Sea kayaking, my favorite activity! With the winter swell here in southern California surfing picks up, but this year
El Nino
has dumped a lot of rain on us and rain means ugly runoff into the ocean. As a result many weekends we have held back from surfing to avoid the bacterial and chemical mess from runoff.
We started surfing in 1995 but had to rent or borrow boats till this year when we got surfing boats. Sea kayaking is still an important part of our kayaking activity and we will be out off the coast as summer approaches.
Fortunately I live close to the ocean and can scoot down to Long Beach or Newport Beach to put in for a few hours of paddling. The sea is ever changing and the winds and waves provide a different experience and challenge from day to day, sometimes even from hour to hour. What do I do when out paddling? Well, besides enjoying the fresh air and sea there is lots of wildlife close at hand. Frequently dolphins are sighted when I am out and there are always sea lions. Otters in Morro Bay! Recently I even saw a sea turtle near Long Beach. Sea birds are everwhere, the graceful flight of the pelicans never ceases to amaze as they skim along only inchs from the surface of the ocean. Gulls, terns and other birds fly overhead. In the back bays, great blue herons and egrets are almost always seen, and sandpipers of every size are busy searching for food. At night the black-crowned night heron is about searching for his supper.
In 1996, I wanted to do another trip to Anacapa Island but the right people just never came together at the right time. We did coastal day trips several times. Just short trips, Newport to Laguna Beach, Dana Point to Laguna Beach. Cabrillo Point and Palo Verde area. Even did a couple of trips across the Long Beach Harbor to get danish pastry and coffee at Shoreline Village in Long Beach. Not the most scenic trip but about 9-10 miles.
The highlight of 1995 was the ocean crossing from Oxnard Califonia to the island of Anacapa, part of the Channel Islands National Park. Across 12 miles of open ocean, not for the beginner or inexperienced I would have never attempted it but for Dave Seymour. It was Dave's 22nd crossing to Anacapa. Truly a remarkable individual Dave plans this annual expedition to give inexperienced paddlers like me the opportunity to gain greater open ocean experience. For Dave a crossing to Anacapa is like a walk in the park, but for me it was a new and exciting adventure. Even though I have now made this crossing I do not yet feel I have the experience to do it on my own. Perhaps with more crossings I shall achieve the level of knowledge and experience to make such crossings. While the kayak is an incredibly seaworthy vessel man's errors of judgement can be costly at sea.
Tides are important to sea kayakers, NOAA can make tidal predictions for you. Knowing the time is important when reading tide tables.
Some kayaking clubs on the net.
If your club is not listed I will add it if you email me its internet address.
For lots more info about kayaking visit Preston's Kayak Page FAQs Kayaking FAQs
For a look at the kayaking industry you could visit the Trade Association of Sea Kayaking *TASK*
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