Women Rock!

Liquid Fusion Kayaking's Rock n Surf Safari last weekend was a blast.  Two women joined Jeff and I for some kayak surfing and whitewater of the sea aka ocean rock garden whitewater kayaking.  These women rocked!  We created Liquid Fusion Kayaking's Kayak Surfaris to share the fun of paddling, surfing, and exploring different locations with the same crew of paddlers.  Last weekend we pegged the fun meter again!

Over the 2 and a half days, we surfed 4 different surf breaks and rock gardened on 3 different stretches of the Mendocino Coast.

Preparing to launch an hp surf kayak at a break on the Mendocino Coast

The idea of the weekend is strictly play; however, our students were eager learners, and we are teachers so we shared tips for them to improve their performance.  Specifically, we were working on performance surf kayak skills and whitewater kayak skills that would transfer to whitewater river kayaking.

Whitewater Kayaking in Ocean Rock Gardens on the Mendocino Coast

The beauty of the whitewater kayak is its versatility and maneuverability.  It is not a craft to go fast or far with on the ocean but affords the opportunity for maximum fun.  We have a couple of tricks up our sleeves as well for making the most of whitewater kayaks on the sea.  Every day on the ocean in a short boat puts a smile on my face, and we find that smile to be contagious.  

Running a Pour-over Feature on the Mendocino Coast

Our surfari wasn't all about waves but also embraced the wonder of the sea.  The Pacific gray whales are starting their migration to Mexico.  One cruised in close to the rocks that we were playing on as it made its way south.  A highlight for me was encountering a family of river otters in a sea cave.  I think they were as curious about me as I was about them.  I would say that the wow and wonder factor for everyone over the weekend was the dynamic ocean conditions that we encountered.  Some of them we played on and others we admired from a safe zone.

Kayaking and Playing in Dynamic Water - Sara gets a ride on a zipper wave

The surfari started out with small surf and swell conditions and built through the weekend.  Sunday concluded with a large, long period swell moving into the waters of the Mendocino Coast.