Who doesn’t enjoy curling up with a good book in a warm house on a cold winter day, with maybe a crackling fire or a hot drink besides? With Christmas coming this seems like a great opportunity to mention some of the wonderful sea kayaking books reviewed on this site. Below you’ll find a brief description of each book as well as a link so you can order it for yourself or for someone else as a gift. If you’d like more information, you’ll also find a link to the full review as well. Plus, as our gift to you this month we’re offering Confessions of a Wave Warrior by Eric Soares in a special two-for-one sale. Buy one copy and we’ll send you a second one free!
Every one of these books will keep you informed and entertained for hours. From incredible journeys like Paul Caffyn’s circumnavigation of Australia in Dreamtime Voyage to compilations like Will Nordby’s Seekers of the Horizon and Chris Cunnigham’s More Deep Trouble or enduring classics like Willard Bascom’s Waves and Beaches, we’ve reviewed twelve books on this site, all about adventure and the sea. Here they are!
CONFESSIONS OF A WAVE WARRIOR by Eric Soares
What is it like to experience a lifetime of water adventure? Join Eric Soares as he relates his boyhood introduction to pools, creeks, and rivers and recounts his escapades on the mighty sea as a Navy man and kayaker.
Confessions of a Wave Warrior is a compilation of Eric’s action-packed true tales of swimming in cold creeks, canoeing down rough rivers, surviving a super-typhoon in a warship, paddling through monster waves, and crashing a kayak into a sea cliff. With dozens of thrilling photographs to accompany these tales of derring-do, the book chronicles the adventures of a Tsunami Ranger in all kinds of water. – John Soares
To buy this book, click on this link:
THE DREAMTIME VOYAGE Around Australia Kayak Odyssey by Paul Caffyn
“The surf was heavy and dumping with great force. At 2:30p.m. I launched into the calm water of a small creek and began punching into the inshore break. Nearing the back of this line of breakers, a big mother dropped right on top of me. Its force popped the sprayskirt in. The kayak stood on its stern briefly, but I braced hard and the kayak hurtled backwards for the beach on the face of the wave. With a cockpit half full of water, I paddled back to the sand and emptied out.” What an ordeal! But that was nothing, compared to a failed trip through the surf late in his journey. Want to know more? Get the book. – Eric Soares
To buy this book, click here: http://paulcaffyn.co.nz/book-sales/
To read the full review, click here: https://tsunamirangers.com/?s=dreamtime+voyage
THE RAVEN’S GIFT by Jon Turk
Can you judge a book by its cover? No. You can’t. Gazing at the cover of sea kayaking adventurer Jon Turk’s The Raven’s Gift (2009), I envisioned a tale of an arduous sea trek along the icy coast of Kamchatka. And Jon did kayak there. But that’s not what the book is about. The book details Jon’s inner journey from the mundane world of civilization to the Real World and the Other World.
Here is an excerpt from The Raven’s Gift: “Even the most cynical Western observer has to appreciate that Stone Age hunters survived through keen observation of their surroundings and intimate connectivity with the landscape and its creatures. And out here, I felt that if people opened their senses wide enough and became sufficiently in tune with their surroundings, I have no trouble believing that they could make tribal pacts with wolves.” – Eric Soares
To buy this book, click here: https://www.jonturk.net/the-ravens-gift
To read the full review, click here: https://tsunamirangers.com/?s=the+raven%27s+gift
THE FAT PADDLER by Sean Smith
The book’s title says it all. This book by Aussie kayaker Sean Smith tells the story of an ordinary bloke who took up sea kayaking in earnest because he had to. It’s not about a long sea kayaking expedition. It’s about a fun-loving rugby rower out riding his scooter who was run over by a hit-and-run driver. He got banged up pretty badly, and his femur was broken in two. After recovering from that ordeal, he was in Bali for a rugby tournament when the terrorist attack on the nightclub occurred. He witnessed the explosion, carnage, and confusion, and though he did not get blown up, he was emotionally traumatized.
He had a strong desire to paddle among ice bergs and so traveled to America with a folding kayak and paddled here and there until he finally reached Alaska, his ultimate destination. Since Australian waters are comparatively warm, he had no idea about drysuits, which are essential in the frigid Alaskan seas. He wrote:
“It’s hard to describe the discomfort of a drysuit in a manner that gives the full sensory experience. The rubber suit doesn’t breathe and it is immediately lined in sweat. It becomes clammy and slippery on the inside, even as the cold outside air freezes your face and hands. The neck gasket feels like a rubber garrotte, maintaining a constant pressure as each breath fights against your crushed windpipe. I was having flashbacks to hospital and the respirator tube in my throat and struggled with the rising fear of being choked again.”
