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