Hints and tips to enjoy kayak surfing
This is not meant to be a definitive guide to kayak surfing. It’s more a matter of what has worked for me over the last 4 summers whilst I have enjoyed the pleasure and challenge of surfing in my kayak. Come and try it, you will have fun – guaranteed!
7 Golden rules
#1 – If in doubt, don’t go out!
#2 – Always make sure if you come out of the kayak you are never between it and the beach. A flooded kayak can easily weigh in excess of 200kg and you don’t want a wave to throw it straight at you, it will hurt you!
#3 – When on the river and you are surfing a wave or playing in a stopper you always lean downstream. In the sea you do the opposite; always lean onto the wave. The wave will provide all the support you need. Get this wrong and you will have a very nice view of the sand and water in your nose and ears!
#4 – Make sure you have 2 air bags fitted and inflated.
#5 –During a good trashing by a wave anything loose in your kayak will come out and get lost. If it moves take it out or put it firmly behind your air bags.
#6 – If you are unlucky enough to go over in a wave you will hear the rumble of the wave whilst upside down. Wait for it all to go quiet, this will mean that the wave has got fed up playing with you and has left you behind. Now would be a good time to roll up or bail out. It’s a bad sign if it starts to get noisy again, this means the next wave is coming and will want to play more silly games with you. Don’t forget to hold on tight to your paddle!
#7 – Don’t go out alone even if experienced.
What do I need to take?
Sun block – Essential. Always be aware of the danger to over exposure of the sun.
Helmet - Always wear a helmet. You may be on a clear sandy beach but during a good tumble you could be hit by your boat, another boat, paddle, surf board or swimmer. Sand is also hard on the head!
Buoyancy aid – A good idea as it provides protection for your torso. Kayaks, boards and swimmers will also try and attack you on a good day! You don’t necessarily need a full white water spec BA. I use an old foam waistcoat type. It will also keep you surprisingly warm when it’s windy.
Drink – Essential, you will get very thirsty!
Food – You will get hungry so take something to snack on whilst on the water. Pack food that does not spoil when left in a sweltering car or kayak!
Footwear – Wet suit boots or neoprene socks are fine. Don’t be tempted to go barefoot you never know what you will step on.
Cagoule – Long or short sleeve is fine. You will get cold when it’s windy even if it’s a really sunny day! Neoprene neck seals hold the sand and grit and will give you a rash on your neck. Latex seals are not a problem but make sure you keep the sun block off the seals, it will destroy them.
Shorts – Board shorts, neoprene shorts, dry trousers, whatever you are comfortable wearing.
Tapes (fit on grab handles) – Good for recovering and controlling a boat during an out of boat experience.
Remember - the kit you wear reflects your paddling ability! After a few swims you will get cold so wear something to keep you warm and safe.
Where do I start?
Choose a beach - A long shallow beach (Saunton, Woolacombe, Puttsborough, Westward Ho!) is a good choice. Here you will find the waves will have an interval of greater than 5 seconds (hopefully 5 – 12 seconds) between them and will have a smooth break. With steeper beaches like Croyde the interval between the waves will be much shorter (could be 2 – 3 seconds) and the waves will dump onto the beach making the run short and definitely exciting! The disadvantage of a long shallow beach is that when the tide goes out it goes out a very long way with the prospect of a long carry L. KEEP AWAY FROM ROCKS.
Wind and tide – Always understand what is happening. If the tide is going out and there is a strong off-shore wind you need to be very aware of your surroundings. It’s very easy at this point to get into trouble. If in doubt don’t go out. When competent, an off-shore wind (with either an incoming or outgoing tide) will hold the waves back and you will get a great ride but you need to be very aware of your surroundings. Even as an experienced kayak surfer you will struggle to get in if you have a swim with a strong off-shore wind and will need the assistance of others to get back to the beach.
How far do I go out? – For your first session try surfing in water that is thigh to waist deep. This will ensure that when you go over you will be able to push up off the bottom using your hand or paddle. You should not be near any rocks. If you have a sound roll then obviously you can go out a bit further but for the first session just try to get used to the movement of your kayak in the surf. It will be different to a river and will improve your support strokes significantly.
Types of waves – Throughout I will be referring to green and foamy waves. The green waves are where the wave is building from the swell but has not yet broken. These are fantastic to ride as they offer a smooth take off, controlled ride and you can chose to stay on or get off as they break. The acceleration as the wave breaks will be really exhilarating. Green waves can form up to 100 - 200m from the shore so you do need to be capable and confident to be out there! Foamy waves are where the wave has broken and there’s a pile of white foamy water rushing towards the beach trying to demolish everything in its path.
How do I catch my first wave? – Firstly imagine you have 3 gears. Gear 1 is used when you are paddling lazily on the river talking to the person next to you. Gear 2 is where you want to ferry glide across a river and gear 3 is where you are trying to paddle upstream in a fast flowing river. To catch a wave you need to be in gear 3. Start paddling when the wave is about 3 – 5m from you. The tow back you experience from the wave will try and stop you accelerating hence the effort required. Providing you have built up enough speed you will now be on your first wave – congratulations! If you notice the nose starting to dive when the wave picks you up, lean back just before you catch the wave next time. As soon as you have caught the wave return to an upright position for maximum stability.
What do I do now I’ve caught the wave? – Time to practice your stern rudder skills now. This will keep you pointing in a straight line. Ideally this is the only stroke you will need at this time to surf on the small waves.
How do I get off the wave – Hopefully at this point you are still in your boat and have voluntarily decided to paddle back out for another wave. Rotate your trunk and reaching over the wave firmly plant your paddle and pull yourself back over the wave.
