Just been on my first sea kayaking trip – out round Ynys Seiriol / Puffin Island off the coast of Anglesey.

Fantastic – spent at least two hours playing in the middle of a group of about 30 seals who delighted in chasing our kayaks, swimming a few feet alongside us and playing with the toggles on the deck and even giving me a few nudges from behind 🙂 A truely amazing and special experience, made even better by crystal clear calm water, blue skies and sun. The birds there were pretty cool too … paddling through a swirling mass of guillemots as they skimmed the surface of the sea around us.

Has to have been one of the most amazing outdoor activity experiences I’ve ever had. It is much more committing than biking though – got round the final side of the island and the tide had started running between there and the mainland, so the waves and currents had picked up. As the only way back is to paddle through it, there’s not really any option to back out!

So, has anyone else got the sea kayaking bug?

great fun, haven’t been in a while though

i try and get out with my bro in law around ilfracombe as much as poss, as you say truley amazing.

No, but I’d love to give it a go. My GF’s mum lives on Lewis and I reckon it must be great up there.

Done some around Pembrokeshire. Well amongst it compared to mountain biking, and yet very serene when it’s calm. You don’t half get a feeling for how insignificant you are when the current’s against you. Def want to do more

Done a fair bit over the years. The longest open water crossing I’ve done is about 10miles, but more experienced friends of mine have done up to 27miles (Lands End> Scilly Isles in 12hours). That really is commitment!

Some of my holiday snaps from 2008, 3 days on the BC coast:

Most people think of sea-kayaking as calm, serene and the ocean equivalent of rambling…. but there’s lots of excitement too if you do it right:

it looks fantastic and i’d love to have the time/money to do it. i appreciate this is a bit artsy but it makes me want to try it.
[video]http://vimeo.com/19982649[/video]

My legs went to sleep really uncomfortable. 😥

I have got one word for you….SUP. Stand-up paddleboarding is the fastest-growing watersport in the world, and if you have a go, you will see why. It’s more natural, in my opinion, than canoeing. You see much more, as you are 6′ above the water instead of 3′ (big advantage on rivers especially). Much more comfortable, and an all-body workout. You dont have to learn how to ‘roll’ one. You can carry stuff on the top.
I’m on mine virtually every day, either surfing or up the river. Canoe vs SUP is like Road vs MTB.
It rocks.

All forms of kayaking are brilliant – although white water touring/racing particularly “floats my boat”. Picking a line down a rapid is remarkably similar to picking a line on a hill!

But I did paddle round Anglesey one weekend, in a very slow slalom boat (we were hard in my day)

(Sue, are you still interested in doing the Loop?)

Thread title reminded me of this.

“Isn’t sea kayaking brilliant?!”

A mate and I kayaked the Caledonian Canal last year (in a group with a guide) in sea kayaks. The canal bits could get a bit boring but the loch kayaking was wonderful. You’d think “Ah, it’s just crossing a lake, how rough could that be?”. You’d be quite wrong. 🙂

I’ve been sea kayaking a few times, off Sweden and Mexico, and absolutely love it. If I had the time and money it’s something I’d get into seriously. Oh, and lived somewhere suitable. I remember visiting Hobart in Tasmania and seeing sea kayaks and mountain bikes hanging in porches and thinking that it was my kind of town.

i did it in the forces years ago it was great fun round cambletown , oban and skye in a bit of a tour (not all in one go we drove to the various areas to do it rather than using the canoe to travel )

Lovely calm sunny day sea kayaking from Arasaig, Scotland – Thats the Isle of Rhum in the distance.

http://www.clearwaterpaddling.com

Have a look at this place if you want to have a go, I’d recommend flying in. Coast of the British Isles is one of the worlds leading sea kayak desinations. We have it all on our doorstep, yes it’s true. If you don’t believe me have a look at this

http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/medicalgenetics/seakayaking.htm

and this

http://www.oceanpaddlermagazine.com/

Happy paddling.

