wave height
I never get into this 5 or 6 foot wave stuff. A 6 foot wave is a giant and will pulverize you. Remember you’re roughly 3 feet tall in your kayak. I know about how waves feel according how large they are on my body. Once they get shoulder height and above, I am very cautious because I have been tumbled. It’s best to always start with some stomach height waves because in the mix a few larger ones will be there and you can feel what you can get away with. Once you get tumbled by a head height wave, you’re not too cocky any more. These paddlers in videos doing honest 6+ footers are very experienced, in good shape and know what they are dealing with from gradual experiences. You can get hurt really bad doing that stuff.
wow!
That footage is amazing. Those waves are a different level than anything I’ve seen. I can see you need to roll under to survive if you are under the break of waves that size. I’m amazed the paddler wasn’t sucked out of the boat after being upside down in some of those.
I don’t purposely go out in waves
like those too much anymore. I have been in bigger and literally been staggered on a couple occasions where it was a trip back to shore to wear it off. The rest of the day was a fairly conservative outing, as you can imagine. In the video lots of those waves were closeouts and the ride quality suffers. The Pacific ocean has alot to throw at you.
In one of the other threads I suggested getting to know the beach. That includes what the surf looks like given the swell direction, period, estuarial outflow, shoals and tidal state. I can claim to have decent knowledge of 3 breaks here in the NW and when I look at a couple of forecasts I have a fair idea of what I’m getting myself into. If one is purpose built for surfing than anything will usually do, however, I no longer do that. I go out when the forecast is ideal. To me that means a 4 foot swell with a decent period on a building tide for quality shape. When it gets bigger and there is nothing to do, a building tide on one of my breaks will usually provide ok quality reform waves and not the green beasts of the outside. It takes alot to go outside so I don’t like giving away that effort on the nearest wave that comes along. I have made the 2 hour trip to Westport, looked over the hill and said no thanks.
Dogmaticus
I can’t relate to this as I paddle the
– Last Updated: Oct-20-09 3:07 PM EST –
Great Lakes only. We do not get the kind of wave action, period, tide, reefs, etc, etc. I have never seen waves(in person) the size of those in the video. As long as I have no concerns over what is below the surface (plenty of depth), I would not have a great deal of fear for a fresh water wave that was a little over my head; generally speaking. What I saw in the video is not what I see in the Great Lakes. It seems that every proportion is bigger, I would guess this is related to the period which would make the distance from the front to the back of the wave much longer and thus the mass/volume/tonnage much more. We do not get long period waves in the GL. My opinions are based on a different experience, which is why I enjoy this thread. I am not now, or ever, expressing an opinion on my abilities, or anyone else's. There is no room in my boat for ego(I take up all the room), I just want to have fun and grow (experience, not girth). Experience cannot be found on the board, but I enjoy the "friendly" opinions. Bill
BTW- I know the video is a highlight of guys getting hammered, but I wish they would show what happens in the recovery. What happens after could be informative.
If you went on youtube you could
find surf kayak videos of varying quality. There’s alot to learn from watching a good boater do his/her thing. Keith (Will remember his last name when I hit “post”) who has a blog also posts some of his videos from GL surfing here. Pretty interesting as I’ve not boated there. Another place to listen to surf specific commentary is the surf zone board on boatertalk. Not trying to redirect. Then there’s the occasional video or pix from Sing.
Dogmaticus
Yes, he is located on
the west side of the state where Lake Michigan can offer some nice surf for the Great Lakes. If you look at his videos you can see that the wave conditions (typical of the GL) look more like a boil or white water/tide race. The waves tend not to spread out and often white cap before they dump, and usually the dump is closer to shore and in water that can be shallow. The ocean waves almost look like 1000 foot freighters coming in sideways and usually in pretty uniform timing and size. I am not going to taunt you ocean guys, but surf zone excluded, sometimes the Great Lakes can be more uncomfortable in the same “wave size” than the ocean. The GL’s I think are more of a washing machine, especially where I live in Lake St. Clair. I am looking forward to seeing and paddling open salt water, and I will get some help and local knowledge for bigger waves in the surf zone. Bill
The lakes are a challenging area,
no doubt about it. Freshwater waves can be quite sharp. The lakes have a well deserved reputation for challenging conditions. And the bugs.
Dogmaticus
Yep, the way I see it is my sinus’s take
a beating they would not take in salt water. The trade off is I don’t have to worry about something eating me. Except maybe a giant dumping wave.
Bill
Hobuck is the place to go
Just S of Cape Flattery in Makah Bay. Nice sloping bottom profile creates some nice big spilling waves. I’ve been out there with 8’+ breaking waves and I will say that it’s intimidating, but to a newbie a 2’ wave is intimidating.
Shi Shi, just around Portage Head, on the other hand, at least on the northern end is has a steep bottom profile and creates some pretty unpleasant closed out conditions and I’ve gotten trashed there. I will say that going around Portage head can be scarier than the landing in the surf, though.
Best not to roll -
Watch this guy - admittedly, not in a sea kayak, but amazing how he rides with the water and without fighting it is right-side-up (no rolling) in several instances where I was sure he’d be swimming…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeL1DlmAjg0
Too big
Don’t wear your sunglasses in the surf.
When you are headed out, a too big breaking or just broken wave will tend to immediately pitch pole you backwards. Starting off upside down reduces the wave impact, and then allows the pitch poling to rightside up you. Don’t forget to take a big breath, you might be under for a long time from a wave that big. You have to have the right vigor, skills and attitude to consider this type of thing fun.
Once when my trip out changed instantly into pitch poling backwards, I popped up and rode the wave in. More luck than skill. I headed right back to the beach and laid down for a while after that, the hyperviolence took quite a bit out of me.
Been there lots. When the swell is
big enough to get through the outer reefs and rocks on the edge of Makah Bay (often) you can get great surf there. One of the problems with Shi Shi beach is the rockiness all along it’s length. There is what appears to be an indian canoe slide just north of Point of Arches where it looks like alot of rocks were moved away for the old wooden canoe. Landing and launching there is sometimes easier as long as you mind the wall. The north and west trending point also acts as a bit of a swell shadow and I’ve been there numerous times when the swell there was not as big a hundred yards and further north.
I agree about Portage Head, the reflecting waves can be intimidating. There is a bit of rip current that flows out of Makah Bay, particularly when the Sooes river is pumping. Same for the north end and the Waatch river, but not as bad. Been out to the Cape itself? Great paddling when the conditions are good.
Dogmaticus