Now I want to catch a bigger wave – The same principle applies as to catching your first wave. At this point in time you will still be surfing in the “Foamy” waves. Paddle out to a suitable position, by this I mean a place where the waves have already broken so there is no risk of the wave dumping and breaking on top of you. Having chosen your wave turn your kayak around and face the beach. As before paddle in gear 3. The bigger the wave the earlier you will need to start paddling in order to get forward speed and the more you will need to lean back in order not to front loop. Direction control is the same as before, nothing new here.
Paddling out through the waves - Let’s break this down to waves of varying heights.
0 – 2 feet. No problem just paddle through it, head down and lean forward.
2 – 3 feet. Not a real problem. Paddle forwards hard into the wave, head down, leaning forward. Reach forward with your paddle and pull yourself through the wave. You will need to pull hard to stop you being pushed backwards by the wave and possibly being back looped. Take a big breath just before you hit the wave in case you have to roll or bail out. The temptation is to lean back but this will just increase the risk of being back looped.
>3 feet. This is where the fun starts. Paddling head on into a wave greater than 3 feet is an experience to be savoured! It’s a bit like hitting a brick wall at speed. A good way around this is to approach the wave at about 45 degrees paddling hard. Lift your knee nearest the wave, lean backwards slightly and towards the beach. As you begin to ride up the wave put in a strong forward sweep stroke on the beach side, this will straighten your kayak as it rides up over the wave. Get it right and no water will hit your face.
The wave is going to dump right on top of me – Not a good place to be. You won’t be able to out run it so don’t even bother to try! If you can roll now it the time to deliberately capsize, wait for it all to go quiet and then roll back up. The fun starts when there is another big wave directly behind this one that you did not see! If you can’t roll then paddle furiously at the face of the wave and try and run up it. The experts say that you can hit the wave at 45 degrees lean toward the beach and put in a reverse sweep stroke on the beach side. The kayak will pivot on the paddle and off you go. I must try this one day!
Help I’m going backwards – Don’t panic, not a problem if you’re quick. Lean well forward to maintain your balance. As you pick up speed whilst still leaning well forward lift an edge and the kayak will slowly turn around. Make sure that you keep leaning on to the wave and all will be well. If you don’t lean forwards quickly enough you will get a nice view of the sky and do your first trick – a back loop. If this happens just wait for it all to go quiet and roll up or bail out.
Help I’m going sideways – This is fun in a kayak – not good in a pukka surf kayak though. Affectionately known as a “Bongo Ride”. Lean onto the wave keeping the beach side edge up and wait for it all to settle down. Failure to keep up the beach side edge will ensure that you get an ear full of salt water and feel like you have had a trip in a spin drier! A good, firm sweep stroke or reverse sweep stroke will turn your kayak through 90 degrees and return normality should you desire.
Oops it’s gone wrong! – Take a big, deep breath. Hold on to your paddle like it’s the winning lottery ticket and wait for it all to go quiet. If you can’t roll then it’s probably time to get out. Ensure that you quickly get your legs out of the kayak before another wave twists and turns it while you still have one or more legs still inside. When you come up have a look for any foam blocks/pads etc used for fitting to ensure that they have not been flushed out of your boat. Remember a flooded boat is heavy so let the waves push it to the shore and keep out of the way.
My kayak’s become a submarine – When the nose dives you have only a little time to sort it out before the fun starts. Lean back as far as you can and get an edge up (either edge) to spill some water. If you’re too slow then you are just about to do your second trick – an end over end or front loop. This is fun and seems to happen in slow motion but is just as exciting. If you are in deep water no problems, take a deep breath and set up for a roll. When it all goes quiet roll up and celebrate your trick. If it’s somewhat shallower and the nose of your kayak has impaled itself into the sand then this is a bit more challenging but just as much fun! Really smart people will wait until the kayak is vertical then twist rapidly to spin the kayak so it lands the right way up facing out to sea and paddle back out. It’s never worked for me though! Option 2 is to land on the paddle blade rather than your head and roll up. Whilst it may sound scary it’s really not. You are not falling very far, it’s just an unusual feeling going end over end whilst still (hopefully) in your kayak.
Catching a green wave – OK, so you can roll, are supremely confident or plain crazy and want to ride the smooth green waves. Start paddling in plenty of time, move up to gear 3. Lean forward to ensure the maximum hull length is in the water, this will help to get the kayak planning earlier. Either take-off straight down the wave and put in a turn before you get to the bottom of the wave or take off at an angle and go across the face. Enjoy the smooth ride and try turning up the wave face and dropping down again. You can now choose whether to stay on the wave as it breaks and ride it in further relishing the extra speed or peel off, paddle out and catch the next wave.
The world of the surf kayaker – Kayak surfing is a sociable event. Sitting and waiting for the next wave is fun and usually involves some friendly banter. Your position will be dynamic as you will move to get yourself the best ride. Nothing can describe the feeling of being part of a group of 8 kayakers riding in on a wave at the same time. Keep an eye out for the person in a pukka surf kayak though, they will move across, up and down the wave rather than go straight in so will need more space than you.
Etiquette – Last but certainly not least!
· Keep out of crowded areas
· Always be prepared to capsize rather than hit a swimmer
· Don’t drop in on a wave that a board surfer (Boardie) is already on
· When paddling back out make sure you give other surfers room to ride in a good wave, skilled Boardies will always surf across the face of the wave rather than go straight in so give them ample space.
· Never head directly back out when there are others waiting to surf a wave, always go around them to get out to the back.
· We can get back out quicker than Boardies so if there is a queue for a wave let the Boardies go first.
· Show Boardies respect and they will respect you in turn.
· Pick and choose a good wave. Don’t rush to catch each one.
· Try and give kayaking a good name!
I hope this has whetted your appetite to come and try kayak surfing?
Roger Palmer Page 1 of 6 01/07/2010