ACA Introducing a New App Just for Paddlers

Paddle Ready is a new app designed for paddlers who want to maximize their fun and safety on the water. Free on the App Store and Google Play, Paddle Ready allows users to get real-time environmental forecasting for various paddling venues, fill out a float plan and easily send it to friends, search for ACA instructors and courses, and have important safety and rescue information at their fingertips.

More than ever before, people are choosing paddlesports as a way to keep physically fit, experience adventure, and spend time with family and friends in the great outdoors. Whether kayaking on a lake, rafting down a river, stand up paddleboarding in the ocean, or canoeing down a stream, millions of Americans participate in paddlesports each year. With the influx of novice paddlers on all types of waterways comes an increased risk of injuries and deaths. Canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards were involved in nearly 20% of all boating-related deaths last year (U.S. Coast Guard 2013 Recreational Boating Statistics). The ACA, with funding from the U.S. Coast Guard, created the user-friendly Paddle Ready app to empower individuals with the right knowledge, equipment, and support necessary to have more fun on the water while staying safe.

The ACA’s National Paddlesports Instruction Program is recognized as the “Gold Standard” in paddlesports education throughout the U.S. and several foreign countries. Paddle Ready is the newest addition to our ongoing campaign to develop, produce, and disseminate a wide range of safety, education and instruction programs to serve the 50+ million Americans who participate in paddlesports annually. This convenient app will benefit new and experienced paddlers alike. It will help inform your friends and family where you’ll be paddling, let you quickly check the conditions of your favorite routes, allow you to watch videos to refresh your memory on self-rescue techniques, and so much more. For those who are new to the sport, the app also makes it easier to connect with local ACA-certified instructors and get involved with the paddlesports community at both a state and national level.

Visit the App Store or Google Play to download the FREE Paddle Ready app today, or go to www.americancanoe.org/PaddleReady.