I haven’t been out in it much recently. Jessie has a love affair with rivers and I’ve pretty much been going out every other day with her, but when I looked at the forecast and realised that there was going to be a near perfect 4 foot clean set coming in I knew I had to take her out and get her converted.
I love surf not only because of the feeling of freedom but its where I have come from.. my roots in kayaking come from surfing in mini breaks in south Wales. In my mind surf is one of the most perfect ways to introduce a beginner to many aspects of river kayaking… What better way is there to teach edge control and body position I ask you? But also it’s a great place to attempt your first moving water roll in a (moderately) controlled environment. I would never ask someone to throw themselves over on a river but take them out back on a nice surf set and what’s the harm? (obviously you need to pick the right beach!! No reefs people!)
Its all a case of building confidence in people… I find surf a great way to promote learning as people generally feel much more willing to give it a go with less fear. But what they learn can be immediately put into play in a river situation as well.
Paddling through the break without ending up in a back surf = boating through a hole
Surfing a wave = surfing a wave but also lessons on edge control and stability
Anyway I think its awesome!! I can’t wait for some big sets to come in so I can rip it up in my Squashtail!
