Surf kayaking advice.

Slidey

I recently took into kayaking and was sticking to quiet lakes and rivers close to home.

Last weekend however I took to the waves in Strandhill. Had a good time but just wondering about any advice that can be given to a noob.

Do people who do this use cords to connect then to kayak or paddle. When I got tossed off my kayak (its a RTM loco) I would concentrate on holding on to the paddle which sometimes meant my kayak ended up a good distance away.

Am I right in thinking that connecting yourself to the kayak isn't a great idea?

Another thing I am wondering is how to get through the bigger waves without getting flipped head over heels!

KenHy

Slidey wrote: »

Do people who do this use cords to connect then to kayak or paddle. When I got tossed off my kayak (its a RTM loco) I would concentrate on holding on to the paddle which sometimes meant my kayak ended up a good distance away.

Am I right in thinking that connecting yourself to the kayak isn't a great idea?

Connecting yourself to boat and/or paddle is a very bad idea. Just try and hold onto both when you fall out. It's trickey but it's the best way of doing it.

Slidey wrote: »

Another thing I am wondering is how to get through the bigger waves without getting flipped head over heels!

Best way to get out through waves is to paddle your boat stright into it with some speed and make sure that your paddle is active when you hit it (i.e. you should be in the process of taking a forward paddle stroke when you go through the wave). This provides you with the greatest amount of support and gets you over the wave quicker.

ec18

something i found helpful paddling out on big surf is that your last forward paddle stroke should be after the top of the wave.....so you're pulling yourself over it.

I found this website helpful Linky!

Zuppy

Sea paddlers sometimes have a paddle leash. But losing a paddle our at sea can be fatal.

Surfing, means nearly everything gets washed up on the beach and being spun around on a wave with paddle or boat attached can lead to injury. Surfskis and waveskis generally have an ankle leash like a surfboard. But I have been dragged along behind a wave. :-)

Just hang on to the paddle and if you come off or out, don't get between the boat and the shore. The boat travels faster on a wave than a swimmer.

Plastic versus flesh. Flesh loses!

Slidey

I have gotten a few clobbers from the boat already.

I wasn't sure if having the paddle lashed to my hand would leave me more inclinded to grab the kayak handle and stop it getting away from me.

Thanks for the replies guys. I had a look at that link and must try out some of the tips next time I am out.

I saw 2 guys on open kayaks with straps that came up over their knees, I suppose it gave you a bit more grip. Any thoughts on them? Not sure if I would be keen on them, I would be concerned that I'd get tangled up in them

Zuppy

Being strapped into a boat depends on a lot of variables. What kind of boat? Kayak/ canoe. The level of paddler, the type of water etc.

Just on the surfing. A helmet is always a good idea. :-) protect the valuables.

WUFF

Hey Slidey, if your just starting out Strandhill may not be the best spot unless you drop futher down the beach away from the main break (where they give surf lessons)

You really need a well fitted kayak,BA and helmet and have a good roll before you venture out into the bigger stuff, Strandhill has bad rips and a lot of rocks so be very careful (there has been plenty of grief their over the years)

Hook up with a few experienced paddlers, Enjoy!

Slidey

WUFF wrote: »

Hey Slidey, if your just starting out Strandhill may not be the best spot unless you drop futher down the beach away from the main break (where they give surf lessons)

You really need a well fitted kayak,BA and helmet and have a good roll before you venture out into the bigger stuff, Strandhill has bad rips and a lot of rocks so be very careful (there has been plenty of grief their over the years)

Hook up with a few experienced paddlers, Enjoy!

Threw myself in at the deep end and survived last weekend. Saying that the swell was not that big.

I know its not the safest beach, 2 of the lads who died there in 98 were in my year in school.

What's a BA?