Love it. Tried a bit in New Zealand and ended up getting a relatively cheap sit-on-top that lived on the roof rack of the van we toured around the country in. Despite not being a proper boat (wouldn’t want to cross too much open water in it) it was perfect for coastal stuff, rock hopping and river trips. Hybrid of the kayak world I suppose.

Have paddled a bit here off the west coast of Scotland in hired kayaks and it looks like there is a lifetimes worth of paddling.

The best thing about sea kayaks are that you can carry loads of gear (comfier camping and cooking gear, more interesting food and more wine 😀 …all the stuff you have to compromise on for bike or back packing)

Also gives a really good sense of exploration as you don’t have to follow a path and can’t see anyone’s tyre tracks or foot prints.

Wildlife also seems to be less fussed about you when you’re on the water than on land. Have met curious seals, hunting otters and huge rays while paddling about.

As soon as I live somewhere with room to store a proper boat I think I’ll be investing in one.

I’ve never done it but its something that I would love to try, especially living right on the coast. My neighbour has half a dozen old canoes/kayaks in his garage that havn’t seen daylight in years.

Is it the kind of sport where you can grab a kayak and go or are you better off with a course?

I’ve done little bits of canoeing on lakes and a lot of surfing if that makes any difference?

Is it the kind of sport where you can grab a kayak and go or are you better off with a course?

I’d say that would depend on the conditions when you go out. A short day course will teach you what to do if you capsize and how to paddle when a swell gets up.

I have plans to do more of this…

on this….

…and then consider whether or not I want a more traditional design

How feasible is it for long distances and hard seas? Could one cross the Channel in a sea kayak, for instance?

Sorry for the naive question…

I’d say that would depend on the conditions when you go out. A short day course will teach you what to do if you capsize and how to paddle when a swell gets up.

Looks like the council run outdoor centre near me runs courses done in association with the BCU. I thought they just did kids activity holidays.

Will give them a call.

As you may have perhaps gathered, the Kayak is not my favourite form of water based transport. Now a canadian canoe. That is the cats pyjamas. In a canadian canoe, a man can carry enough beer to keep himself drunk for a week. He can sit dry and proud, out of range of shitty little wavelets, and roll himself a joint. He can have a conversation without being raped by a swan.

This was my mates summation of Kayaking, he seems to err in favour of the open canoe now.

Its currently a toss-up between kayaking and rock climbing for my next foolish expensive hobby..

You could probably cross the channel. You’d need to know the currents and have a gps thingy with you though I reckon. I wonder if you could do it without asking for permission?

Folk have kayaked out to St. Kilda. Crossing the Channel would be a piece of piss in comparison.

I suppose with the channel, it’s not the distance but the busyness of it.

I got bitten by the bug as the wife bought me a try out lesson for a birthday. Been looking into buying one second hand for a while.

I think I’d want a lesson or two more just for getting a bit of water sense (as last time I was in a canoe was in the scouts, 25 odd years ago) as much as anything.

I don’t think it’s as expensive as mtb’ing other than the fact I can ride out of my garage, whilst I’m always looking at an hours drive for sea paddling. I’ve not seen many kayaks over a grand for example, even safety gear seems quite reasonable. Probably just not looking hard enough 🙂

Can everyone please stop posting photos, it’s making my credit card wiggle suggestively at me.

Seakayaking! My second favourite sport after mountain biking. I might go out for a paddle tomorrow 🙂

White water’s fun also. Not done any this season though due to a torn hand tendon after flying over the handlebars….

Paddle boarding’s allright as well if the road’s flooded…

Burts / Domino / druidh / slugwash – thanks for the inspiring pic’s 🙂

Have a feeling that getting into seakayaking is going to be a rather expensive business! I was lucky that my friend who took me out paddling this week is a really experienced sea kayaker with loads of spare kit, who then explained that I was splashing around in about 3 grands worth of kayak (to say nothing of the paddles etc). My future bank balance is not going to be happy …

@ esme – I’ve sent you a reply on shecycles re the loop

I’ve been around Puffin island in an open boat strapped together it was great fun although a bit choppy, lovely seeing the seals being nosey, I should try and get out more in a sea kayak as a couple of friends are in the local Canoe Club and often go out around Anglesey, Conwy river etc.

