Editor’s note: Thanks to Charlie Teall for the photos of Neil and John at the slot. Eric loved autumn because it’s the start of football season. In fact, his video “The Tsunami Rangers’ Greatest Hits” was modeled after the NFL’s Greatest Hits films. One of his favorite things about watching football was a segment called […]
Sea Kayaking Dangers
The Hazards of Sea Kayakers as Safety Boaters for Swim Races
by Wayne Horodowich (Editor’s note: Wayne Horodowich is the founder of the University of Sea Kayaking. USK was conceived in the 1980’s and officially founded in January of 2000 to enhance and promote sea kayaking. The USK website has 100’s of pages of information on sea kayaking. To check out the USK website, go to […]
Sea Kayakers and the Survival Instinct
by Will Nordby – Photo illustration by Will Nordby- The recent sinking of the Costa Concordia brought to mind a subject that has special relevance to those traveling on the sea: the survival instinct. When the cruise ship grounded, the captain, Francesco Schettino, chose […]
Risk Assessment for Kayaking on the Exposed Coast
If you combine scouting the open coast with an analysis of each person’s capabilities, what have you got? Risk assessment—a key safety element of every sea kayaking endeavor, especially on the exposed coast, which by its nature is fraught with danger. And while we want to be exposed to some risk, as that is where […]
How to Rescue a Swimmer who has Lost his Kayak in Surf
“Where’s Haruo?” Jim Kakuk, lined up just outside the breakers and next to me, shrugged. I scanned the surf zone again at Pillar Point and counted the boaters…one, two, three, four, five. No Haruo. “We’ve got to find him.” We were surfing at Microwave on a blustery day with good-sized swells crashing through every few […]
Of Sea Snakes, Sting Rays, and Barracudas
What is the most dangerous sea animal? A moray eel? Giant octopus? Most kayakers would say sharks, and judging from attack reports on kayakers, surfers, and swimmers, I might agree. But I have had several encounters with other dangerous marine animals and have read or heard stories of dozens more. Let’s look at some ocean […]
Between a Rock and a Hard Wave
HOW TO SURVIVE A CRASH IN WAVES AND ROCKS WHILE KAYAKING IN AN OCEAN ROCK GARDEN Why do most sea kayakers stay away from waves and rocks? They don’t want to die! Any paddler with a lick of sense dreads the scenario of getting smashed head first into a rock by a breaker. Today, let’s […]
The Real Tsunami
When Jim Kakuk and I formed the Tsunami Rangers kayak team 25 years ago, we thought the word tsunami was cool. Most Americans couldn’t spell the word or even pronounce it. The only actual tsunami we knew anything about was the one that hit Crescent City in northern California back in March, 1964 after the […]
Kayaking and Cold Water Immersion
Fact: Most kayakers who die at sea do so because they get cold then drown. From what I have read and experienced, there are two main types of cold water immersion problems. Here is my layman’s non-medical understanding of these phenomena. Cold shock occurs when you are suddenly dumped into frigid or very cold water. […]
Going with the Floe: a kayaking adventure under the ice
It’s solstice; so here’s a true winter sea kayaking tale that will make you glad to be in your toasty abode. Padre Jack Izzo, S.J., Tsunami Ranger Chaplain, shares his tale of swimming under the ice. Going with the Floe by Jack Izzo, S.J. The ocean was twenty-eight degrees Fahrenheit. The air about eighteen. Cohasset […]
Swimmer First, Kayaker Second?
Exactly 25 years ago I wrote my first kayaking article called “Survival Swimming”, which was published in SEA KAYAKER Magazine. I thank editors Bea and John Dowd for having faith in me to write an article worthy of their magazine. I’ve experienced a lot and learned some things since then. The other day I mused, […]
How Sea Kayakers Should Deal With Sharks
A three-foot dorsal fin headed straight for Jim Kakuk and me as we paddled from Point Tomales toward Point Reyes. My mind was electrified as I sat there with mouth agape as the sea monster sped toward us. It would be upon us in one second. What to do? Then the 20-foot predator rushed between […]
Sea Cave Safety (part two)
Last week, I answered a few questions Australian sea kayaker Tess Dodd posed about navigating a sea cave. This week we answer the rest of her important questions. Tess: “In the event of an unexpected large wave entering the sea cave, what is the best way to minimize injury from being pushed farther in or […]