Now this looks like fun! One of the things I enjoy the most about kayaking in the ocean is playing in the waves near the shore. One of my boats is a short sit-on-top that has removable thigh straps, so it can handle even moderately challenging whitewater and waves. I don't use that kayak as much as I used to, but after watching this video trailer for a kayak surfing movie, I may just have to give my fishing and touring kayaks a rest.
If you are like me, you love a quiet stretch of beach where you can paddle, fish, swim, and even camp. You may remember a post I did last year about some of the best beach campsites in the US. The original article neglected to include one of my favorite beach campsites, Cape Sable in Everglades National Park, so I added my two cents. Well I just happened on an article about Florida's Best Secret Beaches, and again they neglected to mention my favorite!
Remember, the Kayak Sportsman is into all manner of kayaking, including the heart-pounding, whitewater variety. I will admit that I have never been over a waterfall much higher than about 8 feet, but I definitely admire those who have plunged over falls much higher. If you like crazy whitewater footage, then YouTube has you covered too.
Have you ever seen an episode of Florida Sportsman's "Shallow Water Angler" television show? Well, as you can imagine, it highlights the best fishing that takes place in...you guessed it...shallow water! Well, here is a nice 8 minute segment from a recent episode that is all about kayak fishing, with Captain Mike Kogan, in Jacksonville, Florida.
Self Support Kayak Camping is a web site for those of you that are interested in hard-core camping by kayak. The site has a small but useful collection of articles and videos that cover everything from boat and gear selection, to trip planning. The site looks to have been live for less than a month, but the posts already available offer some great tips for those of you who like to rough it by kayak.
Kayak Angler magazine is making their Spring 2010 magazine available as a free digital edition online. All they ask is that you provide an email address, and then the magazine is yours to read online or download to read offline. This issue includes their annual buyer's guide and some great articles. Of course, there are also plenty of advertisements, so you can drool over the next boat or gadget that you absolutely must have.
For those kayak anglers who live in New England, there is a great online resource called (appropriately enough) New England Kayak Fishing. The web site has community features, like a forum and photo/video gallery, as well as articles and an event calendar. They also have some nice planning tools for checking tides and weather, viewing charts, and even a printable float plan.
National outdoor equipment retailer REI has a nice series of instructional videos available on their YouTube channel. The videos cover many topics, including quite a few specific to kayaking. There are also a few other videos that may be of interest to you kayak sportsmen and women (camping, outdoors essentials, equipment testing, etc.).
If you didn't think that kayak fishing was becoming a big-time sport, here's more evidence. The 7th annual Jacksonville Kayak Fishing Classic tournament, scheduled for May 8th, 2010, boasts more than $80,000.00 in prizes and gifts! This tournament has quickly become one of the premiere events on the kayak fishing calendar, and is well worth the trip to Jacksonville, FL.
Helen Skelton, the host of the popular BBC children's show Blue Peter, is three weeks into her solo kayak journey down the Amazon river. According to the BBC, as of yesterday, she has broken two Guinness world records: the longest solo kayak journey, and the longest distance in 24 hours in a kayak for a woman (75 miles in one day). She is paddling about 60 miles each day, with one day of rest per week, in an attempt to complete the 2,010 mile journey in six weeks.