Its a sit on kayak so once it goes over I am out of it. Will put up a pic when I am on laptop

KenHy

BA is a Boyancy Aid.

irishlostboy

Join a kayak club and learn what you are doing properly. kayaking is not ideally suited to "make it up as you go along" approach once you start into the moving water. www.sligokayakclub.com

ianomac1

hey ,
i used to do a good bit of kayak surfing and like you started out on a sit on! personally i found a paddle leash dodgy but a leg rope essential. it is really important to think of others when your out in the surf, if you dont have a leash your kayak can end up all the way up on the shore and can do serious damage to anybody it may hit on the way in! i v seen it happen plenty especially in summer. for your own safety i d definitely wear a helmet , i remember getting a couple of hard hits on the noggin and being very glad of my lid! in the long run a wave ski is probably the way to go. they are pricey but they perform far better are so much lighter. you don t have be able to roll them, but you have the option to learn a valuable skill that will allow you to take on all kinds of paddling!

ianomac1

hey ,
i used to do a good bit of kayak surfing and like you started out on a sit on! personally i found a paddle leash dodgy but a leg rope essential. it is really important to think of others when your out in the surf, if you dont have a leash your kayak can end up all the way up on the shore and can do serious damage to anybody it may hit on the way in! i v seen it happen plenty especially in summer. for your own safety i d definitely wear a helmet , i remember getting a couple of hard hits on the noggin and being very glad of my lid! in the long run a wave ski is probably the way to go. they are pricey but they perform far better are so much lighter. you don t have be able to roll them, but you have the option to learn a valuable skill that will allow you to take on all kinds of paddling!

Slidey

ianomac1 wrote: »

hey ,
i used to do a good bit of kayak surfing and like you started out on a sit on! personally i found a paddle leash dodgy but a leg rope essential. it is really important to think of others when your out in the surf, if you dont have a leash your kayak can end up all the way up on the shore and can do serious damage to anybody it may hit on the way in! i v seen it happen plenty especially in summer. for your own safety i d definitely wear a helmet , i remember getting a couple of hard hits on the noggin and being very glad of my lid! in the long run a wave ski is probably the way to go. they are pricey but they perform far better are so much lighter. you don t have be able to roll them, but you have the option to learn a valuable skill that will allow you to take on all kinds of paddling!

Thanks iano.

I lost the kayak the last time I was out on it, had a 50ft of a swim back into shore while trying to hold the paddle at the same time. Must look into getting something I think. I'd hate for the kayak to hit somebody

KenHy

Tieing yourself to a kayak would have to come with a severe health warning. If you were to swim in powerful surf you'd get dragged along with your kayak possibly underwater and massively increase your chances colliding with the kayak yourself! It could hit someone else, but the number one safety rule is look after yourself and in this case the potential to harm yourself is much greater then the potential harm to someone else.

Slidey

Good point. If the leash was extra long would it not lessen the risk though?

Its was a proper bastard to swim in shore after the kayak in the heavy swell while trying to carry the paddle

Zuppy

Ankle leash is the norm in surfing and surfski's/ waveski's. You do get dragged a bit in big surf but I have (in the distance past) never had an issue ditching it if needed.

I would avoid a paddle leash in the surf as the tendency is to leash it to the paddler. The less snag hazards the better but the ankle leash is very handy.

Zuppy

Slidey wrote: »

Good point. If the leash was extra long would it not lessen the risk though?

More rope to hang yourself?

KenHy

Surfboards/waveskis can't fill with water so have much less dragging potential!

ianomac1

i d have to disagree ken a sit on kayak is about the same buoyancy as sup and they all use a leash. you do get a fair pull from the leash but i d definitely never got dragged under water and like with a board you never collide with it unless you fall in front of it but the leash makes no difference in this! it is totally ignorant to disregard everyone else s safety because you cannot control yourself!

KenHy

A kayak can fill with water, a SUP can't. Make your own mind up what to do, but it's not ignorant do prioritise your own safety.

ianomac1

puting a leash on a closed cockpit kayak would indeed be stupid and totally pointless, as once its full of water you cant get back into it. but on a sit on top you just hop back on, saving you a lot of grief!

Mr Marri

This is probably a really stupid question, but would it not be safer to tie the paddle to kayak? that way you don't have to worry about the paddle if you get tipped and it would make swimming after the kayak much esier.

