Angle -
In paddling, refers to the angle of your boat in relation to the current (i.e. exit the eddy at a 45 degree angle)

Airwheel -
An air-borne cartwheel performed while launching off the peak of a standing wave.

Back surfing -
Facing downstream while surfing the current to maintain a position on the face of a wave.

Blade -
The flat, wide part of the paddle.

Boil -
Swirly, unpredictable currents usually created by rocks pushing water to the surface. The surface looks a lot like boiling water. These currents can grab the bottom of your boat and flip you.

Bony -
Run or rapid containing lots of rocky obstacles.

Boof -
To launch off of a shallow ledge, rock, or waterfall and land flat below.

Booties -
Neoprene socks or boots used for cold-water paddling.

Bow -
Front of the boat.

Brace -
Using a downward sweep of the paddle to keep your boat from tipping over. There are several types of braces (see high brace, low brace).

Breaking wave -
A standing wave that falls upstream

Broach -
Pinning a canoe or kayak sideways against an obstruction in a current. A broach can cause the current to wrap the boat around the obstruction.

C-1 -
A decked whitewater canoe.

Capsize -
Flipping upside down while in your boat.

Carnage -
Carnage ensues when boats flip or general mishaps occur. Carnage watching can be an entertaining spectator sport (especially raft carnage).

Cartwheel -
A freestyle move where the bow and the stern of the kayak rotate around the body while the boat stays vertical.

CFS -
Cubic feet per second. This is a common way to gauge water flow at a given point in a river. This will vary depending on the gradient of the riverbed.

Class -
Rating scale of river difficulty. Scale ranges from Class I (easiest) to Class VI (most difficult or unrunnable). The scale is general and can be slightly subjective.

Chute -
A narrow, constricted portion of the river.

Coaming -
The lip extending around the cockpit of a kayak. This is where the spray skirt attaches.

Confluence -
Where two bodies of water meet.

Deck -
The top of the boat.

D-ring -
Steel ring attached to a raft. Used to secure lines, equipment, and outfitting.

Draw stroke -
Stroke used to move the kayak sideways by placing the paddle out to the side of the boat and pulling it toward the boat.

Drop -
A short section of rapid with some steep, sudden vertical change in the river bottom. Drops larger than 6 feet are considered waterfalls.

Dry bag -
A waterproof bag designed to keep your gear dry.

Eddy -
A calm pool in the river created by obstacles like rocks or bends in the river. The water in an eddy is moves opposite of the main river current.

Eddy line -
The interface between the main current and the eddy current. The eddy line can flip unsuspecting boaters who don't lean into the eddy.

Eddy out -
To leave the main current and enter an eddy.

Eddy turn -
Turning into the eddy.

Ender -
Getting the kayak vertical by diving the bow of the boat under the water, causing the stern to pop up.

Entrapment -
A situation where a kayak or kayaker gets pinned.

Feather -
The offset in angle between the two blades of a paddle.

Ferry -
Crossing the current without moving downstream by utilizing the current to move the boat laterally. This is done by facing the boat upstream with a slight angle to the current.

Ferry angle -
The angle of the kayak to the current. This allows the current to push the kayak laterally.

Flat spin -
Using a flat hull's planning abilities to spin on the green part of a wave.

Foam pile -
The aerated, recirculating water that forms the white part of a hole.

Float bag -
Plastic air bags that fit in the bow and stern of a boat. These keep the boat from sinking when swamped with water.

Footbrace -
Provides a footrest inside your kayak. It is usually adjustable for different size paddlers.

Front surf -
Using the current and gravity to maintain an upstream-facing stationary position on a wave.

Grab loop -
Handle threaded through the bow and stern of a kayak. Useful for carrying the boat or assisting swimmers.

Gradient -
The average steepness of a river. 

Green water -
The non-aerated water that flows into and under a hole.

Hair boating -
Boating dangerous or difficult waters.

Hatch -
The opening in the deck of a sea kayak that allows access to a storage compartment.

Haystack -
Large standing waves in a wave train. Usually followed by a large drop.

High brace -
Preventing capsize by using the power face of your paddle on the water.

Hip Snap -
The motion used to turn a kayak upright or keep the kayak upright in combination with a brace. It employs snapping the knees and the hips in the direction you want to go.

Hole -
Fast, deep water dropping sharply over an obstacle into a depression in the riverbed. The pocket behind the obstacle is filled by the upstream current.

Horizon line -
The line where the river seems to disappear. This usually indicates some kind of drop.

Hull -
The bottom of the boat. Hull designs affect the tracking and turning characteristics of the boat. Flat (planning) hulls are usually found on playboats, round (displacement) hulls are found on touring kayaks, canoes, and creek boats.

Hydraulic -
The circulating pressure created by a sudden drop in the riverbed or a drop over an obstruction. The circulating force can hold or flip boaters.

