Riding the Downstream V
When you are a beginner whitewater kayaker, it can be very hard to pick the best possible line through a rapid. If you hit the bad line it is easy to become stuck or trapped in rocky areas with shallow currents. There is luckily an easy trick to picking the best line through a rapid. The trick is to look for the downstream v of a rapid. When you enter a rapid, look ahead. You will see a long, slick smooth ramp that faces downstream making an arrow or V shape. The very tip points downstream which is how it gets the name downstream V. A downstream v is formed where the current in the river is the quickest, where the water is deepest, and where there are the least amount of obstacles. In most rivers, the downstream V is where you want to aim for to make it through a rapids quickly and easily.
Sometimes when you enter a rapid you might see more than one option to choose from for a downstream V. This is because is the rivers currents, there can be more than one option formed in the river for a deeper, faster current. What you want to do in this situation though is look for the biggest and most well formed arrow. This will point you in the direction that most of the current is going in. The larger the downstream V, the more pronounced it is, the more water that is going through it and the better the current and ride is going to be for you!
There is another V you want to look
out for though. A V that points upstream is a warning sign for
whitewater kayakers. It means that there are objects in the water
creating turbulence. These objects can be visible or just below the
surface. Either way it does not mean good things for you as a
kayaker. Attempt to avoid these if at all possible!
