To the one person in our reader survey who asked for more squirt boating content, this one is for you.
Squirt boating: drowning, but for fun
Squirt boating is one of the most mysterious subcultures of kayaking, not only because it saw its peak in the early 90s and has a small, devoted following but also because this type of whitewater kayaking happens largely underwater.
In a thin whitewater kayak with very little buoyancy and hand paddles on the hands in lieu of a traditional paddle, the purpose of squirt boating is to submerge oneself and ride underwater waves and currents. For many people, the idea of kayaking beneath the water holds very little appeal— in fact, for many buoyancy is considered chief among desirable qualities in a kayak.
@murped
“The only reason I even know about squirt boating is because I was on a rafting trip and after we went over a set of rapids we saw this squirter pop up right behind our boat,” shared Mark Murphy while narrating a viral video on squirt boating. The comments on the viral video are rife with quips about how the sport is glorified drowning or “kayaking with less breathing”. Which speaks to one of the challenges of the sport: it’s obscure and not just because it happens underwater.
Squirt boating is incredibly niche, with a small, dedicated community. According to the NRS film The Mystery, in the nineties there were likely only a couple thousand squirt boaters in the states, while today there’s likely less than two hundred.
Squirt boating, niche and nerdy paddling subculture, and humility
The squirt boating subculture is decidedly nerdy in the way of “Tevas with socks and Dave Matthews Band kinda look”, an interviewee explained in the The Mystery, citing sparkles on boats and a vibe that rode the line between dorky and very cool as the tone of the squirt boaters of the nineties.
In the 1991 brothers Jim and Jeff Snyder’s instructional film Certain Squirting is as bright with the neon colors and the coolest paddling jackets ever seen as it is filled with detailed instructions. The Snyder brothers are credited with popularizing and founding squirt boating, and Jim is responsible for the design of most of the squirt boats in existence.
In the Summer 2008 issue of Rapid Magazine, Jeff Jackson broke down the allure of squirt boating and Jim Snyder’s The Squirt Book.
“The tight-fitting, custom-built, surfboard-like kayaks were designed for neutral buoyancy—half way between floating and sinking—and to tap into underwater currents,” he explained, adding that squirt boating is about humility, about literally going with the flow, about listening to the river.
“Snyder’s book, while setting the stage for much greater things in kayaking, speaks louder now as a comment on putting the river, current and universe first. It stands in contrast to the bounce and bravado in today’s kayaking,” Jackson added.
Ultimately, squirt boating is about getting up close and personal with the river, about challenging yourself on and in the rapids in a way that isn’t flash– oftentimes it isn’t even visible. As the nineties trends like film photography and vintage bright windbreakers make their way back into the spotlight, maybe there’s a place for squirt boating in the mainstream too.
Awesome video!