Squirt Boating: An Exciting Extreme Sport

I just saw the oddest sports on a local station here in Oregon. It's called Squirt Boating. I've never heard of it so I did some research, and this is what I found out. I didn't know about this sport, but apparently it has been around for awhile, since the 1980's at least, and there is even a Squirt Boating World Cup.

Squirt boating is a subcategory of whitewater kayaking. The boat is designed to be as low in volume as possible and still be able to float. 80%-90% of the boat sits underwater. It is like a tiny kayak, and the paddlers has a very tight fit. The boat itself is customized around the owner's body, eliminating excess volume. The boat is light and this allows a technical approach, but it takes much physical strength to do the moves which are mostly underwater.

Most squirt boaters are male because a lot of power is required to do the maneuvers. The current world champion, Brendan Mark, 23, claims, "It gives you a pretty good workout. Squirting is mostly about abs, balancing, upper body and obliques. You have to be strong because squirting is so responsive. You don't have that stabilizing effect you do in normal kayaking."

Many women are in the sport though. Deb Okeefe is the women's world squirt boat champion. The 33 year old wiped out her four female competitors and also outscored all 10 male squirt boaters. The women's and men's championships are both judged by the same standards.

The main objective of squirt boating is to play in the underwater currents created by rapids. Squirt boats are typically made of fiberglass and function best just below the water's surface. Squirt boaters can do their maneuvers anywhere there is a bit of water. A pond, or even a backyard pool will do for the squirt boarder to find happiness. Squirting is also not super-expensive. A fiberglass-polyester-Kevlar boat costs about $1300.00 and, it lasts forever. There aren't many accessories either. You do need a custom skirt which is the liner that seals the rider into the boat, a paddle and a helmet. A lifejacket is optional, and most squirters don't wear them because you can't do downtime (underwater) with a lifejacket.

Squirt boating is more than just freestyle kayaking. It involves lost of twisting, turning, verticals and what's called "the mystery move." or "downtime" where the boater submerges himself underwater and shoots downstream, popping up above the water anywhere from 20 to 40 feet away.

According to Brendan Mark, squirt boating is not that dangerous a sport. You just need some fairly deep water so you don't have to worry about rocks.