I read The Fat Paddler over a couple of days while sitting in the shade next to a beautiful little creek. It was an easy read, full of adventure and fun. Filled with tribulations and triumphs, the book was a delight. Erik the Red says, “Check it out!” – Eric Soares
To buy this book, click here:
To read the full review, click here: https://tsunamirangers.com/?s=the+fat+paddler
ENCHANTED VAGABONDS by Dana Lamb
ENCHANTED VAGABONDS is my favorite expedition sea kayaking book, packed full of bold action and exciting mishaps. If you enjoy the early 20th century writing of Richard Halliburton, which is rollicking adventure coupled with a light, almost cavalier style, then you’ll love author Dana Lamb’s account of his and his wife Ginger’s 16,000 mile journey down the Pacific coast from San Diego to Panama in a 16-foot homemade sailing kayak back in 1933. – Eric Soares (Think Indiana Jones in a kayak!)
To buy this book, click here:
To read the full review, click here: https://tsunamirangers.com/?s=enchanted+vagabonds
MORE DEEP TROUBLE edited by Christopher Cunningham of Sea Kayaker magazine
More Deep Trouble is another collection of death and disaster stories featuring sea kayakers, compiled by Sea Kayaker editor Chris Cunningham. More Deep Trouble is a follow up to Deep Trouble, and like the previous book includes the Lessons Learned from each event. It’s a fun, interesting, and instructive read even though from time to time there is a tendency for the reader to clutch the hair and shake the head wondering, “WHAT were they thinking???” – Nancy Soares
To buy this book, click here:
To read the full review, click here: https://tsunamirangers.com/?s=more+deep+trouble
A PADDLER’S JOURNEY by Bryant Burkhardt
This book does not disappoint. Bryant has done it all, from dodging icebergs in Alaska and exploring the Channel Islands to creeking in L.A. and captaining the U.S. National Kayak Polo Team. His kayaking resume is truly amazing. It’s a testament to how one person can not only dedicate his life to the pursuit of paddling but cover almost every aspect of our sport in the process. – Nancy Soares
To buy this book, click here: http://www.bryantburkhardtkayaking.com/bookindex.html
To read the full review, click here: https://tsunamirangers.com/?s=A+Paddler%27s+Journey
SEEKERS OF THE HORIZON edited by Will Nordby
What’s so good about this book is the variety. A circumnavigation of Iceland by John Bauman, a quickie expedition to the Molokai cliffs that turns gnarly by Audrey Sutherland, and the rounding of Cape Horn by Frank Goodman are just some of the cool adventures you get to experience through the eyes of the authors. I also really enjoyed reading about Susan Meredith’s introduction to sea kayaking as a result of her two years aboard the health-ship Hygeine which brought medical care to coastal villages in Alaska.
In Seekers of the Horizon there are excerpts from other sea kayaking books, such as Paul Kaufmann’s Paddling the Gate, a lyrical description of paddling in the San Francisco Bay and out the Golden Gate bridge. Paul was one of the first. Also, Hannes Lindemann’s “An Impossible Voyage” is from his book Alone at Sea, in which he describes his crossing from the Canaries to the Virgin Islands. Wow! If you want to know what it’s like out in the middle of the Atlantic in a folding kayak in an epic storm that lasts for days, you’ve got to read that one. – Nancy Soares
To buy this book, click here:
To read the full review, click here: https://tsunamirangers.com/?s=seekers+of+the+horizon
CROCODILES AND ICE by Jon Turk
“To me, it’s all about connection and compassion… Once we lose one or the other, or both, the world becomes a much less pleasant place, and a more dangerous place, to live in.” – Jon Turk
This book is the story of one man’s awakening consciousness, of a scientist’s introduction to magic, of the ecstasy that can be found in the Deep Wild and how it can connect us with God, or Nature, or what you will – that which gave us birth and to which we return when we die. It’s a series of adventures as Turk travels to the Solomon Islands, to Ellesmere Island, to China and to British Colombia. It’s about a crocodile, a bear, a wolf, and a whole lot of ice, and the wildness and sanity they represent. It’s about the connection that’s possible between us and our environment when we drop our arrogance and our fear and see ourselves as one with instead of separate from Planet Earth. It’s about finding a place in our hearts where even death becomes harmonious and proper; where there is no fear, only the ecstasy of being alive. – Nancy Soares
To buy this book, click here:
To read the full review, click here: https://tsunamirangers.com/?s=crocodiles+and+ice
INSIDE by Susan Conrad
Magic and gratitude. That’s what comes through in Susan Marie Conrad’s sea tale of her solo kayak adventure through the Inside Passage from Anacortes, Washington to Juneau, Alaska. For people like me who love adventure and kayaking but will probably never undertake such a major endeavor, it’s wonderful to read stories like Susan’s. For one thing, there’s the mental eye candy: the beauty and mystery of the Tongass, the fjords, the wildlife, the ice. There’s the excitement: the bears, the unruly weather, the people, “learning experiences”.
