Thailand
Kayak Rental Program
We
consider people to be experienced if they are competent
in self-rescue or assisted rescue techniques and if they
have paddled in a variety of water and weather conditions.
There are sound reasons for restricting PaddleAsia rentals
to highly experienced paddlers.
1) There is a common tendency among visitors to Phuket
to underestimate the power of the ocean. Each year tourists
are rescued from surf conditions that are too difficult
for them. Each year some tourists die because they overestimate
their abilities or misread ocean conditions. This tendency
can carry over to other ocean-based activities such as kayaking.
2) Each year swimmers at beaches around Thailand fail
to consider potential dangers in their environment when
they enter the water. Injuries (and deaths) to swimmers
from jet skis and speedboats occur at all beaches in Phuket.
It is inherently dangerous to swim where unlicensed, often
incompetent, people operate jet skis and powerboats.
 Sit-on-top
kayaks are available as rentals at many beaches. They
are adequate for short duration, short range paddling if
sea conditions are smooth and boat traffic is minimal.
The paddles you get when renting these boats are horribly
heavy beasts. We include quality paddles with every
rental too.
Our touring kayaks are naturally suited to longer trips,
including multi-day excursions and camping trips. Responsible
kayakers, in addition to having competent paddling technique,
must be mindful of changing weather conditions, effects
of tides and wind, boat traffic, navigation and route selection.
We, as individuals and as a company, do not want
the responsibility of providing kayaks to people who do
not have this background. Just as there is great enjoyment
to be had from a competently planned and conducted trip,
there are too many things which can go wrong for a person
of limited or no experience in ocean paddling.
So, we will ask potential renters to give information
about their backgrounds and experience. At our option, we
may ask potential renters to show proof of certification
or experience to verify their skills.
These rental requirements may reduce our income,
but they greatly increase our peace of mind.
Guided PaddleAsia trips are designed to satisfy experienced
paddlers and people new to the sport. Our many years of
experience with paddling touring kayaks in southern Thailand,
attention to safety which we learned in whitewater kayaking
and have adapted to ocean conditions, and the quality of
our equipment are the foundations of PaddleAsia trips.
For other experienced sea kayakers who prefer to
explore the joys of this area on their own, we are happy
to provide boats, equipment and trip suggestions.
Accompanied
Rental Guidelines
The guide
is on the trip to protect PaddleAsia's assets!
The guide is
not there to:
• Show you all of our best/secret spots
• Tell you about the flora and fauna of the region
• Paddle
in the front of your group, i.e. lead the trip
• Set up camp for you or do any other sort of guide
work
The
guide is available to make deals for you at bungalows, restaurants
and in procuring a longtail shuttle.
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