Kayaking the Pacific Ocean Coast of California and Oregon
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
Mentoring is the best way to teach a newbie how to sea kayak. But many beginners and even advanced paddlers don’t have the luxury of a knight to patiently teach them all they know about sea kayaking. Or even if you have a mentor, you may still wish … [Continue reading] about Take a Sea Kayaking Class
by Eric Soares and John Lull Ever been kayak surfing backwards and get speared in the kidney by the bow of another boater who didn’t even know you were there? Ever have a bloke broach down a big wave and land hull first on your head? These … [Continue reading] about Surf Kayaking Etiquette
The book’s title says it all. This just-published book by Aussie kayaker Sean Smith tells the story of an ordinary bloke who took up sea kayaking in earnest because he had to. It’s not about a long sea kayaking expedition. It’s about a fun-loving … [Continue reading] about THE FAT PADDLER – A Review
It’s midsummer, it’s hot, the rivers aren’t roaring as they were in May. Maybe they are too low and slow for kayaking. So what is there to do? Go swimmin’ of course. Now is the time to jump in some moving water and cool off. And for all of you … [Continue reading] about Swimmin’ in Creeks and Rivers
How to kayak from outside the breakers to the beach by Eric Soares and John Lull“Ah thought Ah’s goin’ t’ DIEEEE!” Georgia girl Bonnie Brill loves to tell the tale of how she was hit by a sucker wave at Maverick’s in Half Moon Bay, was … [Continue reading] about Exiting the Surf Zone
A few weeks ago Seattle-based sea kayaker Alex Okerman was featured in a post on this blog (read all about it: https://tsunamirangers.com/2011/05/17/sea-kayaker-alex-okerman-paddles-for-youth/). Alex planned to kayak solo around the San Juan Islands … [Continue reading] about Okerman Completes Solo Kayak Circumnavigation of the San Juan Islands
Deb Volturno is a certified sea kayaking instructor and instructor-trainer. She recently taught an American Canoe Association (ACA) certified kayak surfing class at Hoebuck Beach in Washington State. Students who learn from her are fortunate … [Continue reading] about Is Sea Kayak Certification Needed?
Sometimes you kayak solo. Other times you go out for a day paddle with buddies. Almost every paddler I know has gone on some sort of expedition—for a week, month, even a year. Today I want to discuss the benefits of going on a sea kayaking retreat … [Continue reading] about Sea Kayaking Retreats
How to kayak from the beach to outside the breakers Sea kayaking adventurer Valerie Fons once said, “My greatest fear was waking up in the morning and having to kayak through a surfzone.” She had faced a bear in her tent and an anaconda next to her … [Continue reading] about Entering the Surf Zone
