Sea kayaking activities

Tsunami Surf Session at Pillar Point

Rangers on a wave - Lull drops in — Rangers on a wave – Lull drops in

It’s a wonderful life. On May 13 I drove down to TR John Lull’s house on the Northern California coast in El Granada. Hung out for a few hours catching up and then headed over to TR El Rey’s place in Moss Beach. Had a great salmon dinner courtesy El Rey with his family and Capt. Kakuk and his lovely gal Patti. Super fun!

Could get sporty! Capt. Kuk and Commander Powers ride the swell.

We had a Plan: meet at 10:00 the next day (early for the Rangers but we’ll miss the wind) to catch the surf at Pillar Point, or Microwave as we used to call it because of the old radar scope. The microwave tower is gone and in its place is a large golf ball-like object. Regardless, the lagoon, the point, the reef, and Mushroom Rock are still there offering us kayakers an ideal playground.

As you get older you start getting your shit together and so amazingly, when John Lull and I pulled up to the put in at Princeton Jim and Patti were already there with El Rey and TR Commander Michael Powers as well as TR John Dixon, boat designer extraordinaire.

Design consult with Dixon. *Photo credit – Steve King*

These days Dixon does mostly downwind surf ski paddling in between doing mysterious things with lasers and 3D printers for his work, but he was down to check out the new X-Caliber aka the X-C recently designed by Jim. Dixon surfed the X-C on some small waves that were coming in to the beach and then Lull and I took off for the point. We portaged over the berm and launched.

As per our buddy Paul McHugh’s rehash on FB the next day, the conditions were as follows: 4′ at 19 seconds predicted, 4′ at 15 seconds recorded as main swell on the Monterey buoy. The tide was dropping and as Paul wrote the swell was developing two and sometimes three peaks. Certainly not coming in with machine-like precision, but then it rarely does in my experience out there. It was a great day anyway.

Pretty soon there were five of us messing around in the active surf. Everyone caught some nice waves, so a good time was had by all. Our buddy Paul McHugh went outside on his surf ski for the walls, and Honorary Ranger Kenny Howell blew by in his surf ski on his way to parts unknown, so there were lots of us out there and a feeling of hail-fellow-well-met was in the air. There were also about five paddleboarders with those Laird Hamilton foils out surfing by Mushroom Rock. Even Jeff Clark showed up to take a few rides. Check out the photo above. See the guy standing up on the outside? It was really weird to see those guys so high above the water. One of them got a really long ride and came way inside. He was pumping that board like a skateboard to eke every bit out of his wave.

80 years old and still paddling fit to kill — Commander Powers – 78 years old and still paddling fit to kill

My first ride was a really good one, but I wanted to take some photos so I set up where I could observe without getting in the way. But managing boat, paddle, and camera together in the chaotic conditions was too hard so I beached the Princess and waded out to about chest high in the surf to see if I could capture some shots. It was actually super fun trying to keep my balance on the reef with one hand held high to keep the camera dry (as if! and yes, it’s waterproof) and not get tumbled in the pummeling surf. With the help of the kelp wrapping around my ankles in the surge I could anchor myself pretty well, but the next day I felt like I’d done two hours of low tai chi stances, or about 500 squats.

While I was taking face enemas and getting pushed around by waves, the guys were catching some pretty good rides inside. After a couple of hours the tide ebbed and the waves flattened so we packed up and paddled back along the jetty and across the harbor to the take out. As we made the turn by the foghorn we saw three seal pups high up above the tide line, waiting for their moms to return. The wind never manifested as it usually does in the afternoon and we paddled leisurely back to the take out. A perfect day!

In my happy place. Seal pups too. *Photo credit – Steve King*

We’ve all been to Microwave a million times but the Point never disappoints. I’ve paddled there in every condition imaginable and there’s always something to do. This day, however, was a highlight. Having so many buddies out on the water together was totally cool. Everyone got good rides and the weather could not have been better. We’ll be back!

Questions? Comments? Get hold of us by clicking below.

Surf Sirens Unite! First Class Ocean Whitewater Instruction For Women

Editor’s note: Thanks to TR Captain Deb Volturno for contributing some of the photos in this post. And thanks to everyone who participated in the Surf Sirens gathering this year. I love this group!

