# Paddle NSW paddle guide



## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

Ausralian Canoeing are the national kayak body who adminster the sport of canoeing in Aus. Their NSW State body is Paddle NSW. They do things like administer the racing scene and select Olympians. They also run open water races, though the SLSA runs the surf life saving scene. Pretty much all kayak clubs and associations are members of Australian Canoeing. But I dont know of any kayak fishing clubs that are associated.

Paddle NSW has just released this: http://www.waterwaysguide.org.au/

I'd be happy to pass on any comment. It's a development I suspect we should keep an eye on, not just because there is excellent information here, but also because it is part of that current tendency toward defacto rules and regulation. It looks to me to be an extension of the sea kayaking element of Paddle NSW which kind of means the club rules from the NSW Sea Kayak Club. To put it in perspective they rate trips, set progression for paddlers, and qualify instructors and guides. The system is excellent. But if you dont want to be in a club do you really want to be constrained? I'm pretty sure if it had been driven by SLSA and ocean racing ski people the guide would logically look different. Which is fine for budding ironmen but perhaps not the training norm in kayak fishing. I dont think this sets paddler progression but it certainly grades paddling trips. Generically anyway.

At a personal level, given I tend to do what I can to avoid surf, these grades would have me locked in to S02 (highest is S05) which is a limit to the harbour. To look further than this I would need to build skills to handle 2m surf. And to be fair while I am happy to paddle quite a distance to sheltered exits (and spend of lot of time in planning where these exits are for the given sea conditions, and where plan B is if the conditions change) having surf-ability would certainly increase my flexibility for landings and safety. Which is what it is about after all.

Anyway, take an open mind and have a look.

[My current focus is flat water and will stay there for the rest of the Marathon season. Fishing will wait till then. But when it warms up it's time to put away the wing paddle, wet the europaddle, and head off shore and fish. I'll be looking to join Qld and Tas with another Sydney training day. This time the surf sessions seem necessary. Drop a note here (I'm happy for a PM but I tend to loose them) if you are interested. Basic Skills day is a pre-requisit for surf day and a proper kayak helmet is required.]


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Dru, am up for a surf skills day. Have helmet from my failed attempt to organise one with Rob


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Good video Dru (the safe paddling one). It has all the key points. Something similar should be supplied FOC with _every_ kayak sold. I wonder what other states have in this regard?

Thanks for posting.


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## paulb (Nov 12, 2006)

Hi Dru - I think SO3 would cover the sort of fishing we do outside the harbour <1m surf etc. Seems a reasonable set of grading.


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