Understanding and getting through surf is the bane of many paddlers. Of all of the lectures I do at symposia, the surf zone presentation is the one with the greatest number of listeners. If you paddle on the ocean or any large lake, you can have problems with surf if you do not know how to handle the waves. As a former captain of the US Surf Kayaking Team, competing in the world championships held in 1991 and 1993, I feel I have valuable information to share on the subject. In addition, when I ran the Outdoor Program at UC Santa Barbara, I developed a very successful "Negotiating The Surf Zone" class since the campus was right on the ocean. The meat of that class and a lot more are contained in our award winning "ABC's Of The Surf Zone" video on sale at the USK Store.
If you are curious about the surf zone I recommend our video and the following articles to help you in the surf zone.
Launching A Kayak Through Surf
"Mermaid's Walk" - Launching A Kayak From Shore
Surf Zone Safety Considerations List
Surfing A Wave And Side Surf Combo
© Copyright USK