The third annual Surf Sirens gathering at Hobuck Beach on the Makah Reservation in Washington State was a big success this year. On the first day, Friday, September 21, sixteen women showed up for some rollicking ocean whitewater play, an impromptu rock garden paddle. It was a soft, drizzly day with relatively flat conditions but a fair amount of wind.

We paddled out from Neah Bay to Waadah Island and around to the northern side facing the San Juan de Fuca Strait. There we found some nice features: pour overs, slots, and a nifty little spot like an elevator where you paddle through a crevice as the water rises and falls with the ebb and flow of the sea.

Checking out the outside — At the tip of Waadah – Sirens outside

It was cool to watch the paddlers disappear down behind the rocks and then rise again to go shooting out the back side when a good wave pushed through. I sure wish I had gotten a photo of Jo Ann Moore riding her wave; I’ve never seen anyone look so stoked!

We took a break for lunch on the rocks and then messed around some before heading back to set up camp at Hobuck and get dinner. This year I opted for a cabin. It was pricey, and I’d slept in the truck last year which is my normal M.O. but I had the feeling it was going to rain this year, and it did. It was nice to have a warm room to come back to and to hang the wet suit up to dry. I spread out the gear, ate a light dinner, and fell asleep in a comfortable bed within sound of the sea.

Instructors Alison and Deb practice a rescue — Skill development: instructors Alison Reinbold and Capt. Deb practice a rescue

On Saturday, seventeen women showed up for surf kayak instruction. Eight of us (almost half!) chose to be in the short boat group, with surf kayaks, whitewater kayaks and waveskis. I chose to be in this group. I really enjoyed the long boat surf instruction I got last year, but this year I’ve been playing around with river kayaking and paddled my first Mamba, and I wanted more.

The waveski gets a good ride — Kelley gets a good ride on the waveski

It was so much fun! The instruction was great, as always. Jameson Riser and Melinda Moree were the instructors for our group, and were really good at helping us in our attempts to master the admittedly shitty surf. However, I always maintain you can have a good time and learn stuff regardless of conditions. In fact, paddling in challenging conditions makes you that much better on nicer days.

Tsunami Rangert Paula Renouf drops in — Tsunami Ranger Paula Renouf drops in

We stayed out till we were all pretty thrashed. The waves were choppy and droppy. Before class, I watched the few board surfers out there braving the rough conditions. Boards and bodies were flying. Almost no one was getting rides. Rather than try to catch the waves on the outside I decided to spend the day playing in the aftershock. Out and in, out and in, catching a few short rides and getting dumped a fair amount. Lots of face enemas, but fun and a really good workout. Finally I was getting tired so I started waiting for something resembling a good ride before boldly springing into action. It was a good day for boat control.

Esther's great edge! — Esther’s great edge!

That night we regrouped for another fantastic potluck – yum! The bar keeps getting raised. Everyone contributed and we had a massive spread of healthy, nourishing, and REALLY GOOD food. Barbecued ribs, yummy soups, fruit, bruschetta, salads, desserts, all kinds of delights for hungry stomachs.

Here’s what Surf Sirens Co-Founder and Tsunami Ranger Deb Volturno had to say: “Saturday was an extraordinary day for surf play! Great to see the fun and excitement with everyone out in the waves shredding it up. I think almost everyone got out for some wave time!”

Before I left, I made time to drive out to Cape Flattery and take the short hike out to the tip of the cape where I was rewarded with amazing scenery and a view of Tatoosh Island. It was great to stretch my legs after sitting in a kayak all day the day before and before the long drive to Vancouver, WA, my next stop.

The trail runs through some of the last remaining old growth

I really enjoy this surf camp. I like the way it’s set up so participants can take advantage of anywhere from one to three days of instruction. Days One and Three are unofficial paddle days; some of the instructors come along and are available for questions and a little coaching but the official day for instruction happens on Saturday. That’s the day you really don’t want to miss.

Instructor demo with Jameson Riser and Melinda Moree

When I saw at the waves Sunday morning conditions had improved drastically. The waves looked small and well-regulated and the sun was making a fitful appearance. I would have liked to have stuck around but duty calls. Last year I paddled one day, this year I paddled two days, so probably next year I’ll arrange it so I can do three. Why not make the most of the long drive? Plus it’s a beautiful place to paddle. And may I say, the cabin was totally worth it!

