Kayaking the Pacific Ocean Coast of California and Oregon
Kudos to kayaking clubs, professional trainers, and organizations for introducing thousands of people to the wonders of sea kayaking each year. This essay centers on my opinions on how a seasoned kayaker can teach a greenhorn how to sea kayak. So … [Continue reading] about How to Teach a Beginner to Sea Kayak
What should a wave warrior wear when in wind and waves—and rocks? Armor, of course. But if you look through the websites of kayaking gear manufacturers such as Kokatat, NRS, Astral, Stohlquist, and the like, you won’t find any. That’s because the … [Continue reading] about Armor for Extreme Sea Kayakers
Aloha! I’ve been incommunicado for the last couple of weeks. My wife Nancy and I went to Maui on a secret mission—to recon the highest sea cliffs in the world, located on Molokai, the Hawaiian island visible from our perch on the northwestern end of … [Continue reading] about My Mission in Maui
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 … [Continue reading] about ENCHANTED VAGABONDS – A Review
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 … [Continue reading] about Risk Assessment for Kayaking on the Exposed Coast
by John Lull Editor’s Note: This week, Tsunami Ranger and earth scientist John Lull ‘splains the difference between river hydraulics and water dynamics present in ocean rock gardens.At first glance the whitewater in ocean rock gardens looks … [Continue reading] about Whitewater River vs Ocean Whitewater
“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 … [Continue reading] about How to Rescue a Swimmer who has Lost his Kayak in Surf
Be the change you want to see in the world. Mahatma GandhiTo join the UFP (United Federation of Planets), a world’s peoples must be civil with each other and be scientifically evolved enough to have warp power (faster than light) space … [Continue reading] about World Citizenship–a sea kayaker’s perspective
Six months ago I issued the BIG SUR CHALLENGE, which entailed a paddle on the beautiful Big Sur coast to find a mysterious islet, scale it, and leave proof that you completed the quest. The Tsunami Rangers promised a boon to the first team to … [Continue reading] about Neptune’s Rangers complete the Big Sur Challenge
A pod of paddlers stood next to their well-crafted carbon-fiber sea kayaks, disdaining the plastic sit-on-top fishing kayak taking off from the beach. “Do you call that a sea kayak?” one tittered. Another chimed in: “Ha! Looks more like a kiddie … [Continue reading] about The Best Sea Kayak
An exciting and challenging kayak trick in an ocean rock garden is to paddle over a pour-over. In river running, a pour-over is a river current that flows over a rocky ledge into a hole below. In ocean adventure kayaking, a pour-over is a flat rock … [Continue reading] about Paddling Pour-overs in Ocean Rock Gardens
(note to my readers: This post begins an occasional tribute to individuals who have made major contributions to sea kayaking)Derek Hutchinson could be called the father of modern sea kayaking for his paddling prowess, long distance … [Continue reading] about Derek C. Hutchinson: a living sea kayaking legend
In late August, the Tsunami Rangers pirate tribe pounced upon the Mendocino coast, somewhere between Russian Gulch and Point Arena. It was our annual retreat, which we took the day after our rock garden class at MacKerricher State Park just north of … [Continue reading] about Tsunami Rangers Invade the Mendocino Coast
