Paddling Education

Add These 26 Kayaking Books to Your Reading List
You wouldn’t believe the kayaking adventures people have had over the years! Here’s our list of suggested books for those of you who love to enter into the stories of those who’ve challenged themselves in ways few others have.
Retailer Spotlight: Kayak Freak, Denmark
Kayak Freak of Handbjerg, Denmark is northern Europe’s largest kayak shop. Their 2,500-square-meter building houses 1,000 kayaks of all sorts at any given time, along with canoes, SUPs and any paddling accessories you could want.
Kayaking Karakul Lake in Tajikistan
Karakul Lake in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan is a large, high-altitude saltwater lake surrounded by both desert and snow-capped mountains. Not the likeliest choice for a kayaking destination, but certainly an interesting one!
Sea Kayaking Adventures on Lake Superior
Lake Superior offers some of the best freshwater sea kayaking you’ll find anywhere in the world. Aqua Bound Ambassador Ken Whiting takes us along on his 5-day trip on this greatest of the Great Lakes.
Sea Kayaking Finland’s Southwest Archipelago
The Scandinavian countries of Europe offer some of the world’s finest sea kayaking opportunities. Right up there near the top is the Southwest Archipelago of Finland.
Packraft Trips with Land Water Adventures
Land Water Adventures is a Germany-based outfitter that provides single-day and multi-day land-water packrafting expeditions and trainings. They’ve successfully carved out a niche serving beginning to advanced paddlers around Europe and into Canada.
7-Day Kayak Trip Down Canada’s Petawawa River
Aqua Bound Ambassador Ken Whiting took a solo river trip down one of the world’s best canoe routes in Canada’s Algonquin Provincial Park. But he chose a kayak instead of a canoe to tackle the river’s many whitewater sections.
Coontail: A Wisconsin Independent Paddling Retailer
Coontail is an independent outdoor retailer in northern Wisconsin surrounded by thousands of lakes. Their robust paddling department has helped get people on the lakes and rivers near them since 1993.
Sea Kayak Rockhopping in Norway
The rugged and beautiful Norwegian coast is ideal for “rockhopping” in sea kayaks. We asked Reidar Sether to tell us more about this adventurous paddling activity and why he loves it.
Bikerafting Adventure in the Yukon
Aqua Bound Ambassador Jessica Kelley embarks on her 1,400-mile bikerafting adventure in just a couple of weeks through part of Alaska and into Canada’s Yukon Territory.
Partner Spotlight: Uteguiden Kayak Tours in Sunnmøre, Norway
Uteguiden is northwestern Norway’s leading guide company for outdoor adventures of all kinds. This includes kayaking in some of their country’s most stunning fjords and coastal areas.
Epic New Zealand Packraft & Hike Trip
Where The Wild Rivers Flow is a film about Australian YouTuber Scott Williams’ 6-day, 130-kilometer packrafting and hiking trek through the South Island wilderness of New Zealand.
Kayaking Source-to-Sea on the Mississippi River
Aqua Bound Ambassador Devin Brown will soon embark on a solo kayak trip she’s been dreaming about for many years—a source-to-sea journey on the Mississippi River. If she completes it, she’ll be the first black woman to kayak all 2,340 miles.
Packrafting in Swedish Lapland
Aqua Bound Ambassador Peter Tjärnlund frequently packrafts the rivers of Swedish Lapland. We asked him to tell us more about this remote and beautiful wilderness area and what it’s like to packraft there.
Sea Kayaking Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way
Lifelong kayaker (and Aqua Bound Ambassador) Ken Whiting and Paddle TV take us to the Republic of Ireland’s 1,600-mile-long Wild Atlantic Way for some adventurous sea kayaking and a taste of what The Emerald Isle has to offer.
Retailer Spotlight: Estero River Outfitters, Florida
Estero River Outfitters is Southwest Florida’s largest dealer of kayaks, paddle boards and canoes. It’s one of the only paddle shops where you can always try a boat or paddle before you buy by launching right off their dock on the Estero River.
Sea Kayaking Wildlife Encounters
Aqua Bound Ambassador Rachel Bott is a sea kayak guide and coach in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Some of her favorite kayaking spots are the remote islands in her area where she often is treated with wildlife encounters.
Sea Kayaking the Coast of Northern Ireland
Aqua Bound Ambassador Ken Whiting takes us to Northern Ireland where he sea kayaks three unique locations along the coast. As always, he finds a couple of local experts to guide him for an immersive adventure.
St. Croix River Kayaking: Wildlife to See
Greg Seitz is an avid kayaker and dedicated supporter of the St Croix River that forms part of the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. He tells us why this river provides ideal wildlife habitat and what paddlers can expect to see on their journey downriver.
“What I Packed for My Greenland Kayak Trip”
Aqua Bound Marketing Manager Kate Wright was one of six of our team members who embarked on a Greenland kayak trip in summer 2023. Here Kate talks about the challenges of packing for a multi-day trip like this—especially an international one.
Winter Kayak Camping in Algonquin Provincial Park
Does the idea of winter kayak or canoe camping intrigue you? Then this video is a must-watch to get a realistic picture of what this kind of adventure entails.