Hi,
Is there a certain age you have to be to go on kayaks and canoes in France ? As I was wanting to take my 2 1/2 year old daughter canoeing on the rivers, I have bought a life jacket for her obviously.
Advice truly appreciated
Christian
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All the ones we went to in the Dordogne required you to be able to swim 25 metres and be over about 7. We waited until our kids were old enough and then went back!
We took our grandson on the river when he was 4 and he was fine. He is very well behaved and does as he is told. He went in a canoe with his mum and dad and my husband was in a separate kayak on his own.
However my husband is a qualified kayaking instructor.
If you have your own canoe then there is no age restriction, but if you hire then generally six (or very tall and looks older) is more usual. We shall take our grandchildren when we visit them in the Dordogne in early August.
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I would have no problem taking an under 6-7 out ... but ... in a stable Kayak/Canoe, on very flat/smooth/slow running or static water, and on a non windy day. And, assuming you have quite a bit of experience in handling such craft yourself.
As Val says, if you want to hire, it's unlikely that you'll find an outlet that allows you to take someone that young out.
And even if a child can swim that doesn't mean they'll cope in a cold French river with a strong current. We have rescued a young girl from a capsized canoe on the Ardeche. With young children stick to flat calm lakes or rivers.
I don't want to sound pessimistic but a life jacket is not going to be much use to a 2 year old whilst being buffeted by a current and bouncing off of rocks. Many rapids suddenly appear around a bend so you have little time to react.
DaveS1
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As advised above ... do not take under age children on anything but flat or very slow moving water ... in those circumstances, rapids do not suddenly appear ... and any diligent kayak/canoe-er will find out what the water for a planned trip is like before setting forth.
Also ... to dispel a myth ... what you wear is not (usually) a 'life jacket' ... it is a 'buoyancy aid'.
Quote: Originally posted by christian3 on 16/7/2018
Looks like we will be sticking to the pool then.
I’d say it’s a safe bet. We went two years ago with our teens and it was a hell of a lot harder than we expected. Our older teens were in a kayak on their own and ended up in the water several times, especially over rapids. I’d save it until your little one is a bit bigger as it’s just not worth the risk. If you capsized there’s no guarantee you’d be in a position to get to her quickly enough xxx
Just a reminder that a Bouyancy Aid is NOT a Life Jacket for those that do not know this.
It will not keep you afloat as a Life Jacket will. It is just an aid for someone who is able to swim.
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As a seasoned Kayaker and Canadian canoeist I wouldn't dream of taking a 2.5 year old in a kayak, Canadian with both parents maybe but I would only do that on a lake and make sure that the adults were never out of their depth in case of problems.
For me I would recommend at least 5 years old and able to do more than just swim 25 metres in a pool ie be happy diving under water be able to tread water for at least 5 minutes and have practised how a buoyancy aid behaves in water. ( most pools are happy to allow this)
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Topic: Kayaking age ?
