Kayaking how to Blog

Archive for May, 2009

Florida is often a popular destination for tourists and not just in the summer, but all year long. Florida offers miles of sandy beaches, annual warm weather, great shopping adventures and wonderful dining. Most people head straight for the beach when visiting Florida, taking in the sun at places like Daytona Beach, Boynton Beach, and private beaches along Clearwater and Orlando. While these are great relaxation spots, sometimes they can get overcrowded and it’s hard to appreciate the natural beauty of Florida. That’s why Florida is also home to several kayaking adventures, where you can experience a unique aspect to fun in the sun.

In central Florida, check out A Day Away Outfitters and Kayak Tours. Centered on Merritt Island, A Day Away offers tours aimed specifically at viewing dolphins, manatee, and alligator. You’ll also have a chance to catch a glimpse of wild turkeys and pigs lurking in the woods surrounding the islands. Each tour is guided by a professional kayaking instructor and is available seven days a week.

If you’re visiting or live around south Florida, Atlantic Coast Kayak Company provides informative kayaking classes and guided tours. Take a tour around the infamous Florida Keys, where you’ll be able to take a pit stop and swim with the dolphins if conditions are favorable. For a truly unique kayaking experience, consider taking a tour to Whiskey Creek. Located between the beach and the waterway within John Lloyd State Park, Whiskey Creek is popular for spotting beautiful aquatic birds, a variety of saltwater fish, and even stingrays! Not only will you catch views of wildlife only seen on the discovery channel, but you’ll also have the chance to see the large and historic ships of Port Everglades.

If you reside in Florida or plan to visit several times a year, consider becoming a member of the Florida Sea Kayaking Association (FSKA). You can receive significantly discounted kayaking trips all around Florida, and privileges to some of Florida’s most serene and prestigious kayaking locations. Joining this or a similar kayaking association could save you lots of money if kayaking is one of your frequent hobbies.

Finally, if you plan to be in the Orlando area and have some time for a longer aquatic outdoor excursion, then sign up with Florida Sun Safari National Park Adventure. This eight day journey will lead you through many destinations beginning in Orlando. You’ll enjoy a hike through the Everglades National Park, where you’ll have the opportunity to view unique aquatic birds and some of Florida’s most hidden wildlife. In Key West, you’ll be given the opportunity to not only kayak through some of the tranquil waters, but also scuba dive! Experience a picnic lunch and a chance to touch manatees at Canaveral National Seashore on the final day. This unforgettable opportunity costs around $825 per person and covers food and transportation.

Next time you’re in Florida, you’ll find so many great opportunities for kayaking and other outdoor adventures. Laying out on the beach may soon become your old pastime!

Take a look around the city of San Diego, and you’re likely to see everyone getting around on bike or by trolley. While it’s true that San Diego is full of sites and attractions, very few people realize that it’s also an ideal location to experience some great kayaking. In fact, some of the best scenery of San Diego is only seen from the water, and kayaking is an excellent way to take in all of the sights and sounds of this “big little city”.

Start your kayaking adventure in San Diego by taking a tour of the La Jolla Sea Caves. While it sounds like it may be an intimidating experience, it’s actually a very pleasant and fun outdoor adventure! Beginning at the La Jolla Shores, you can paddle your way through an outdoor paradise while you view areas of San Diego’s coast. Before reaching the historical sea caves, you’ll have a chance to get up close and personal with sea lions, stingrays, and other aquatic life that reside within these canals. In fact, it’s even said that harbor seals sit perched among the rocks of the water and “wave” at their visitors who pass by!

However, kayaking in San Diego is just as fun in the fall and winter as it is in the summer. Winter is known to be a season of hibernation and mating, and that’s exactly what you’ll find as you explore Baja’s Pacific Coast! During the colder seasons, gray whales leave their homeland of the Arctic Ocean and make their way to the inviting warmth of Baja. In the months of December and January, the whales mate and give birth. Take advantage of a guided tour from La Jolla Shores during this time, and experience the thrill of viewing these amazing animals in person.