In the end, Susan rises to what she calls the “biggest challenge for all humans”, that of becoming comfortable with the conditions of the mind in the face of unfolding reality. On the sea, as she points out, this could mean the difference between life and death… Susan’s story takes her individual journey and makes it relevant to the reader on many levels. Inside is an entertaining, enjoyable read. I think Inside is magic, and I’m no end grateful I got to read and review it. Check it out! – Nancy Soares
To buy this book, click here:
To read the full review, click here: https://tsunamirangers.com/?s=inside
WAVES AND BEACHES by Willard Bascom
We decided to resurrect this best-selling classic because it’s just so damn good! A comprehensive description of how waves and beaches behave under all kinds of conditions, Waves and Beaches explains why ships sink, how rogue waves can split giant tankers in two, how surfers can ride waves with skill and dexterity and how we can harness the ocean’s energy, plus much, much more. If you haven’t read it, we hope you will. If you have, we hope you’ll enjoy our review and maybe be moved to reread this great contribution to the knowledge and science of the surf zone.
In addition, we are happy to let you know that Patagonia has acquired the rights to Bascom’s original book, and Karla Olsen, working with Kim McCoy, principal scientist with NATO, informed us they were publishing an updated version of the book in July 2020. They hope to honor the great tradition of Bascom’s original. Not sure where that plan stands at this time since covid has thrown a kink in many plans, but check it out!– Nancy Soares
To buy this book, click here:
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/waves-and-beaches_willard-bascom/263100/?
To read the full review, click here: https://tsunamirangers.com/?s=waves+and+beaches
NATURE IS YOUR GUIDE by Harold Gatty
Harold Gatty was born in Campbelltown, Tasmania in 1903. He went to school at the Royal Australian Naval College, and became one of the world’s great navigators. In 1931 he was placed in charge of Air Navigation Research and Training for the United States Army Air Corps. During World War II he served in the Royal Australian Air Force and his survival manual The Raft Book was standard equipment on U.S. Army Air Force life rafts and saved hundreds of lives. Subtitled How to Find Your Way on Land and Sea and originally published in 1958, Nature is Your Guide is a comprehensive expansion of the information in that manual, covering pathfinding in the wilderness, the desert, and in snow-covered areas as well as marine environments. Through years of research all over the world, Harold Gatty collected and tested the pathfinding techniques in this book. – Nancy Soares
To buy this book, click here:
https://www.alibris.com/Nature-Is-Your-Guide-Harold-Gatty/book/8429349
To read the full review, click here:
That’s all, folks! Twelve great books for your reading pleasure. The Tsunami Rangers say, “Check them out!” And don’t forget, if you order a copy of Confessions of a Wave Warrior from this website, we’ll send you a second copy for free. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Tsunami Rangers!
That is a great selection!!! Thank you Nancy!!
You’re welcome, El Rey! Glad you enjoyed the post!
Perfect timing for this stellar line-up. Thank you! And thanks for including INSIDE – with a cover shot toooooo! 😉
You’re welcome, Susan! A great book deserves to be read… and seen!
Today is the publication date of the new edition (last one was 1979) of Waves and Beaches, now by Willard Bascom and Kim McCoy. See also Bascom’s autobiography, The Crest of the Wave.
Awesome! Thanks so much for the update, and thanks for suggesting The Crest of the Wave. I did not know Bascom had written an autobiography.