LLU

Mr Marri wrote: »

This is probably a really stupid question, but would it not be safer to tie the paddle to kayak? that way you don't have to worry about the paddle if you get tipped and it would make swimming after the kayak much esier.

there's still the risk that you could get tangled in the leash and end up tethered to the kayak or even strangled!

daithimacgroin

so what to do then lads, i have a 2 man sit-on top and am looking to hit the surf?

rope, no rope? paddle-leash?

Zuppy

daithimacgroin wrote: »

so what to do then lads, i have a 2 man sit-on top and am looking to hit the surf?

rope, no rope? paddle-leash?

Lash the other paddler to the boat. :D:D

Slidey

I actually had another go today. Had a fair idea it was a little too rough but went in anyway!

I had called into Sunset watersports in Sligo and with his advice got a paddle lash. Tried lashing the paddle to the boat but the first time I got knocked out it just burst free of the hook (which is a plastic effort)

2nd time around I lashed the paddle to my BA and concentrated on holding on to the kayak. Hard to judge how much better it is that way as I got throttled a few times and gave up.

Cecil Mor

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055828999



If you are going to be entering the surf where there are other surfers out than you should be familiar & know proper surf etiquette.
Always give consideration to others and until you are confident avoid busy spots and surf down the beach by yourself.

Generally you will not have the same level of control on a sit-on-top as you would a surf or whitewater kayak however for smaller & mushy surf you'll be grand.

Truley

Dude Strandhill is not a safe beach and you definitely shouldn't be surfing it alone if you don't know how to surf or rescue yourself properly. Strapping your paddle to yourself was terrible advice. The owner of Sunset is not a kayaker and that was an extremely dangerous thing for him to tell you to do. My best advice is to find a club or instructor and learn to kayak from people that know what they're talking about.

irishlostboy

Sligo has a kayak club, who for 50 quid a year will teach you how to kayak properly. i do realise that this is not for everyone and that there will always be those who will rather take advice from a retailer who does not have one singular clue about anything relating to kayaking, surf or anything else for that matter. then they will go out into a well known surf location, with bits of equipment tied to themselves risking life and limb hurdling around out of control and further damaging the reputation of kayakers with the broader surf community.
step 1. learn to kayak. if a person took the attitude exemplified here in other activities (driving? golf? anything?) they would be very unpopular/ injured/ arrested/ dead.
step 2. learn about surf. surf has rules. and it has other water users. no matter what water vessel you are in, in surf, you stick to the rules of surfing.

Slidey

Cecil Mor wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055828999



If you are going to be entering the surf where there are other surfers out than you should be familiar & know proper surf etiquette.
Always give consideration to others and until you are confident avoid busy spots and surf down the beach by yourself.

Generally you will not have the same level of control on a sit-on-top as you would a surf or whitewater kayak however for smaller & mushy surf you'll be grand.

It nice that you just assumed I was going to be getting in the way of the surfers. I am nowhere near them and if one comes near me I feck off away from them.

Truley wrote: »

Dude Strandhill is not a safe beach and you definitely shouldn't be surfing it alone if you don't know how to surf or rescue yourself properly. Strapping your paddle to yourself was terrible advice. The owner of Sunset is not a kayaker and that was an extremely dangerous thing for him to tell you to do. My best advice is to find a club or instructor and learn to kayak from people that know what they're talking about.

In fairness to the guy in sunset he told me to lash it to the kayak and not myself. It was I who decided to lash it to myself after it broke free from the kayak

irishlostboy wrote: »

Sligo has a kayak club, who for 50 quid a year will teach you how to kayak properly. i do realise that this is not for everyone and that there will always be those who will rather take advice from a retailer who does not have one singular clue about anything relating to kayaking, surf or anything else for that matter. then they will go out into a well known surf location, with bits of equipment tied to themselves risking life and limb hurdling around out of control and further damaging the reputation of kayakers with the broader surf community.
step 1. learn to kayak. if a person took the attitude exemplified here in other activities (driving? golf? anything?) they would be very unpopular/ injured/ arrested/ dead.
step 2. learn about surf. surf has rules. and it has other water users. no matter what water vessel you are in, in surf, you stick to the rules of surfing.

Thanks for also assuming that I just get in everyones way.

Zuppy

The paddle leash is more a sea kayaking device