Participation in paddling watersports has grown steadily over the last 20 years.  In the 90s and the first part of the 2000s it was kayaking that took the world by storm.  While all types of kayaking continue to find new participants, the new kid on the paddling block is standup paddleboarding, otherwise known as SUP.  And, like its paddling counterparts, there are many facets and types of paddleboarding to consider when buying your first SUP.  Unfortunately, most people don't realize this going in and the simply just go out and buy the first or cheapest one they find.  Do yourself a favor and arm yourself with the knowledge you need to Choose Your First SUP.

We've all had near misses while kayaking, especially the whitewater kayakers of the bunch.  However, how many of us can say that in the pursuit of our kayaking goals that we actually drowned.  There's only one person that I know of.

According to Dr. Mary Neal she was whitewater kayaking, flipped over, was pinned against her boat, and drowned for over 14 minutes.  She wrote a book about this entitled To Heaven and Back.  While I haven't read it yet, I'm very curious to read about her experience.  She says she still kayaks all the time.  Good for her.

What do you think?

Its quite common when kayak fishing in Florida to see alligators.  You actually hope for it as .  Never, however, has a kayaker hoped that one would jump into the kayak with them.

That is exactly what happened to this kayaker and folks, its all caught on video!  Admittedly, this all happens so fast that its tough to make out the beast, but you can see its head in the video before you click "play."

By the way, if the video player doesn't seem to show the video, click the little symbol on the bottom of the video player to go to full screen mode.  Very cool!

Kayaking means different things to different people.  For the adventure seeker there's whitewater kayaking.  To those looking for serenity they can retreat to a secluded lake.  Whether young or old, outgoing or reserved, athletic or clumsy, kayaking simply does not discriminate.

What type of kayaking is your favorite?