Kayak Safety Equipment

Life Jackets
Even though kayaks are extremely buoyant and more often than not will stay afloat, it is essential to wear a life jacket when kayaking, even in calm waters.
The idea of a life jacket is to keep your face out of the water - ensuring you can keep breathing if your kayak has capsized.

Even though you may think you don’t need a life jacket because you are a strong swimmer, what would happen if you are knocked unconscious? It is not impossible to be hit in the head with your kayak or paddle when capsizing. In this situation, a life jacket would save your life.

Helmets
A helmet is not always necessary when kayaking in calm, rock-less waters, however they are mandatory when taking your kayak into the ocean, or whitewater.
Kayak helmets are very small, compared for example to a bicycle helmet. They are lightweight, and most of the time you will forget you are even wearing one.

They are usually made of a hard outer plastic, and a soft inner foam to protect your head if you capsize and come into contact with rocks or other hard objects.