Beautiful…demanding
The Oly outer coast is in many ways more demanding than much of outer Vancouver I. Vancouver Island has a more convoluted coastline; even in big swell, it is possible to find landings with little more than ankle slappers. Not so on the Oly coast.
That said, I would say that in addition to solid surf skills, one must also have very good chart reading skills. Many landings are only accessible at certain tide heights. Also, swell direction is just as critical as swell height.
Another skill that helps is the ability to navigate using dead reckoning. When (not if) fog rolls in, it is rare that one can hand rail the shoreline. Too many rocks, reefs, boomers. Planning the next safe landing, and plotting your course can make life much less stressful.
A few landings offer little in the way of camp sites. Be very cautious of the scum line (alternatively, be familiar with the rule of twelfths, and have tide height predictions). Most sites offer sandy beaches, and lots of driftwood.
Now, a funny story. Many years ago, Steve (aka Flatpick) his wife Cindy, and I were camped close to Cape Johnson. A backpacker dropped by, and asked, “did we kayak here”…wow…being nice, we simply said, yes. The response went something like this- “I’ve always wanted to try it…next time I come here, I think I will kayak”. Then walked away.
Wow. Just…wow. If only ignorance hurt.
depends
a good sized portion of the trip from Neah to La Push is in the NP, a bunch ain’t. you could commercially run from La Push up N and back long as you don’t cross the park boundaries. you may need tribal permission/ permit. you can do trips outta Neah with their day-use permit, a bunch of folks do.
steve
yep!
there is no need to promote kayaking on this coastline. Read the sea kayaker mag article and the responses in the next issue. No guide service that I know would take this trip on. I would only do it with other paddlers that I seriously knew and trusted. This IS what serious sea kayaking is all about!
steve
It’s the “no star zone bro” 
C’mon you two!!
Last I heard there were no legit 5 star conditions in the USA? What the heck are you saying :)… The OLY Coast is “casual”.
Otterslide, as someone who’s done both this coast and Outer Van Is. I can report tense times on both, BUT, the fight of my life was just south of Cape Scott to Northern Brooks. I recall telling Kierron Tagstad about such prior to his trip. Some months after, over a few beers, he confided in me a similar terrifying experience in the same waters. Unreal. That area is just amazing and you can be in 20ft seas in no time!
Still wake up in cold sweats remembering it in dreamland.
apparently…
it is one of a handful of places that gets royal ascent for 5 beans training. that’s the ‘guided tour’ i was during sortie there. i’d love to go back with a group of friends, but would prefer very calm conditions so that one could explore all the rock formations, and cracks and caves around Tatoosh.
uh?
not sure I follow Salty …
yep
of the whole trip the tip of Flattery is the coolest for caves, tunnels and such. the sandstone there is awesome. there is one tunnel that is literally pitch dark, just narrow enough to handrail thru and very long that takes you thru the mountain and deposits you on the other side. pretty scarry in a thrill ride kinda way.
steve
'awards badges’
aren’t going to help you here. Salty’s right there are no BCU 5* conditions here. not enough current and pretty mellow stuff.
=:-0)
steve
47 MLB
About 40k lbs. twin Detroits, self rights in less than 10 seconds, aluminum, 25 knot cruise. Canadian version of the same design (under license) has Cats, and weighs about 44k lbs. Painted rather than bare alloy. Awesome vessels!
La Push is also the location of the tragedy some years back where a 44 MLB flipped three times in a storm ans washed ashore on an island with one surviving crew member.
The old 44’s were amazing craft, but slower. Only two were casualties in 4 decades of service!
Just some boat trivia.
Cape Scott comparison
Just hit me how similar Cape Scott and Cape Flattery are. Potential for big seas, poor landing choices, and nasty ebbs.
At least on Cape Flattery it is a short walk out if one breaks a boat! And the breakfast is good at the Makah Maiden.
As for Keirron…that frightening time was confirmed by his partner on that trip, Jeff Norville (one of my long time paddling buds). Jeff was terrified, and relied on Keirron’s positive attitude to get through that. Guess attitude can be everything!
No Badges here …
not since Canoeing Merit Badge days anyway.
Yeah!
After a few pints Keirron got real honest. Said it was the roughest water he’d been in and scared the ***out of him. Being the great athletes he and your pal are, they dealt with it.
He said his Brit pals (mates…sorry) accused him of over-exaggering as he had no pics. Hell, he said, ya couldn-ee take yer ****hands of yer bloody paddle mate!!
Fun stuff. That Point of Arches area North of Ozette is awesome. I recall Grey whales following me into Shi Shi one October. Kinda freaky.
BTW folks, my comment about the “stars” only stems from a chuckle I had some months ago when I read some East coaster’s diatribe about there being no adequate “conditions” for 5 star training in the US. That right there is funny! Don’t care who ya are, that right there is funny!
Memphis, a guide would be the
insane party to try to book unknowns or near unknowns on that stretch. The prohibition is entirely reasonable.
Dogmaticus
Salty, I have a big ol’ mug of 5*
Kool-Aid headed your way. One of the most ridiculous approximations of the Oly Coast is “it isn’t 5*”!
Uh huh, ya sure.
Dogmaticus
You are exactly correct. The course
providers need a venue assessed to be “5*” by someone who’s paddled it, but from across the pond. That is the fun part. You have pretty good races off Flattery, a river bar, not only off the Quileute in La Push and also off Ozette and Hoh rivers. Then the ocean swell. There is also a night nav component, however, it is easily satisfied with a simple dawdle in Neah Bay or even Crescent Bay, Juan de Fuca. None of the primary features are a problem along the Oly coast. In fact, it is usually a bit more than many can handle, but the distance is long. Not quite as far as Wales, but is there a problem with that?
Dogmaticus
given that 5 beans training
is done there, by those very same Brits, i do believe they’ve give it royal ascent. now as for testing i have no idea. my (limited) understanding, is that they’ve agreed to only do it in the motherland, given that it is a nation specific organisation.
guides
I dunno, I bet you could come up with a way to vet prospective clients. The SK community isn’t that large and people know each other across the coasts, so maybe the guide could require some kind of referral by somebody who knows somebody, plus a 2-hour get-acquainted/surfing/rescue-practice session beforehand.
Of course, you wouldn’t need to hire a formal guide if you could use the word-of-mouth network to hook up with a friend-of-a-friend who volunteered to go along and share some local knowledge. Unfortunately, it’s a well-known fact that PNW sea kayakers are social misfits who can’t get along with normal people It’s maybe something in the water, or psychological disturbances caused by the fact that it rains all the time. Hence the need for paid guides.
I called a NP prohibition “insane” because, as far as I can see, it serves no NP priority that I am aware of, and actually contradicts one (safety) that I know to exist. NP policy is to promote visitation, not discourage it, so their reason can’t be to try to cut down on traffic. Perhaps somebody can enlighten me on the purpose of the prohibition, if it exists.
I say “if it exists” because a quick google search seems to come up with a number of outfitters who offer guide services in the park. None feature the coastal sea kayak trip on their websites (which I wouldn’t expect, since that would be a very limited market because of the skills necessary) but they are clearly offering guide services in the park for hiking, rafting and river kayaking. So what exactly is the prohibition ya’ll are talking about? Can you show me anything from the NPS in writing that says guided coastal trips are prohibited
I wouldn’t even guide myself 
NM
Hurricane Riders…
Leave your nose clips at home…
Just a passing thunder storm will topple oak trees… and approaching tropical storms produce massive waves and wind… Hurricane Rider, yeah right… now that’s laughable…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IydBcGTZzH4&feature=related