The beauty and the splendor and the wonder of Hobuck

Everyone did well and had a good time. Instructor Jennifer Yearly joined us this year from down California way and it was great to have her. She wasn’t in my group but I know she was appreciated. It’s wonderful that we have so many fantastic women kayak instructors who together offer us students umpteen years of combined experience.

No butts on the sand - team building with squats on a tow rope — No butts on the sand – team building with squats on a tow rope

Here’s one more comment from Deb: “I love this event, and always feel energized by the level of commitment and enthusiasm of all who participate!” I second that emotion!

Breaking the wave barrier — Kelley breaking the wave barrier

Join us for the fourth annual Surf Sirens Kayak Surf Camp in 2019 coming Sept 20-22!!! You don’t want to miss it. And check us out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/177597272647770/?ref=bookmarks for photos and comments regarding this event.

Cover Blown at Thunder Cove – Tsunami Retreat 2018

Editor’s Note: This poem The Autumn Wind was written by former NFL Films President and co-founder Steve Sabol. The poem was first used for the Oakland Raiders’ official team yearbook film in 1974, of the same title. It also epitomizes everything that happened on the Rangers’ annual retreat this year. You can read the full poem at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autumn_Wind Also, many thanks to Tsunami Rangers Jim Kakuk and Steve El Rey King as well as guest Jerry Albright for the great photos of this year’s retreat!

The Autumn Wind

The Autumn Wind is a Raider
Pillaging just for fun.
He’ll knock you ‘round and upside down,
And laugh when he’s conquered and won.

Conditions were not ideal. When Andy Taylor checked the NOAA forecast the morning of our departure it called for swells 7 feet at 7 seconds and high winds gusting up to 35 knots. On top of that, wind chop to 8’ was predicted. I launched with the First Wave: Captain Kuk, TR Scott Becklund, and me. We beat through the chop and the wind, keeping to the inside as much as possible, but we had big waves as well so care was needed. Nearly to our destination, we paused at a sheltered spot before threading the caves and rocks that guard our beach.

As we paddled into Thunder Cove, we noticed a stairway that had never been there before. Allowing access from the cliffs above down to the beach, it was reinforced with wooden treads and even had a railing. We found the recent footprints of a small person (a woman? a child?), and a very large dog. This caused some consternation. The Rangers have been coming to this hidden place for nearly 30 years because it’s so isolated. Civilization had finally found us.

We selected tent sites and unloaded boats while waiting for the rest of the team. Squinting into the brilliant sunlight reflecting off the wind patterns on the sea, we soon saw the Second Wave approaching through the rocks. Deb, Paula, and Lance had arrived! Lance is from New Zealand, part of the Rangers’ Kiwi connection.

But Lance, whre's your camo??? — But Lance, whre’s your camo???

Now we were waiting for Michael, Jon, Steve, Jeff, and Jerry. Since conditions had worsened throughout the day and they were coming in late there was some speculation that our companions might wait till morning, but after a long interval we saw them shimmering toward us over the waves. Our team was complete!

We discussed whether or not to remain at Thunder Cove given the presence of the stairway. The general consensus was that it was going to be fine, and if someone came down to challenge us we’d come up with a story. But no one came, and the wind and waves dropped somewhat as the evening lengthened. We had a great party. After a smoky summer in the Rogue Valley it was wonderful to see the brilliant stars and the Milky Way overhead.

We were moving leisurely the next morning. After breakfast a pod of kayakers took off to play in the caves and rock gardens, but quite a few of us decided to stay on the beach. Looking out at the whitecaps our general attitude was, “We already did that!” Those who launched were also going to check out other beaches to see if there was an alternative in case we decided to move.

This cougar walked right behind our tents... — This cougar walked right behind our tents…

It stayed windy as hell all day and the swells stayed up. Jerry found cougar tracks at the far end of the beach, so he and I took off on a little trek to do some tracking. We found quite a few tracks and determined they were recent. When we got back to camp, Jerry found another track up by a little spring trickling out of the cliff behind our tents. We found deer tracks there as well, and it looked like the cougar was stalking a fawn. We actually found a dead fawn, or what was left of it, on the sand. It’s a wild place.

