I surfed my kayak. :D

[vash]

I went out again. this time off a legit beach. I watched the waves, counted, watched and I noted the pattern best I could. I found a quiet lull, walked out, dragging my kayak and I was off and paddling. I look back and saw my friend fighting it...he jumped onto his kayak knees first and found himself unable to balance enough to get on his butt. I adverted my eyes..hahah..

we fished and fished..got some, lost some giants. laughed. it was socked in foggy. after mere minutes on the water, my orientation was erased. I could make out land, but where we put in was lost to me. this effed with my nerves...but I put my head down and kept fishing. I was putting my trust on my GPS. I marked the beach and I marked a point directly out from the beach. Never got seasick. ate some cold frittata and bread. tried like hell to stay hydrated. something about being out there makes me not thirsty. Headache this morning. damn.

well, it was the moment I have had nightmares about. the one that had been riding shotgun with me all day long. the Spector called "the beach landing". I went in easy. just slow. trying to read the wave timing. I was bobbing up and down in a kelp bed. Mr. stuck on his knees was hollering out tips.

I saw a window so I pulled my pedal drive up, and started paddling. I got close to shore and I felt a wave pick me up. I was looking down on beach. I started paddling hard! I swear the nose of my kayak was cantilevered out and rode that thing in like Hawaii-5.0. had my left foot overboard already and I felt it touch land and I jumped off, grabbed the nose of my kayak and dragged it fully on shore. like a BOSS!! I guy came and asked me for tips and told him..today was my first beach experience...he said, "really?"

I look back and I see my friend sideways in the waves. how he saved it was beyond me.

the guy that asked me questions went into a washing machine. full yard sale. he tumbled 2x. hahah..we had to wade in and save his stuff.

[masraum]

Like a boss!

[Seahawk]

So, well done.

I have surf kayaked in white water kayaks (spray skirt, etc.) for almost 55 years. My daughter surfs and we are meeting up in a few weeks to see if we can scare up some stuff I can handle in SC. I also taught white water kayaking in the late 70's...I know: My first Kayak was a "Fred Flintstone 2000" made out of stone.

That said, like many things, getting a kayak through the surf (reasonable and depending on the break) is easy to learn but hard to get good at.

There are some really good day/half day surf kayaking schools in Bodega Bay and environs. There are some very counter-intuitive paddle positions once the wave energy hits...but once learned, easy day in most circumstances. Use their stuff and then work with your rigs sans fishing gear to start.

I love doing it and it is a skill you should learn. Again, I'd try and type out how, but it is all hands on.

[Evans, Marv]

As Paul says, it's something you can master and have fun at as I've said a couple of times before. When I first got my kayak, I enjoyed paddling around outside the surf line. Then I saw somebody else surfing on theirs one time & decided to give it a try. What fun! After I got the hang of it, that was mostly what I'd go kayaking for. Like I said berfore, learn to lean far back when catching a wave and use your paddle (dipped in the water at the stern) to help steer.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Great story! The picture though, geez I wouldn’t like that! Kayak, on the ocean, can’t see the shore, that’s a pucker moment for me.

[matthewb0051]

Makes me miss the ocean.

I had an 11ft paddle board when I lived in Hawaii. Big like an aircraft carrier. Used to catch bunny waves with my son (both seated). Nothing like when the ocean takes over and gives you a ride.

If you find surfing interesting try watching 100 Foot Wave on HBO. It is a 3 (?) season, multi episode series on guys that ride huge waves. Video from the series when they went out to Cortes Bank, 100 miles off California shore, to surf big waves.

Vash, you should paddle out!

[Bill Douglas]

Good skills!

The trick is to have plenty of speed, ideally matching the wave speed.

The worst is when you take a wave and the front of the kayak slows down then the wave turns the back around. Mind you, it's worse in a dinghy

[HobieMarty]

That is awesome!!! What brand of kayak do you have? Hobie with Mirage drive perhaps?

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[vash]

Originally Posted by HobieMarty

That is awesome!!! What brand of kayak do you have? Hobie with Mirage drive perhaps?

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100%.

Hobie Outback. I saw a guy with another brand, and his seat seemed too high. I like my low center of gravity. it gets bumpy out there. I just stay loose at the hips.

[Otter74]

That sounds fun. First time I ever kayaked was when my sister and I were both in school in the mid 90s and we took a sea kayaking trip with an org at her school from the Altamaha River out to the ocean. Last day ended going down the ocean side and beaching. Reading this makes me remember this and I have no memory of beaching the kayak...but obviously I must have done it, because I'd sure remember a yard sale. Good read.

[HobieMarty]

Originally Posted by vash

100%.



Hobie Outback. I saw a guy with another brand, and his seat seemed too high. I like my low center of gravity. it gets bumpy out there. I just stay loose at the hips.

Very nice!!!

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