Sand Up My Nose: Surf Kayaking at Long Beach

August-September 1999

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Annette Lyster

Getting out through the surf zone is one thing-the return trip is something else!

It doesn't sound all that fun, does it, sand being blown with the force of a tornado into all known and unknown crevices of your body. Sand, frigid water and a sense of disorientation are all included in the exciting sport of kayak surfing.

Last October I had the opportunity to go kayak surfing with two friends through the kayak club at my university. The destination: Long Beach, on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, BC. I hadn't spent much time in a river kayak, in fact, I wasn't even able to execute 'the roll' despite much effort practicing in the pool and about fifty gallons of water up my nose. But surf kayaking sounded fun and we had been assured by other club members that we would be able to handle it. So we packed up our wetsuits and warm woollies and headed west.

The road to the West Coast goes through the mountains and is rather treacherous. Driving it at night in the nasty storm that we encountered was a little stressful to say the least, but we persevered and arrived safely. We stayed in a beautiful lodge overlooking the water where we relaxed from our journey by soaking in the outdoor hot tub. Then nearly all of us had heart attacks as some seasoned members of the club threw us into the ocean to demonstrate how warm it was, due to good of El Nino.

The next morning, a little drowsy from the events of the night before, we headed out to the beach where we were to have one of the most exciting experiences of our lives. The West Coast of Vancouver Island is a beautiful part of the world. The sandy beaches are long and the waves are powerful. You can hear the thunder of the waves before you see the beach. It was foggy and misty that morning, and later turned to rain. It felt like we were on the very edge of the earth.

It was soon time to struggle into our gear. Wetsuit, paddling jacket, booties, lifejacket and helmet took us a while to get ready. As soon as we were gussied up in our bizarre looking outfits we headed for the boats. Once in our kayaks, and after a brief lesson on what to do and what not to do, we were dragged from our nice, safe sandy docks into the inhumanely chilly Pacific Ocean. As I was paddling out through the breakers, I felt a little uneasy and quickly found out why. I was promptly slapped in the face by a cold wave that took my breath away and instantly drew to my attention the fact that I was indeed in the ocean, and about to be pummeled.

The first wave that I caught was small and I rode it in like a pro. "Yee-haw!" This is a blast, I thought, and not so difficult. After a couple more small waves I got brave and paddled out a little further to some larger ones. I caught one and was suddenly educated about the downside or more accurately the upside downside-aspect of kayak surfing.

It's pretty damn cold, wet, dark and yes-sandy underneath a kayak in the surf. I found this out the hard way, which tends to be how I learn most things. I was able to perfect this inverted style of surfing by practicing it on every wave. I was getting a little discouraged and my nose was getting pretty sore from all of the salt water and sand it was funneling. But then I did it! I conquered the beast right side up! However, in my jubilation I failed to notice the only obstacle on the beach, a washed up tree.

My eyes widened as the amount of water under me rapidly decreased and I saw that I was about to crash into the tree. As I scraped over the threatening log I let out a sigh of relief, happy to be in one piece. It was right about then that I learned a very valuable lesson about undertow. Suddenly I was being dragged backwards towards the tree.

"Oh oh," I thought, "this can't be good". In fact it was very bad. As I was travelling in reverse I somehow managed to flip over and became wedged like a doorstop under the problematic tree. I was lodged quite snugly between the tree and the sand. The situation became even more worrisome when I figured out that I would be below sea level with the next approaching wave. Luckily, one of the kayak club members standing not far away who observed me sputtering and struggling, trying to free myself, ran over and pried me free. We then dislodged my kayak and I made one more run, well away from the tree.

A little battered and cold, but excited, I called it a day. I found my friend Ericka on the beach and we began to look for my roommate, Trena. After a small rescue effort to retrieve Trena, who had drifted quite a distance down the beach, we loaded up our kayaks and headed for the hot tub. Even though we were cold, tired and wet-and full of sand-we still managed to chatter about our adventures the entire drive back to the lodge. Kayak surfing has a few negative points but if given the opportunity to do it again, I would say "sure" in a heartbeat.

Annette Lyster is a copy writer at a radio station in Courtenay, BC