You never have to paddle hard whitewater yourself, but that doesn’t mean you can’t read water like a pro. Whether you’re a newer paddler, a total beginner or a seasoned expert, I’ll break down what shapes the river and how to see each feature while helping you find your line. In a break from traditional avoidant-style river reading, my goal is to set you up for a much more positive outlook on the river by teach you to look for and recognize the features that you want, beyond just trying to recognize every potential problem in front of you. Ultimately paddlers go where they look, and this positive river reading style teaches you to look where you want to go.

In this second part, we’ll start with a hydrodynamic perspective so you can have a deeper understanding of how water moves below the surface, and how to use it in your paddling.