That night we had another great meal and a party and mercifully the wind dropped again and the night was quiet. However, the rough conditions would continue and maybe even worsen so we decided to bolt the next morning. We’d been on the beach two nights, the wind was still whipping the surf and sand during the day, and the presence of the stairway was disconcerting. We launched first thing even before breakfast or coffee in order to beat that wind.

The launch was dramatic. Swells were coming in at 8 to 12 feet. The entrance to the cove had taken on the appearance of a boiling cauldron. Tall waves rolled briskly through the rocks, and once out of the protection of the rocks the sea was chaotic. As I started to cross the less protected area a wave dumped a long fat strand of bull kelp across my bow. It slid down the bow and smacked into my stomach where it remained, pressed uncomfortably into my belly. Acting like a sea anchor, it arrested my forward progression. Maintaining control of my paddle I grabbed the kelp with both hands and hoisted it over my head. It slithered back off my helmet and I dug in to the next wall of water rising up in front of me. Doing this stuff with a fully laden boat is just hard and I was glad to get through the mine field and into shelter around the point.

TR Scott Becklund found that the blow hole was really working this year

We made it out without incident, although Deb told me she submarined right into the kelp as well. Capt. Kuk, Michael Powers, Jon, Steve and I took off to find a new camp site. After one potential option was found to be washed out, we settled on another small beach we named Shaman Cove.

Well, it's pretty but if we stay here we're gonna get wet... — Well, it’s pretty but if we stay here we’re gonna get wet…

It turned out we loved our new beach! Good call, Captains! Our tents were huddled together close to the cliff but hey, we’re a team! We can get cozy! We had just enough room at high tide not to worry about getting wet that night, and everything turned out dandy. That day we broke a record. The Tsunami Rangers have never before left a beach at 8:30 in the morning especially sans coffee! The team can move!

TR Paula Renouf sticks the 'hawks — TR Paula Renouf sticks the ‘hawks

Shaman Cove was idyllic and completely sheltered. Some of us took off to explore, but others decided to have another beach day. We set up a target and tossed tomahawks and knives. Paula distinguished herself by being the only one to stick two tomahawks at once.

Our last night was pretty fab. Lobster tacos courtesy of Scott, Jim, and Steve, and the tequila flowed and the fire glowed as we mellowed. Once again, the wind and waves dropped to almost nothing as stars filled the sky. Don Miguel, aka Michael Powers, was promoted to Admiral and given a ceremonial paho (prayer stick) to commemorate the event. Interestingly, after the promotion several people went beach combing and Michael found something wonderful. A flawless makau, a Hawaiian fish hook carved from bone on a woven twine necklace.

It was totally dry. At first we thought it belonged to Deb or one of the Kiwis but no… it didn’t belong to any of us. My theory is that a wormhole opened in the universe and dropped it so Michael could find it, a gift from the Great Beyond. Since no one else had a better explanation, I’m sticking to my story. The strange thing is we had been all over that beach all day and no one had seen it till Michael picked it up. He decided to give it to his daughter Marika, an intrepid wilderness guide.

The next day we packed up and paddled back to the take out. Despite conditions, it was a great trip. A good team can flow and adapt to extreme situations. This was a hard trip in many ways, but I came home exhilarated. We have an awesome team. I was reminded again how much I love these guys. The support, the cooperation, the effort, and the skills and talents each of us brings to the experience all combine with deep love to make for the best camaraderie in the world.

Questions? Comments? Share with us by clicking below!

The Outdoor Gym – Kayak Fitness That’s Free and Wild!

Editor’s Note: A big shout out to Melissa DeMarie and Liz Meheve of California Women’s Watersport Collective for some of the photos featured in this post! You guys are awesome!

The Tsunami Rangers have a tradition of training in the trees. One of our videos shows the team running through the cypress forest at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach. The guys are jumping over downed trees, swinging from branches, and dodging obstacles in preparation for their extreme sea kayaking adventures. Why train this way? That’s what we’re here to talk about.

Old school - Eric warming up with a little judo practice in the water — Old school – Tsunami Ranger Commander Eric Soares warms up with judo in the water. A little judo is a great way to bring up your spirit.

