It's fun, good exercise, a great way to get close to nature and easy to learn - no wonder kayaking is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.

But the new enthusiast faces a daunting array of questions and choices. What kind of kayak is right for me, how big should it be and how much will it cost? What do I wear? What kind of food do I bring? And just how do I stay right side up, anyway?

Easykayaking Basics answers these questions and many more. From craft selection to paddling technique to navigation to safety gear, veteran kayakers Gary Backlund and Paul Grey offer advice and share secrets drawn from decades of experience and hundreds of expeditions. As with their acclaimed guidebooks, Easykayaker: A Guide to Laid-back Vancouver Island Paddling and Kayaking Vancouver Island: Great Trips from Port Hardy to Victoria, the authors combine clear, concise instruction with warm and humorous accounts of their own paddling adventures. Photographs and line drawings illustrate every aspect of the sport.