When Xu booked a nighttime kayaking trip for herself and her child on the outskirts of Shanghai, she thought it would be a fun and unique holiday activity. The company offering the trip promised spectacular views of fireflies over riverside scenery resembling a “mini Amazon.”

Instead, the mother ended up enduring a harrowing experience. Unable to keep up with the guide leading the tour, Xu spent half an hour lost on the water in the pitch dark, with help nowhere to be found. She eventually managed to paddle back to shore, but she was left shocked by the lack of support she’d received.

“I felt very frightened afterward, and quite panicked at the time,” Xu told local media outlet the Shanghai Observer.

The incident is one of several worrying stories to emerge amid a surge in night kayaking activities in Shanghai this summer. The activity has become trendy amid a punishing summer heat wave, with temperatures regularly reaching 40 degrees Celsius during the daytime.

Kayaking has exploded in popularity in China over recent years, and the Olympics have also given the sport a boost. But industry insiders say that the outdoor sports industry is poorly regulated, with many companies lacking trained staff and neglecting safety measures.

“Some managers lack a professional background and prioritize making money,” Chen Yanjun, the owner of a Shanghai-based water sports club, told the Shanghai Observer. “There is room for improvement in safety awareness.”

One source told the Shanghai Observer that some companies don’t insist on wearing life jackets and provide customers with almost no safety training. Another said a single instructor sometimes led groups of over 20 people, making it impossible for them to supervise activities properly.

These problems are magnified when the activities take place at night, as Xu discovered. She booked a two-hour trip along a river in Qingpu District, which was scheduled to start after sunset.

The company assigned an instructor to supervise each two to three groups, Xu said, but things quickly turned chaotic. “The coach simply told us how to get in and out of the boat, and how to paddle, and then we started,” she said.

An inexperienced kayaker, Xu struggled to keep up with the instructor, as they navigated dark waters with only headlamps for illumination. When they reached a fork in the river, confusion arose as the instructor sped ahead, leaving Xu unsure which path to follow.

“I immediately called the coach, feeling somewhat panicked, but the coach was unable to confirm my location based on my description and blamed us for taking the wrong path,” Xu recalled.

With no other staff available to help, Xu paddled blindly around the river for 30 minutes, before finally managing to return to the dock.

Shanghai currently has no regulations in place for water sports activities in non-navigable waterways. There are no designated navigation channels for kayaks, paddle boards, and other water-based vehicles, nor are there rules for managing upstream and downstream traffic.

Authorities are attempting to take steps to address issues in the water sports industry. The Shanghai Water Authority plans to amend the city’s river management regulations to include new provisions governing water sports. China’s General Administration of Sports also issued a notice in April stressing the importance of improving safety measures for water sports activities, proposing stricter requirements for safety equipment and event planning.

But for now, the companies make their own rules. According to the Shanghai Observer, the level of professionalism in China’s outdoor sports industry varies widely. Some clubs employ part-time instructors who lack sufficient expertise, which is particularly risky given that so many customers are new to water sports.

Some water sports clubs reportedly cut back on safety measures to cut costs. These clubs — which usually run kayaking activities — often rely on referrals from outdoor sports companies to maintain a steady flow of customers, but the companies take a substantial commission for this service. This means that clubs operate on tight margins.

Hiring fewer or less experienced instructors is a popular way for clubs to boost their profits. A manager of one club, surnamed Pang, told the Shanghai Observer that each kayaking instructor should only be responsible for supervising one to five people. But some activities don’t even come close to matching that ratio.

Wang Xi, a staff member at local club Shanghai BIC Sport, told Sixth Tone that kayaking is a relatively easy activity and that the company considers safety a top priority. For example, it didn’t offer kayaking trips during the recent typhoon, he said.

“To ensure the safety of our customers, life jackets are mandatory, lifeguards are stationed along the shoreline, and each group of five to six people is led by an instructor,” Wang said. “Additionally, another staff member is present to provide extra support and ensure everyone’s safety.”

(Header image: VCG)