Country India | National team India | |
Kayaking in India has become a popular sport.
Contents
Flat water and sea kayaking
Flat-water kayaking takes place in rivers, lakes and the ocean. Aside from professional flat water kayaking, there is very limited recreational kayaking. Historically, Indian tourists considered kayaking a one-time activity and not a competitive sport.
Whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking is a niche sport with some hardcore following. While the Himalayan rivers are teeming with largely commercial kayakers and some weekend adventurers, in south it is largely the weekend kayakers who have been driving the sport. Bangalore, Karnataka has seen the largest spike in weekend paddlers. However, paddling in India, in general is plagued by limited availability of gear locally, police and bureaucratic interference (who view kayakers with suspicion, since it is an alien activity), and commercial rafters who feel threatened by the presence of the kayakers on the rivers where they have permits to commercially raft.