Kayaking through surf

Will Brice goes through the paces.

Surf kayaking 101

From the Winter 2010 issue of Wavelength Magazine. Read the entire magazine online.

Here's what you need to know to get started

By Christine Brice and Wavelength Magazine

1. Understand the difference in kayaks.

With a longer bow and a short, stubby stern, the surf kayak is an unstable beast that in some ways resembles a whitewater kayak but is designed solely for riding waves. That feature makes it very unwieldy for anything else but waves, meaning sea kayakers are going to need a whole new skillset to take up surf kayaking. There is no simply stepping inside and paddling away.

2. Make sure the boat fits like a glove.

The first thing you want to do even before you get in the water is see if you fit in it. You’re looking for points of contact – as many points of contact as you can. Make sure your feet are set on the footpegs and your heals are flat on the bottom of the boat. The more points of contact you have the more control you have. So you want your knees and thighs to be jammed in there, and you want to be hitting at your hips and your butt. Proper fitting of your boat is very important to get the required performance from your surf kayak.

3. Know how to exit your kayak.

One of the first things that is going to happen is you are going to catch an edge and you’re going to go upside down. Surf boats are difficult to roll but you don’t need to know how to roll to start. It’s just more exhausting if you need to get out and swim. As the bare minimum you need to know how to pull your sprayskirt off and wet exit just like you would for any other form of paddling.

4. Think safety.

Check to make sure there is nobody else around you. There’s an etiquette that board surfers follow that kayak surfers should follow as well. You want to make sure you’re not near anyone because if you have to bail out of this and your kayak is full of water it’s very heavy. It can hurt other people and it can break boards.

5. Start slow and easy.

A beginner usually starts in the impact zone as it is known: the area where you see the white waves and the white wash. This is where surf kayaking is much more enjoyable for a beginner, because a surf kayak will surf the foam pile. You don’t have to get outside the surf line and you don’t have to get on a green wave to start.

6. Head straight into surf.

The paddle to use is a whitewater paddle. Use a fairly short, deep stroke. As you first head out into a whitewater wave you want to hit the wave face on. Wait for it to break and make for the foam pile. That’s the easiest conditions for crossing. Place the paddle blade in the water and lift your body up to throw the boat up and over the foam.

7. Ride a wave.

When you get to the spot you’re comfortable, start with some side surfs. Place your kayak parallel to the whitewater wave and feel how it pushes the boat along. You’re going to put your paddle blade in and lean into it. To start you want a little speed so paddle and lean a little bit forward. Once you feel yourself picked up by the wave, depending on where your comfort level is, you can back up a little bit and ride the wave in. In a surf boat you’re not going to be heading straight to shore. It’s going to try to curve along and you’re going to follow the wave so you want to be prepared to be able to lean into whichever way you turn so you can stay upright no matter which way you go.