To begin with, our outdoor gym is free. Second, it’s right outside the door. So straight off there are two great benefits: the outdoor gym doesn’t cost anything and you don’t have to go anywhere particular to use it.

Every year on our annual retreat the Rangers practice throwing knives, machetes, hatchets, whatever takes our fancy. These games develop focus and intent as well as accuracy. You can practice throwing tow ropes as well.

Third, the outdoor gym uses the human mind as well as the body in ways that are more functional and realistic than conventional gym exercises. When you’re training in the trees, you’re using all muscle groups in ways that are more complex than basic bicep curls or leg presses. Exercises involving machines and dumbbells have their place but they’re pretty mindless activities, like walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike you can literally read a book or watch t.v. while you’re doing them.

Jumping into swirlies. this drill can be done on rivers on in the ocean. This drill conditions the swimmer to whitewater and chaotic conditions. — Jumping into swirlies. This drill can be done on rivers and in ocean rock gardens. The drill conditions the swimmer to whitewater and chaotic conditions. Start small and go big!

Outdoor activities force the mind to focus differently than in an indoor environment. When we walk or run outdoors we have to pay attention to the changing terrain, the weather, the scenery, and the horizon, just like how we have to pay attention when we kayak. Not only does training outdoors improve strength, agility and reactivity, it improves mental awareness and focus. In addition, outdoor training has been shown to improve mood and sleep and lower stress and feelings of sadness and depression.

Hard to be sad and depressed when you're plaing Yip/Poi! This game teaches you to forget about currents and eddies and encourages focus and aggresssion. — Hard to be sad or depressed when you’re playing Yip/Poi! This game is a form of tag that teaches you to forget about currents and eddies and encourages focus and aggression.

The best way to get better at anything is to practice, so in order to improve as kayakers we need to get in a boat and paddle. That said there are a lot of other things we can do on land and in the water to get fit for kayaking. Swimming, of course, is a biggie. Swimming in pools is no substitute for swimming in the ocean or river where you paddle. I’ve heard kayakers say, “If you wouldn’t swim there, you shouldn’t paddle there.” Whether or not you agree with that statement, you definitely ought to be a competent whitewater swimmer if you’re going to get into whitewater or surf.

Swimming in surf — Diving under incoming waves teaches timing and rhythm and accustoms you to the marine environment.

The first thing I did with my partner Robert when I taught him to kayak was go to Crescent City and have him swim in surf. Swimming up and down the beach and diving under waves is a great whole body workout, and it taught him about timing and wave rhythm as well. Plus it gives you a psychological edge in that you not only understand how to swim in surf, you can enjoy it and feel comfortable and at home in an often chaotic environment. Then you don’t worry about falling out of your boat and swimming.

Swimming in swirlies, swimming in current. — Swimming in swirlies and current gets you used to conditions so if you have to bail it’s no big deal.

Kayakers need strong bodies not just to paddle but to haul boats and gear around. We need good cardiovascular fitness. We need to be nimble for surf landings and seal landings and flexible for wet exits and rolling, and our paddling environment is often wet and slippery. We need balance and stamina, awareness and focus. Here’s a list of some helpful exercises you can implement in your outdoor gym:

Stairs. Stairs offer an intense cardiovascular workout that also strengthens your hips and legs. Portage, anyone? You can run or walk both up and down the stairs.

Hills. No stairs? No problem! Find a hill and walk or run that. You can do long butt-buster workouts on big hills or laps on smaller hills.

Parks and open space. You can use playground equipment to do pull-ups and all kinds of functional drills (use your creativity!) Open grassy areas are good for wind sprints, calisthenics, and yoga or stretching.

Have yourself an outdoor restorative yoga class at your next kayak camp! — Include an outdoor restorative yoga class at your next kayak camp!

Benches. Use benches for pushups, dips or plyometrics (explosive movements designed to improve power). Jump up on to a bench or low wall and then jump down. Repeat. Keep these drills short – they are effective but can be exhausting.

Curbs and low walls. Use these for step-ups. You can alternate slow and quick steps to improve agility and cardiovascular strength. You can step in place or travel laterally. You can also walk along these structures for balance practice.