Hypothermia -
The dangerous lowering of body temperature. Prolonged exposure to cold water leads to hypothermia and possibly death if the core temperature drops below 80 degrees.

Keeper -
A large hole that can keep or hold a boater for a long period of time.

Low brace -
Preventing capsize by using the pressure of the back of the paddle against the water.

Maytag -
The thrashing a boater receives in a recirculating hole. Feeling is similar to that of jumping into your washing machine and turning it on spin.

Mystery move -
Using subsurface currents to disappear completely under water. The key is to re-emerge downstream.

Off set -
The angle at which a paddle's blades are twisted relative to each other.

Open canoe -
A canoe with an open cockpit.

Outfitting -
Customizing your boat to fit your body.

Paddle float -
Safety device used in sea kayaking. The inflatable plastic bag is attached to the paddle to assist in reentry in the event of a capsize.

Peak -
The highest point of a wave.

PFD -
Personal flotation device. Another name for a lifejacket. It is a boater's most important piece of safety equipment and should be worn at all times.

Pillow -
Water that piles up around a rock.

Pin -
Lodging your boat between the current and an obstacle such as a rock or a log. Pins can be dangerous, even deadly. Always lean toward the obstacle.

Play boat -
Kayak or canoe specifically designed to perform tricks.

Pogie -
A mitten-like hand warmer that attaches to the paddle shaft. This allows a paddler to feel the paddle shaft .

Pool -
A flat section of water with no rapids

Pool drop -
A type of river that alternates long sections of calm, flat water with rapids.

Portage -
Carrying a boat around a rapid.

Power Face -
The side of the paddle blade that the water pushes against (usually the scooped side of the blade).

Purling -
Burying one of the kayak's ends into the oncoming water while surfing.

Put in -
Starting place for a river trip.

Riffle -
Shallow, gentle rapids caused by rocks or streambeds.

River left -
The left side of the river when facing downstream. Directions are always in relation to the downstream current. So, if you are facing upstream, river left will be on the right.

River right -
The right-hand side of the river when facing downstream. When facing upstream, river-right is on the left.

Rocker -
The amount of curvature in the bow and stern of a boat. A boat with a lot of rocker will spin easily. A boat with little rocker will track easily.

Rock 360 -
A full spin performed while balanced on a rock

Roll -
Technique used to right a capsized kayak utilizing a hip snap and paddle stroke.

Rooster tail -
Water spraying off a submerged obstacle.

Rudder -
A “tail” on the stern of a kayak that allows for easier boat control. Or using a stern stroke to adjust the direction of your kayak.

Self bailing -
An inflatable kayak or raft floor that lets water drain out through the floor.

Shoulder -
The sides of a wave, usually present where a wave borders and eddy

Side surf -
Play move that entails establishing a balanced position in the trough of a hole and holding the boat perpendicular to the main current

Skeg -
A skeg is basically a rudder attached to the underside of the hull.

Splat -
Bobbing vertically against the upstream face of a rock. The hull of the kayak is against the rock.

Splat wheel -
Cartwheels performed in the pillow along the upstream face of a rock.

Split wheel -
Pirouetting 180 degrees while cartwheeling in order to change the direction of your cartwheels.

Spray skirt -
A neoprene or nylon accessory that fits around the waist of the paddler and the cockpit of the boat to keep the boat watertight.

Squirt boat -
Extremely low-volume kayak with flat ends. Uses underwater currents to “play.”

Standing wave -
A stationary river wave.

Stern -
Back end of the boat

Stern squirt -
Slicing the stern of the kayak underwater in a smooth arc to bring the bow vertically into the air. Usually performed when crossing eddy lines.

Strainer -
Fallen trees and entangled branches that hang along the water. Strainers are dangerous obstacles.

Stopper -
A hole, reversal, or breaking wave capable of holding or flipping a kayak or swimmer.

Sweep -
Stroke used to turn your kayak

Take out -
Ending point of a paddling trip

Throw bag -
Rescue device incorporating a coiled rope inside a bag. Rescuers hold onto the end of the rope and throw the bag to a swimmer.

Tilt -
The amount of lean a kayaker has in their boat. Always tilt your kayak downstream and into your turn

Tongue -
The downstream V indicating the main route through a current.

Trough -
The lowest point on a wave

Undercut -
Overhanging rock or ledge with water flowing underneath.

Volume -
Amount of water flowing in the river (cubic feet per second) or the measurement in gallons of the capacity of a kayak. Playboats are usually low volume. Creek boats are high volume.

Waterfall -
A major drop in the riverbed

Wave train -
A series of standing waves or haystacks.

Wet exit -
Bailing out of a capsized kayak, upside down in the water.

Wrap -
Getting your boat stuck between a rock and the current causing it to fold around the obstacle. Leaning toward the obstacle can counteract this.

Z-Drag -
A pulley system used to rescue pinned or wrapped kayaks.