Jonathan Beutel (Jo's Kayak Station)

Adventure kayaking is the active experience of nature with a kayak. Here you are self-sufficient on lakes, rivers or on the coast. Away from any infrastructure and everyday life.

In this activity you learn to overcome your own limits, to accept new things and to grow with others as a team.

Adventure kayaking means nature, action, community, challenge and pure adventure. Head out, forget the stress and live - this is the order of the day.

First of all, of course, a suitable kayak. Here it is advisable to choose a sea kayak / expedition kayak. It must be designed for all conditions and offer the best possible storage space for your equipment and luggage.

It should be fast but also equipped with a good portion of rocker for waves, especially in coastal waters. Your gear will then vary depending on the type of tour, weather, water conditions and your own level.

At the next blog post you will find a list of optional equipment you might need. The list includes all the items I take with me on long trips.

Get to know your adventure buddies, it's fun and you learn a lot about your self and team mates. Jo's Kayak Station team preparing for the expedition. Jonathan Beutel (Jo's Kayak Station)

Mark the answers to the questions on a piece of paper with red or green. So you can see where you might have to change something. If everything is green, have fun on the water. In addition to normal paddling training, preparing for a tour or expedition also includes safety training and rolling training. It is best to prepare yourself slowly with a steadily increasing workload.

This means training only on short distances under all conditions. If you are sure, keep increasing until you can easily cover the distance you have planned for your adventure every day.

So at the end of the respective route you still have to be reasonably fit and have reserves in order to be prepared for any problems.

The training also includes getting to know your material and equipment properly and being able to remedy any weaknesses in the equipment in good time before the tour.

Zegul ambassador, kayaking instructor & guide Jonathan Beutel is organizing adventure kayaking trips and small expeditions. For more information have a look at his webpage Jo's Kayak Station