Jumping off high rocks breeds courage and inures one to impact. This particular jump resulted in a stellar preacher seat. 10’s across the board!

Rocks. Use them for lifting if they’re not too big. Carry a big stone close to your body while running or doing squats or step-ups to improve cardiovascular strength, muscle strength, and stamina. Plus rocks make great launch pads for that prize-winning cannon ball!

Wasn't it a long way down.... — Wasn’t it a looong way down….

Logs. Stand on one foot or walk along them to improve balance.

Trees. Climbing trees is a great whole body workout requiring balance, strength, agility and flexibility. You can do pull-ups on a tree branch, push-ups against a tree trunk, or just hang on a branch to stretch out your arms and back.

Sand. Running, walking, lunging, or otherwise exercising in sand is a great whole body workout. It’s especially good for calves and ankles.

Practice rolling and falling on sand prepares you for impact in rocks and surf. Plus it's fun! — Rolling and falling on sand prepares you for impact in rocks and surf. Plus it’s fun!

Ocean. Body surfing and surf swimming are excellent workouts for kayakers. This Tsunami Ranger site has a great series on ocean survival swimming skills and how to develop them, written by the Wave Warrior Eric Soares himself.

Rivers. Swift water rescue practice is fun and practical. Walking across swift, shallow rapids, jumping into rapids and swimming holes, and swimming down rapids and in and out of eddies are all great practice for whitewater kayakers.

Swift water rescue practice - grab some buddies and practice walking in rapids. — Swift water rescue practice – grab some buddies and practice walking in rapids in this triangle formation.

In a nutshell, the Rangers are big advocates of outdoor training. Mainly, we just love it, but we’re well aware of the mental and physical benefits of taking your workout outside. The outdoor gym stimulates your creativity – how can you use your environment? You get stronger, tougher, more flexible and more agile. Plus you’re reducing your chance of dementia, heart disease and osteoporosis as well as improving mood, memory, and focus. What’s not to like?

Do you train outdoors? What’s your workout like? Please share with us! For more information on kayak fitness, search “kayak fitness” on this site above and see articles on core strength and flexibility for shoulders, wrists, hips, and more!

Whale Watching From a Kayak – Gray Whales in Trinidad Harbor

I borrowed this image by Konraad Wothe from the National Geographic website on gray whales — I borrowed this image by Konrad Wothe from the National Geographic website on gray whales. We didn’t get this close!

On May 8 I went kayaking with whales. Because it was a spur of the moment decision I didn’t go over to the coast and spend the night as I’ve done before so it was necessary to leave at about 3:30 am in order to get to Trinidad Harbor by 8. I love the drive though, going through the redwoods and down the coast. It’s stunningly beautiful and with a fat cup of coffee to keep me company it was no problem. I signed up for a commercial tour with Jason Self and Nick Gadouas of Kayak Trinidad and highly recommend the experience to everyone.

Jason and Nick provided the tour group with all the necessary equipment, including wetsuits, booties, PFDs and Werner paddles. They even have spare dry bags in case people need them. The kayaks they use are Venture Islay 14s, Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145s, and WS Polaris 180 tandems. They also have WS sit on tops for larger people. Our fearless leader, Jason Self, has been running tours in Trinidad for 5 years, but he has been guiding for 12 years and kayaking for 17. Jason thoroughly briefed the group on equipment, paddle technique, and what to do if you tip over and fall out of the boat. His instructions were clear and easy to follow. I brought my own stuff because it’s easy and that’s just how I am, but it was interesting to see how the tours are put together for other paddlers. Jason also cautioned us to stay close together both for our own safety and so we didn’t accidentally cut the whales off in their path.

In addition, Jason explained the 100-yard marine mammal rule. You must stay 100 yards away from all marine mammals, but they will often come to you in which case you just stay still and let them do their thing. Jason emphasized that at this time of year there are not only whale mamas and their babies but also harbor seals were giving birth to their pups and they were all over the rocks in the harbor. We were careful not to disturb them by getting too close.

There were some grays at the edge of the harbor right when we launched, but they had already done their feeding for the day and were swimming out around Trinidad Head. They have a pattern of coming in to Clam Beach to the south and then slowly moseying up the coast feeding close to shore before peeling off to the west and going around, although Jason told us that a few days previously his group had seen whales right in the harbor around the crab pots.

