By Robert Nissenbaum and Graton Gathright Editor’s note: We wrote about Robert and Graton in our recent post on the NSSKA Rescue Rodeo. This month, they’ve put together an article on their training day with a regulation Search and Rescue team from Skagit Bay, WA, a day that went from practice rescues to the real deal. […]
Sea kayaking knowledge
A Study in Brown – Waste in the Wilderness
Editor’s Note: With apologies to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (A Study in Scarlet) and gratitude to my son Nick Wantz who came up with our title we bring you a discussion of poop in the wilderness. As more and more people adventure farther afield the subject of how to handle the growing quantity of human […]
Playing in Tide Rips With A Sea Kayak
by John Lull Editor’s note: It’s great to have another article by our talented Tsunami Ranger John Lull. Welcome back, John! Thanks for the informative post and for the awesome photos, taken from the Golden Gate bridge by your lovely wife June Legler. Thanks, June! It’s an exciting experience to sit in the eddy just outside […]
Certification – What’s the Point? The Tsunami Rangers Take On Sea Kayaking Certifications
Editor’s note: This topic arose during one of our Tarp Talks on the Tsunami Retreat in November, 2019, and we’d like to share our thoughts on this very important subject. In the past, the Rangers have been vilified as a bunch of chest-beaters, careless, crazy, dangerous, whatever. Nothing could be further from the truth. For […]
Alert! Help the Paddling Community Save Lives With the COLD WATER SAFETY FUNDRAISING DRIVE
By Moulton Avery Editor’s note: Moulton Avery is an expert on heat and cold stress. He gave his first public lecture on hypothermia in 1974. He was executive director of the Center for Environmental Physiology in Washington, DC for ten years, and is the founder and director of the National Center for Cold Water Safety. He […]
SCRS – The Sea Conditions Rating System
My good friend Moulton Avery of the National Center for Cold Water Safety mentioned recently that perhaps it was time to revisit the Sea Conditions Rating System (SCRS) on this website. Since the sea is dangerous and unpredictable, I think he’s right, so here’s a post introducing the Sea Conditions Rating System. River kayakers have […]
A New Year, a New Tsunami Ranger – Cate Hawthorne’s Test Debrief
Editor’s note: This year’s retreat was brief but packed with action, so we decided to cover it in two posts, the first which came out in October, and this second debrief in order to give Cate her due. Deb: We agreed on the rendezvous location, “Thunder Cove”, one of the Tsunami Rangers’ favorite secret destinations on […]
Kayak Fitness – Core Strength and Stability
Editor’s note: Thanks to Robert Kendall for the photos and Medford Judo Academy for sharing the mat. Core stability is crucial to kayaking. We use our core muscles to stay upright in the boat, to flex forward when surfing, to keep our backs pain-free during extended time in the cockpit, and perhaps most importantly, to […]
Tsunami Ranger Sea Cave Terms
Editor’s note: Thanks to Michael Powers, Eric Soares, and Jim Kakuk for these fabulous photos. One of the cool things about the Tsunami Rangers is the lexicon they invented to describe the marine environment. Some of these terms have probably become mainstream, but just for fun I thought I’d reproduce the Tsunami Ranger Sea Cave […]
Fitness for Sea Kayakers – Hips
Have you ever exited your kayak after a long paddle to find your first steps stiff and awkward until you find your “land legs”? When we kayak our hips are mostly stationary at about a 90-degree angle. Apart from getting in and out of the boat there’s not a lot of movement in those joints. […]
Sea Kayaking and Risk Homeostasis
By John Dowd Editor’s note: John Dowd has been sea kayaking since 1961. He is the author of “Sea Kayaking”, a manual for long distance touring. Dowd is also the founding editor and past part owner of Sea Kayaker Magazine and author of a series of marine adventure books for young adults. He is the […]
Fitness for Sea Kayakers 3 – Back
Editor’s note: Thanks again so much to Barbara Kossy, our indefatigable model! You rock!!! Actually, these stretches are for the entire torso. As we know, torso rotation is super important for kayakers. Also, if you’re rolling or getting worked in white water, it’s very helpful to be strong and flexible in and around the spine […]
Cold Water Safety – Golden Rule No. 5: Imagine the Worst That Can Happen and Plan for It
by Moulton Avery Editor’s note: Moulton Avery is founder and director of the National Center for Cold Water Safety. He started out paddling canoes in the early 70’s and transitioned to sea kayaking in 1984. His pioneering article Cold Shock appeared in the Spring 1991 issue of Sea Kayaker. “Risk assessment is a key safety […]