WE’RE really getting a taste for watersports here, as I was eager to get back in the water for this week’s edition of Tryout Tuesday to give the electrifying sport of surf kayaking a go.
I was hosted this week by the historied Jersey Surf Kayak Club, which has been operating on the Island since the 1970s before taking its modern form in 1993, to qualify for competition at the world level.
With all this experience under their belt, who better to take me on my first steps into the sport? I’ve always loved kayaking, so I was thrilled to try out the adrenaline fuelled version of the sport.
Without further ado, let’s jump right in.
What is surf kayaking?
“Surf kayaking is a rather niche part of the wider world of kayaking, with various roots from surfing and river kayaking” said David Priddis, the club’s chairman. “You get the same buzz of surfing while also paddling out to face and tame the conditions. This just allows you to get out there and enjoy yourself in a wider range of conditions.
“It’s really pure fun, it’s kind of like the high-g part of kayaking. I’ve always loved kayaking and learnt through the air cadets, finding my way from river kayaking to rock hopping, before finally settling on surf kayaking.”
As the name suggests, surf kayaking is the sport, technique and equipment used in surfing ocean waves with kayaks, holding many similarities to surfing – just with a boat designed for surf zones, as well as a paddle.
There are a great number of different designs on offer to showcase the sport’s evolution through the years, usually equipped with up to four fins with a three fin thruster set being the most common. They typically have flat bottoms and hard rails – similar to surf boards – and promote the use of a moving ocean surf wave.
Although the sport’s popularity ebbs and flows, it’s said that surf kayaking has steadily gained popularity over the last several years in the United States and across Europe, with the annual World Surf Kayak Championships held in different cities across the globe.
Bringing our focus more locally, the Jersey Surf Kayak Club have been striving to grow the sport on the Island’s shores, with pool sessions and kit investment helping to “reduce barriers”.
“We formed the modern version of our club in 1993, as we had a focus to make it more of a club for the wider community,” Priddis continued. “We’ve been holding beginner sessions and pool sessions over the winter months – as it’s not so nice out in the sea at that time of year – making it more accessible for everyone and encouraging them to keep kayaking.
“The club have also invested greatly into securing club kit, meaning that we have equipment on offer for those just starting out, which helps reduce barriers and raise awareness of the sport.”
Priddis went on to explain more about the local community, adding: “We have a growing community here in Jersey, with a dedicated core very focused on the sport – but we’re keen to expand. There’s a great camaraderie here, everyone’s always looking out for each other and don’t hesitate to check if everyone’s all good.”
It’s known that being active on the water brings a wide array of benefits, as Priddis went on to say: “Of course, there’s the obvious mental benefit of being outdoors and on the water, but surf kayaking is a sneakily demanding sport. It’s just exhilarating, and you have to be quite fit to paddle effectively.
“Although it can be demanding, it’s not an impact sport, meaning that it’s a lot more forgiving on the boy and you can carry on well into your later years. This also helps make it a very inclusive and accessible sport, there’s something for everyone.
“In Jersey, most people don’t just stick to one sport – they take part in loads. The advantage of surf kayaking is that it compliments a load of other sports quite well, so you can easily take the skills you learn and cross-pollinate.”
With this drive to grow the club and expand their reach, Priddis shared his ambitions going forward: “Eventually, the goal for us is to, hopefully, have enough paddlers good selections for the world championships, with 12 needed for a full team. There’s the Male, Female, Junior, Senior and Grand Master categories, and I’d ideally like someone in all of them.
“Locally, we just want to increase the profile of the sport and make it as accessible as we can. Jersey Sport have been hugely supportive, being a big help in our journey to becoming what we are today, through either funding or helping wherever they can.
“We have our next pool session coming up on the 11th of March, so do come down and give it a go – we’d be happy to have you. As it starts to heat up, we’ll also start heading outdoors and everyone’s welcome.”
If you’d like to make your start in this exciting sport, then please get in touch with the Jersey Surf Kayak Club through the email: chairman@jerseysurfkayakclub.com, or check out their Facebook page.
Time to have a paddle
I always loved to jump on the kayak whenever I was at the beach, so to say I was looking forward to returning to the paddle and trying a whole new form of the sport would be an understatement.
With my prior experience being on the sit-on-top kayaks, I thought that, when it comes down to it, kayaking is all the same, right? Well, I was about to find out for myself.
After helping carry the gear through and get everything all set up, I was changed and ready to jump in! I squeezed my way into the kayak, and then it was time to go through the paddling motion, as David explained.
The fact that David is so clearly passionate about the sport really did support his coaching throughout the night, as he was keen to watch over and help wherever necessary. With something as essential to the sport as the paddle technique, David made it so easy to pick up quickly as he broke it down to the basics, making it easy for a beginner like myself.
I was told the vessel would be quite sensitive going in, with David also saying that tip overs “were common” when learning, so I was prepared to get absolutely soaked. As I made contact with the water, it was very rocky to start off, but I was so locked in on no turning upside down that I managed to stay afloat, for the time being anyway.
Once I had gotten used to the feeling, I then started to paddle around the pool, slowly growing into it. After paddling around for a short while, slowly upping the pace as I went, I was ready for the next challenge to conquer.
I paddled over to David and asked what’s next, and the task I was given seemed easy enough: just paddle in a straight line. That was it, easy work!
Well, as easy as it sounded, I was forced to eat my words as I made my attempts under David’s watchful eye, let’s just say it wasn’t going to plan. With the target of a metal beam firmly in my sights, I just couldn’t help but continually drift off course, forcing myself to swallow some pride as I made my way back to David, who offered some insight from his observation.
Despite some improvement, I still just couldn’t stay on course – I somehow met my match very early on, but there was no time to sulk as I jumped straight on to the next thing, which was cornering and turning.
After being walked through the techniques, it was time for me to try it – maybe this would be my strong suit. Although it may look easy enough, the amount of core engagement involved is certainly surprising, it really was a full body movement, not just the shoulders and arms – which is where I went wrong originally.
Under David’s careful instruction, I had picked it up relatively well – that’s what we’re talking about! Keen to progress and show a bit of flair, I asked a fellow kayaker some more advanced manoeuvres, which felt proper satisfying to pull off.
I have to say, the group down there brought a very good community feel to the session, I felt welcome from the off, and you could tell how much they were enjoying themselves. The fact that they were so easy to talk to and were very open to reach out and offer pointers helped make me feel a part of the group, making the session more enjoyable overall.
Being out on the water obviously brings its fair share of benefits, and the whole experience was so relaxing – almost therapeutic. I love being on the water any chance I get, and this really did match expectations. If you’re after a new watersport, then this is definitely one to try out!
