of a close call while whitewater kayaking and offers some safety tips for other paddlers Whitewater paddling can be an extremely dangerous sport, especially when seeking out rivers that have not been paddled before and take a lot of effort to get too. On Vancouver Island, these first descent rivers are much easier to visit due to the network of…
Gear for Winter Kayaking

Gear for Winter Kayaking

By Lee Richardson  What gear do you need to wear when kayaking in cold water or the winter? Winter kayaking means a change in the gear we need to bring with us. There are 3 main pieces of gear that you may want to consider having if you don’t already: something to cover your hands something to cover your head something to give protection from…
Planning a Multi-day Sea Kayaking Trip

Planning a Multi-day Sea Kayaking Trip

How to plan a Multi-day Overnight Sea Kayaking Trip   So you have decided you want to go on a multi-day kayaking trip! Now where to start? Planning a kayaking trip for several days can be daunting and can feel overwhelming. However, preparing for a trip can create excitement and anticipation for your upcoming adventure. It is often half the fun of getting away. It…
Exercises for the Kayaker

Exercises for the Kayaker

Minimizing Risk of Kayaking Injuries and Reducing Pain with Exercise for the Kayaker Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing: Helpful exercises for the kayaker have nothing to do with a kayak Kayaking is a great exercise on its own but if that is all you do you will feel yourself stiffening up and could find yourself injured. Kayaking involves repetitive…
Are you ready to try Kayak Surfing?

Are you ready to try Kayak Surfing?

By Lee Richardson Get Yourself Ready To Surf Beach Break Surfing in your kayak can seem like a distant and sometimes unattainable goal. How do you know when you are ready to take that first trip? Before you go out you will need to refine some surf strokes and your roll. You should have experience with launching and landing in the surf zone, a little…
What to wear kayaking

What to wear kayaking

What does appropriate clothing to wear kayaking look like? We all want to get out and enjoy the water without having to worry about the dangers or what-if’s that come along with being a paddler. There is something romantic about being able to spontaneously load up your kayak and launch into the ocean, onto a river, or into a lake to explore for the day.…
Why you need to wear sunglasses

Why you need to wear sunglasses

How to find the right sunglasses, and why you need to get them TODAY We all think about sunglasses in the summer time when it is bright out and harder to see. Plus who doesn’t like finally getting to put on their sunglasses and walk outside to a bright summer day? Sunglasses, however, are such an important accessory that they should be worn year round.…
How to Plan a Whitewater Kayaking Trip

How to Plan a Whitewater Kayaking Trip

By Graham Litman Being prepared BEFORE you go on a whitewater kayaking trip As someone who grew up on Vancouver Island I was always interested in learning to paddle rivers but never knew how to get into the sport. For a place with so many quality runs, whitewater kayaking is a surprisingly underground sport on Vancouver Island. Hopefully this post will make the learning curve…

About Ocean River

Located in Victoria, British Columbia on beautiful Vancouver Island, Ocean River is one of the premier speciality kayak and adventure companies in North America. Brian Henry, the founder & current owner, has been running Ocean River since 1981, and Ocean River continues to be recognised as one of the most significant outdoor/paddlesports instructional & tours provider in North America.

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