Table of ContentsRisks of Kayaking ExperienceExcitement of KayakingUncertain Outcomes of KayakingChallenges of KayakingRecommendations for Kayaking ExperienceSafety GuidelinesKayaking Practices and ProceduresEmergency PlansDocumentation and Monitoring of Kayaking kayakConclusionWorks CitedRisks of Kayaking ExperienceRisks are essential for outdoor adventure programs, including kayaking experience. It is believed that “risk is as fundamental to adventure as competition is to sport, but the bets are generally higher” (Mortlock, 1984). Therefore, to protect participants during their kayaking experience, ATE has focused on applying a "safety culture" to each participant, showing that risks are always present and can only be reduced but not eliminated. Additionally, participants participating in the kayaking experience must sign the “Registration and Key Issues Disclosure Form” to ensure that they have acknowledged and agreed to the terms and conditions, as well as fill in certain personal information , including emergency contacts and health questions. Say no. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Excitement of Kayaking As participants became more comfortable with the environment, a tendency for participants to act to reintroduce excitement would emerge (Lester, 2004 ). Thus, after becoming familiar with the nearby environment, participants will choose to enter a less mundane environment. In this program, participants learned the basic skills and movements of kayaking as well as the safety precautions they should pay attention to. Then they had time to train next to the beach where they were under the supervision of staff and could be cared for. With practice time, participants generally feel more comfortable with the kayak and would feel that paddling in the area was not enough. As long as participants were confident in their skills, they requested to paddle outside to explore more on their own, in which the unfamiliar situation allowed participants to take more risks and made their experience more intense. Participants would consider the process satisfying after experiencing thrills and excitement while paddling in an unfamiliar environment (Buckley, 2012). Weather conditions are one of the challenges of this kayaking program, sometimes big waves add excitement to the trip and different sea levels make the process more difficult. Even if the weather could be checked before the program, it is still not accurate because the weather is unpredictable, no one knows exactly how the weather will change. Therefore, even if the staff has checked everything, including tides, wind, storms, etc., there are still risks. If the weather suddenly turns bad and there is wind and significant waves when participants are paddling, there may be risks of the kayak overturning, leading to a range of accidents, from minor to serious. , namely scratches and drownings. So there are always risks in kayaking programs due to different weather conditions, however, they are always uncertain, so other safety measures must be implemented to protect participants. Uncertain Outcomes of Kayaking For an experience to qualify as an adventure program, its outcome must be uncertain (Mitchell, 1983). Uncertainty plays an important role in adventure programs,primarily because of what they can teach participants, but it also requires participants to face their fears and exercise their decision-making skills (Ewert and Sibthrop, 2014). In this program, as mentioned above, participants can choose to paddle further provided they have obtained the agreement of the instructors. However, if participants have paddled too far, which they did not expect, they may not have enough energy and water to return. They cannot be sure because they cannot not predict the weather and sea state when they paddle back. So, they may have to use more energy in some difficult situations, like big waves, and this uncertainty may lead to risk-taking for participants as they might suffer from dehydration.Kayaking ChallengesThe program was well organized and programmed with route and destination. set in advance. However, depending on the abilities and skills of different participants, some may request to paddle further if time permits, for example to explore nearby islands or caves to make the trip more interesting and adventurous. They may want to take on more challenges and push themselves, such a decision increases both the risk and challenge level of the kayaking program, as it was not intended and the participants would have to bear the consequences since they made this request themselves. . Moreover, the level of challenges also corresponds to the sea conditions, whenever there will be big waves, in which the participants are not expected, they will have to use their skills to overcome the waves. Given that some of them may not have encountered such circumstances, facing and surviving such conditions may be a way to improve participants' perceptions of their ability to challenge themselves to do facing unexpected situations, which helps build a more exciting and adventurous experience (Lyng, 1990).Recommendations for kayak experienceBased on the Hong Kong Education Bureau guidelines, instructors should check that canoes, Life jackets, paddles and other required equipment meet safety standards before departure. The instructor did not carefully check the kayak equipment one by one. The instructor says he will check the equipment twice a month. It is not safe for participants who are kayaking or have no swimming experience. Additionally, even if the instructor carries their medical kit wherever they are, if the participant drowns, their medical kit is insufficient to handle it and waiting for the helicopter may delay medical treatment. The ATE's Tan Ka Wan base should be equipped with an automated system. External defibrillator (AED) close to the site, accelerating medical treatment of the victim, to avoid a fatal outcome due to delayed treatment. Safety Instructions The basis of Tan Ka Wan is too simple and rudimentary. There is only one storage room which leaves with the kayak equipment and the first aid kit, the life jacket. There are no guidelines or safety hazard signage on Tan Ka Wan base to constantly remind them not to do certain things, as some children might lack adventure and kayaking experience . This will result in drowning and injury. Therefore, ATE should post more safety guidelines and risks on base. For example, the signs regarding the rules of kayaking and clear instructions in the base of Tan Ka Wan. Kayaking practices and procedures The maturity level of participants is low,some of them were not focused and easily distracted when instructors talk about dangers and prevention, and they might lack experience in kayaking and adventure activities. Although the instructor introduced the team to safety issues and provided them with kayak training before allowing them to paddle on their own, this is not enough for the children. Instructors should consider giving more detailed and clear instructions to children not to touch or try anything while kayaking or during activities. They must obtain permission before performing any action. According to the Hong Kong Education Bureau, the slowest canoe should be in the front during a sea trip and the experience participant should be in the back. However, we saw that the front kayak drives very fast and keeps a long distance from other ships. If they get injured or the kayak overturns, the instructor cannot rescue them immediately. They should pay more attention to the risk management plan, give more instructions to parents and children to ensure that the activities are controllable by the instructor. Additionally, a demonstration of the correct procedure for boarding the kayak and wearing a life jacket could be provided to prevent participants from accidentally damaging this equipment through negligence. Emergency Plans Normally, instructors will bring a small medical kit bag on kayak trips. in case of emergency. However, the support of such a medical kit will not be enough if a participant suffers a twisted ankle or, even worse, a broken bone. Therefore, in order to have better procedures for dealing with injuries and sudden incidents in the water, the first suggestion would be for instructors to bring a walkie-talkie with them to the kayak so that they can inform other members immediately staff on site as they may not have their phones out and there may be no signals. Additionally, ATE should have its own speedboat for emergency uses. Since the current ATE practice is to wait for the helicopter to come to the rescue, this takes a long time because the arrival time is only an estimate. So, with its own company boat, the patient can be sent to receive medical attention as soon as possible thanks to a solid emergency system.Documentation and control of the kayakIn terms of documentation, there is a detailed assessment document and risk control document which lists all possible risks and approaches to managing these risks for staff to take as a reference when leading the kayak program. However, the contents of the list have not been updated in a year and the data may be out of date, and given that there are endless possibilities as to how participants got injured, it is not It’s not possible for staff to be able to anticipate everything. possible risks. Therefore, it is recommended that staff always renew the list at least every season rather than on an annual basis in order to facilitate a safer outdoor adventure experience. In terms of follow-up actions, Team A staff and instructors should investigate. on its risk management by having them complete questionnaires or interviews with participants after completing the program, given that it is these children who experience the risks of the program. Asking them questions could give the organization ideas for improving the quality of the next program, thereby facilitating a better outdoor adventure experience. Keep in mind: this is just one, 2018