Competititive Paddling

If you enjoy friendly competition, waka ama provides an almost unmatched range of opportunities, from club and regional regional regattas, to national competitions, to international events.

Races are graded according to gender and age:

• Midgets (7 - 9 years)
• Intermediate (up to 12 years)
• J16 (up to 16 years)
• J19 (up to 19 years)
• J21 (up to 21 years)
• Open (up to 40 years)
• Master (40 to 50 years)
• Senior Master 50 (50 to 60 years)
• Golden Master 60 (60 to 70 years)
• Master 70 (70+ years)

Competitions fall into three, distance-based categories:

Sprint:

• 500 metre 'dash' (straight line, point to point)
• 1000 metre (250 metre course with 3 turns)
• 1500 metre (250 metre course with 5 turns)

Middle Distance:
Race distances vary, but range from 5 km to 18 km

Long Distance:
Race distances vary, but range from 25 km to 42+ km. Longer races may include 'changes', where a support boat drops fresh paddlers in the water to rest racing paddlers.