About Dragon Boating

Dragon Boating, one of Australia’s fastest growing sports, is actually one of the oldest sports in the world today, dating back 2000 years to Southern China. The sport has grown considerably over the years, with teams now competing across Canada, America, Europe, New Zealand and here in Australia.

The sport of Dragon Boating consists of twenty paddlers, sitting side by side in a long boat (approx 14m), with a drummer at the front and sweep (steer) at the back. The boat is traditionally decorated with a dragon head at the bow, and tail at the rear.

Conventional boats were made of teak hardwood, however nowadays boats can be made from fibreglass or aluminium. The same can be seen with paddles ranging from traditional wood right through to full carbon fibre.

Races, primarily sprints ranging from 200m to 500m, can take anywhere between 45 seconds to 3 minutes to complete. Typically, there will be 4-6 boats in a race, conducted from a standing start with great strength required to accelerate the boat from the line.

Endurance, strength, near perfect timing and teamwork is what is needed to get the boat across the finish line!