Jason with Trinidad Head in the background — Jason scouting for whales with Trinidad Head in the background.

The reason the whales come so close to shore is to avoid attack by orcas. Migrating grays can travel as far as 12,430 miles round-trip from their summer home in Alaskan waters to the warmer waters off Baja in Mexico where they winter. When the grays go south they’re usually miles out to sea, but on the return they have their calves with them and to protect them they hug the shoreline. Gray whales are often covered with parasites and other organisms that make their snouts and backs look like a crusty ocean rock. I saw the back of one whale surfacing just a few yards away, all pink and knobbly. More pink than gray to me, it reminded me of the pink you see in sea caves.

Sea life. Notice the pink color on the rocks, similar to what I saw on the back of the whale. — Sea stars. Notice the pink color on the rocks, similar to what I saw on the back of the whale. In fact, the whale back looked a lot like the humps on the rock!

With all his experience guiding whale watching tours at this spot, Jason had a plan. We paddled out past a big red buoy and paused to assess the situation. Looking south we saw spouts way down by Clam Beach, about 2.5 miles to the south, so we paddled slowly toward them hoping they’d come to us.

Right in the center of the photo you can see an almost perfect heart.coming up off the water — Right in the center of the photo you can see an almost perfect heart-shaped spout coming up off the water.

There must have been pretty good feeding down there because they didn’t come to us, so we began slowly paddling toward the beach keeping a sharp eye out to see if they would start heading our way. They stayed put, though, and we ended up going almost all the way to the beach where we found a big pod. We watched them feed and roll and blow for about 45 minutes. It was amazing! When they roll you can see their pectoral fins. A couple of times it looked like they were waving at us. One of the cool things I learned about gray whales is that they have two blow holes so that when they spout it comes up like a heart. I was lucky enough to get two shots of the heart-shaped blow with my camera. They look far away but you can still see the heart above the water.

Another heart. It's a little wispy, but you can see the whale too. — Another heart. It’s a little wispy, but you can see the whale too.

Finally the pod started to move. They came and visited us close up and then swam beside our group all the way back to the harbor for about an hour. Epic! While we paddled leisurely alongside the feeding pod Jason told us about grays and their habits. One thing I learned is that the moms and babies swim together so close they actually touch. We saw this many times. You’d see a big back and then a little bit behind and to the side you’d see a little back. There would be a big spout and then right afterwards a little spout. It was so cute!

It's incredible to think those giant animals get so close to the rocks and in such shallow water — It’s incredible to think these giant animals get so close to the rocks and in such shallow water.

The gray whale uses its snout to forage by dislodging tiny creatures from the seafloor. It then filters these morsels with its baleen—a comblike strainer of plates in the upper jaw. The whales will also rub their bodies on the rocks to remove stuff to eat which they then strain out of the water. We saw several grays get right up to the rocks, in one place in about 6 feet of water which is amazing when you realize how big they are. Gray whales get up to 40 to 50 feet long and weigh 30 to 40 tons when mature. Their size is relative to a bus.

Couldn't believe this guy let me get so close! — More wildlife. Couldn’t believe this pelican let me get so close!

The whole tour was three hours long, and we paddled about 6 miles round trip. As for weather, we had glassy water, sun, some light rain, and incredible cloud formations. The air temperature was warm but the water seemed quite cold and was incredibly clear that day. When we returned to the beach I packed my gear and headed back to Ashland, another 4 hour drive, but I was so stoked by the experience it seemed like nothing. That evening and all the next day as I put together this post I felt energized. It was good to be alive and to experience these amazing animals so close up. God’s in his heaven and all’s right with the world.

The sea stacks alone make this a great place to paddle.

Thank you to Jason Self and Kayak Trinidad for a wonderful day. To sign up for a tour, contact https://kayaktrinidad.com/ They also do tours of Big Lagoon, handline kayak fishing, and sea kayak instruction and rolling, plus they have rentals. For more Tsunami Ranger adventures with whales, check out Steve King’s wild experience being chomped by a whale at https://tsunamirangers.com/2016/09/05/baleen-bruises-and-beer-or-the-whale-that-mistook-my-x-15-for-a-large-white-sardine/