MisterCrud – Member
I have got one word for you….SUP. Stand-up paddleboarding is the fastest-growing watersport in the world, and if you have a go, you will see why. It’s more natural, in my opinion, than canoeing. You see much more, as you are 6′ above the water instead of 3′ (big advantage on rivers especially). Much more comfortable, and an all-body workout. You dont have to learn how to ‘roll’ one. You can carry stuff on the top.
I’m on mine virtually every day, either surfing or up the river. Canoe vs SUP is like Road vs MTB.
It rocks.

Now that’s interesting.

I was standing on a cliff top on Gower a few months ago watching a SUPer paddle out. He paddled around for a while in a very calm sea, and after 30 minutes paddled back in having gone, well, not very far at all and not having done much other than take in the scenery – which isn’t too bad!

BUT I could see no advantage at all in a SUP compared to a kayak. Why would you want to paddle long distances standing when you could be sitting? Why would you carry stuff on top when it would be far safer stowed inside a kayak? Why would you want a full body work out when the idea of a sea kayak is to cover distance, not wear yourself out?

I can see it as an alternative to kayaking, but not a replacement and I’d say that it’s not MTB V road, but touring v urban fixie. One is a genuinely useful method of transport, the other can be used as a method of transport but at the moment is a bit of a fad for those in the know!

And I’m genuinely hoping you can inspire me to buy one, as I’m always looking for new shiny bits to buy… 🙂

Is there a kayak equivalent of STW? I’ve considered a paddle board and a kayak, does anybody have any reccomendations for kayak shops online?

have been quite fancying a plastic boat for a while now.
dont tempt me

Is there a kayak equivalent of STW?

UKRG

there are definite disadvantages to living in the alps – the nearest bit of sea is 365km away 🙁

i’ve only ever done odds and sods of sea kayaking – newfoundland, NZ, iceland (i guess not bad places to have done it!), but i’d love to get my own boat at some point. only did a couple of hours in iceland, but it was around midnight, still light, and absolutely stunning. newfoundland scared the shit out of me (big ocean!), and NZ was amazing.

fortunately my current job involves working with quite a few sea kayak operators, so hopefully in the coming years i’ll get to do some ‘research’… 😉

The sea kayaking around my way (North Devon) is fantastic. My mate runs a local guiding/training business: CLICK

I have got one word for you….SUP

About as comparable to a sea kayak as a unicycle to a MTB. They’re fine as a fun thing to do but aren’t terribly practical. They’re also a proper pain in the arse when they’re used in surf by people who don’t know what they’re doing. Each to their own, mind.

Haven’t done any in a while, biking has taken over. BAck at uni I kayaked several times a week. Surf and whitewater mostly. I did venture out in seakayaks on trips and expeditions.

My fiancee and I paddled the west coast of Canada over 6 weeks back in 2002. We’ve done stuff in Newzealand and Croatia since then, nothing as serious though.

Got very close to killer whales in Canada which was quite scary. You’re not supposed to go within 100m but no one tells the whales that and a pod came right around us.

Croatia was just nice seafood, paddling, swimming and bier in the sunshine. Highly recommended we paddled around the islands near dubrovnik.

In Newzealand we did lots of day trips and a few multi day trips. In Abel Tasman we went to a cove and spent hours playing with seal pups. They were chasing us and trying to nip our paddles before getting brave enough to just hop out onto our decks.

http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=61207796#!/video/video.php?v=505763888563

Only done it once and loved it always said I would get a canoe/kayack when I live near water and next month I will be!

Abel Tasman by Richard Munro, on Flickr

If I could figure out how to get a 16ft boat through the house and into the back garden I would buy another in a shot. Sea kayaking rocks.