If you plan to visit San Diego with small children, there are opportunities for them to experience the fun of kayaking as well. In areas of Monterey and Elkhorn Slough, there are very calm and tranquil waters that are perfect for children and families. Monterey
Bay offers fascinating history and abundant marine life, while Elkhorn Slough is an excellent kayaking route for the nature and wildlife lover. (Often, you can spot several breeds of exotic birds.) The children will love the feeling of paddling through the water on a boat, and adults will enjoy the quiet ride while taking in some sightseeing.

If you’ve ever dreamed of catching the biggest fish among your friends and family, then look into opportunities for kayak fishing around Monterey Bay. While this area is known for its calm and peaceful surroundings, it is also home to some of California’s best fishing. There are several classes offered in the area and guided tours and trips directed towards kayak fishing.

With so many amazing opportunities for kayaking in San Diego, you are sure to find the water adventure that’s right for you and your family!

from BBC News – Saturday, 23 May 2009 UK

A teenage boy from Somerset is believed to have become the youngest person to cross the English Channel in a kayak.

Christian Hosie, 13, and his 19-year-old brother Wesley from Taunton took on the challenge to raise money for the charity Children with Leukemia.

The brothers set off from Dover at 0901 BST and arrived at Sangatte near Calais in France at 1459 BST.

Speaking after his return to Dover, Christian said: “It was tiring. I didn’t think it would be so long.”

He said: “The conditions were really good, it was flat apart from when there were swells from the ferries.”

He added that he had only taken up kayaking recently, on the suggestion of his father Bill.

Kayaking Alaska gives boaters an opportunity to enjoy relaxing wilderness scenery or to test their limits in the frozen wilderness. Alaska is home to the nation’s largest national park. Both the park and the state have much to offer beginning and experienced kayakers. Tours and rental kayaks are available for kayak experiences throughout the state.

Le Conte Glacier Bay

Le Conte Glacier Bay is a 12 mile fjord carved out of the mountain range by glaciers. Le Conte Glacier is the southernmost tidewater glacier in North America. It is an active glacier, fracturing and calving constantly, filling the bay with thousands of icebergs.

Kayak day trips through the bay give boaters a glimpse of lush forests, ancient, sheer rock walls, thundering waterfalls and icebergs in every imaginable shape and size. Kayaking Le Conte lets boaters see and experience the majestic and sometimes fierce side of Alaskan nature.

Big Creek on Frederick Sound

The Kupreanof Island coastline offers miles of beaches and coves waiting to be appreciated by sea kayakers kayaking Alaska. Marine mammals in the area include stellar sea lions, porpoises, harbor seals and pacific humpback whales. River otters and bald eagles also call the island home.

Tebenkof Bay

Tebenkof Bay encompasses 65,000 acres of coves, bays and small islands – a dream destination for Alaska kayaking. The area is one of the most remote and wild parts of southeast Alaska.
Tlingit once lived there. No humans reside there now. Black bears, wolves, and Sitka black-tailed deer inhabit the area.

Stikine River

The Stikine River is the largest, navigable undammed watershed in North America. The river flows more than 400 miles from head waters in British Columbia to the Alaskan Delta.
Flat-water paddling the Stikine takes boaters through areas once used by natives and gold-seekers. Kayakers can visit a hot spring, view the towering Cottonwood trees of Ketili River and see salmon spawning.

Prince William Sound

Prince William Sound is said to offer some of the best kayaking in Alaska. 7,000 miles of ocean, river deltas, tidal flats and glaciers make up the Sound.

Shoup Glacier, unique because it can lay claim to not one but two tidal basins, boasts the fastest growing Kittiwake rookery in the Sound with over 20,000 birds and 6,000 nests.

