Like Ducks to Water

Like many things on this trip the sea kayaking seemed a good idea at the time, less so 12 hours later when we are about to actually take to the water! 

We are up early and meet our guide Nick on the beach at 8.30am.  After the safety briefing which basically consists of 'don’t worry it is flat calm you will all be ok' and 'if you manage to roll your kayak you must have been doing something very stupid' we are kitted out with buoyancy aids and spray skirts (to stop us taking on water and sinking).  Time to go – Mr M at the back in full command on steering and me in the front setting the pace and navigating – Nick gives us a big push off and off we go into the deep blue sea.

We are a small group of 3 kayaks and head out to some cool volcanic islands in the Bay.  We see a penguin on the way, cormorants and fur seals and some exciting rocky features.  Paddling is going well at this point too – we even enjoy going up and over some big rollers on the other side of the island. We seem to have taken to it like a couple of ducks to the water!

Mr M trying very hard to balance an old volcano on the end of his paddle...

Next up we paddle to Cathedral Cove – an amazingly beautiful beach with a natural rock arch through the cliff and also a very impressive stack.

Stack through arch

It is also time for a hot chocolate – Nick whips out his camping stove and some milk from his heavily laden kayak and gets to work – the best hot chocolates in quite a while as we had certainly worked hard for them!

Nick rustling up some top notch drinks

After a good explore of the beach and a rest from our paddling it is sadly time to paddle on.  We get back in and Mr M and I are to be launched off first.  Launching off in a kayak is apparently quite technical as if it goes wrong and you are launched at the wrong time / wrong angle etc you can get very wet or just end up in the water……

We wait a good couple of minutes until the conditions are seemingly perfect, missing the big waves, until we are pushed off.  Shame Nick didn’t see the big one coming…… Being at the front of the boat I had a couple of seconds warning as to what was about to happen, as time stood still and the extremely large wave a good 10 inches above my head loomed in front of us.  In such a situation I did the only thing which came naturally and screamed, before being given a total dunking head to waist soaking wet in cold Pacific Ocean!  Nevertheless I am brave and unstoppable after our previous world adventures and carry on paddling regardless.

  

Mrs M mid paddle

We carry on around the coast – going through some more arches and see some other good volcanic rock formations.  As the waves and wind start to pick up its sadly time to head back to the shore.  Despite both being head to toe dripping wet we have both had the best morning and found we really enjoyed sea kayaking – now looking forward to our next paddling adventure or perhaps time to get into training for Rio 2016!

Mrs M.