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. This group rocks! The third annual Surf Sirens gathering at Hobuck Beach on the Makah Reservation in Washington State was a big success. On the first […]
Sea Kayaking Skills
Tsunami Retreat 2017 Part 3 – Holy Shibooty! I Become a Tsunami Ranger
Capt. Kuk: It has been a long progression for Nancy over the last 22 years and even though she was always capable of gaining the skills to be a Ranger, she chose to keep some separation to give Eric space. Starting with her martial arts and fancy foot work playing hacky sack, Nancy has since added the […]
Surf Sirens – A Badass Women’s Kayak Surf Camp
Editor’s note: A big shout out to photographer Inge Watson and Tsunami Ranger Deb Volturno for the fantastic photos! Last September I had the privilege and pleasure of joining the Surf Sirens for their 2nd annual surf camp at Hobuck Beach. Hobuck is right up there on the Makah Reservation at the northwestern tip of Washington […]
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 […]
Ocean Survival Swimming – Part 4
Editor’s note: This is the final part of our four part series on Ocean Survival Swimming. Eric wrote this a long time ago but he never deviated from his opinions on the topic. I’ve practiced many of the drills recommended in this series, and they’re fun and profitable. Thanks to Robert Kendall for being our […]
Ocean Survival Swimming Part 3 – Ocean Swimming Training
Editor’s note: This is Part Three of Eric’s thesis on Ocean Survival Swimming, covering ocean swimming training. Part One introduces Tsunami Ranger Eric Soares’ philosophy on this topic, Part Two covers the four prerequisites for ocean survival swimming, and Part Four completes the series with a discussion of survival swimming tactics. We hope you find […]
Ocean Survival Swimming – Part 2
Editor’s note: This essay on the Four Prerequisites to Ocean Swimming is the second in our four part series on Ocean Survival Swimming. It’s opinionated, funny, and informative. Enjoy. STAY WITH THE BOAT An old mariner’s maxim. This rule is true in most boat capsizes, where sailors will be rescued by the Coast Guard or […]
Ocean Survival Swimming – A Sea Kayaker’s Guide to Staying Alive in the Water
Editor’s Note: Tsunami Ranger Commander Eric Soares wrote this detailed thesis illustrating the Tsunami Rangers’ emphasis on ocean survival swimming as a key skill for sea kayakers. We’ll publish his thesis in four parts. This first part is the outline for Ocean Survival Swimming. Note that Eric refers to buoyancy compensators instead of PFDs. It […]
The Combat Roll
by Tsunami Ranger John Lull While paddling south one day from Point Arena on the northern California coast, I spotted an inner passage through the sandstone cliffs, cut deep into the uplifted marine terrace. After exploring the passage for a considerable distance, it became obvious it would dead end up ahead, so I entered a […]
Kayak Navigation Part 4: Dealing with Tidal Current by Using Eddies and Other Tactics
Editor’s note: Photography credits for this article go to June Legler. Thanks, June! by Tsunami Ranger John Lull Introduction Scroll back about 25 years: I’d paddled out the Golden Gate several times already, but this was my first voyage out on the day of a 6-knot ebb. I paddled across the Gate from Crissy Field […]
Who’s Your Sea Kayaking Mentor?
men’tor, n. (from Mentor, the friend and counselor of Odysseus and Telmachus) a wise and faithful counselor (Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary) Everyone needs a mentor, especially when undertaking a new and challenging endeavor. The Tsunami Rangers have mentored many sea kayakers. Tsunami Ranger Eric Soares introduced me to extreme sea kayaking in 1996. […]
Beach Games: Essential Sea Kayaking Skills Development OFF The Water
by Tsunami Ranger Steve King Forget about The Hunger Games and women’s Olympic beach volleyball! Here we describe the myriad beach games undertaken on most Tsunami Ranger retreats. One can train for these games anywhere and anytime but the true heat of competition and glorious victory only takes place when competing against one’s fellow paddlers […]