Columbia Glacier, aka the world’s speediest glacier, is currently the largest glacier in Prince William Sound and the second largest glacier in Alaska. The glacier is moving backwards as much as 4 feet per day during the summer months.  Kayakers can take a boat to the glacier then set out via kayak to paddle among icebergs and through bays that motorized boats cannot access. Harbor seals, sea otters, sea lions, bears and whales are likely to be seen. Such areas are what sea kayaking Alaska are all about.

Sitka Sound

Experienced sea kayakers will find wilderness beaches, bioluminescent waters, and experience kayaking in ocean swells, rock gardens, sea cliffs and outer caves while paddling Sitka.
Coastal tide pools and kelp forests abound. Eagles, otters, seals, porpoises and whales call the area home, as do many smaller animals.

Less experienced kayakers will still find plenty of Alaskan beauty to tour.

Tongass National Forest

Tongass National Forest is America’s northernmost rain forest and the largest national forest in America. Almost 17 million acres, or over 20,625 square miles, make up Tongass forest. Saltwater and fresh water kayaking opportunities abound in this part of Alaska.

The Tongass is home to a wide variety of plant and animal life. Black and brown bears, caribou, sheep and goats call the forest home. So do moose, bald eagles, foxes, beavers and other small animals. Swans and hummingbirds are two of the birds boaters are likely to glimpse.

The destinations mentioned here are just a few of the many Alaska kayaking opportunities for beginning and experienced kayakers. Paddling among glaciers, kayaking in sea caves, and seeing Alaska’s wildlife in their natural habitat are some of the reasons kayakers visit the state.

Kayaking is an activity enjoyed by many people of all ages. It requires little or no experience and nearly anyone of any skill level can participate. It’s most popular as a summertime sport, but is also a great activity during the winter. Kayaking also seems relatively friendly to the environment; more so than speed boating or water skiing. Because a kayak doesn’t create large or frequent waves, require fuel, or disperse hazards into the air, it is indeed a fairly safe activity for humans and wildlife alike.

Kayaking on freshwater lakes and streams creates little turbulence and therefore, does not disturb fish or other aquatic life. Actually, the gentle paddling and movement of the kayak helps to bring kelp and seaweed to the surface, making for convenient snacking to the fish. However, there is a downside to kicking up an all-you-can-buffet for your fishy friends. In addition to bringing food to the surface, kayaking also stirs up litter that’s been lurking beneath the waters. Most fish will not eat the trash that rises to the top, but other aquatic animals will mistake it for food. This could cause the animals to choke on the indigestible litter, leading to death. As hazardous as this sounds, it isn’t very likely for such an event to take place. Most litter in lakes and streams is found along the shoreline and settles in the sand and dirt, and isn’t likely to drift away to the main body of water.

Unlike boats operated by motor and fuel, kayaks pose little or no harm to the fish swimming beneath. Kayaks don’t move at a rapid pace, and the fish swimming below have ample time to move out of the boat’s way. And because kayaks do not have a motor, fish have no risk of getting caught underneath the boat.

One potential hazard that results from kayaking is human waste. This depends solely on where you plan to kayak, and if there are resources available (such as campsites) along the shoreline. When there are no facilities in sight, you’re paddling in the middle of a lake, and nature calls, then often you are given no choice but to expel your waste in the middle of the water. While human waste is considered biodegradable, it can be harmful when ingested by fish. The only preventative measure is to avoid using the water as a restroom, but again, this can’t always be helped. Some public lakes and streams have taken steps to preserve the quality of the water by requiring permits for kayaking. This won’t eliminate a human waste problem, but does help regulate entry into the lake and prevent it from becoming overcrowded.

An important factor to remember when kayaking is that you are a guest in someone else’s home. You may not be greeted by anyone or be able to kick up your feet and watch TV, but the water is home to many aquatic animals and wildlife. Just as you would not throw trash on the floor or destroy the home of another, you shouldn’t do it outdoors either. Keep all trash with you in your kayak and properly dispose of it after you return to shore. Don’t dump anything in the water, and try to avoid expelling human waste if at all possible. By doing your part, you will help keep kayaking a safe and enjoyable activity for yourself and the environment.