Kayak Surfing

This Summer I accidentally signed up for kayak surfing and it turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. When I was planning my California roadtrip, I thought it would be fun to kayak in the Pacific Ocean. I browsed through different tours and settled on Central Coast Kayaks Cave Excursion Tour. I thought we would kayak into caves in a protected area of the Ocean and our guide would point at cool rocks, crystals and marine life along the way. It seems I skipped reading the tour description which describes it as “exhilarating” and “strenous” and just blindly booked based on the high reviews. Best mistake of my life!

The Cost

I paid for a single kayak ($110), but you can choose a tandem kayak (2 people) for $198. The price covers the tour, wet suit, jacket, booties, helmet, lifejacket, light snacks, photos, and the kayak. The only requirement is that you know how to swim. Paddling and wave riding techniques are taught during the 3-hour tour.

We got really lucky and our tour ended up being only myself and my friend so we basically got our own private excursion. Shout out to CCK for not canceling the tour since only 2 people signed up; many other places would have. I’ve seen photos of other CCK excursions and 10 is the average number of people for a tour.

The Experience

The day before the event I called ahead to ask if we should bring clothing layers since the ambient temperature was a bit chilly, but was told to only wear our bathing suits and that all other paddling clothes would be provided. We arrived 15 minutes before our scheduled departure time to get fitted for wetsuits and booties. Still clueless about what was to come, my main concern was being cold. I was assured that I would most likely be hot in all the gear provided and would end up removing layers, (we ended up taking our jackets off after a few minutes of paddling). After we got dressed, we took a short walk to the beach where our guide taught us basic paddling techniques and how to get back in the kayak if we fell out.

Once on the water, we paddled towards the sea caves. After about 20 minutes of paddling, I became a little sea sick and let the guide know. He offered ginger chews which helped a lot. We continued paddling and spotted some otters and seals nearby. The first caves we went into had very calm waters. Here our guide taught us more advanced paddling techniques. How to turn the kayak in place, how to back paddle, and how to use the paddle as a rudder to quickly change direction. We then continued on and entered a cave that had a small beach landing. We got out of the kayaks and took a short break here with the option to eat some cliff bars.

After this break, the real adventure began. We went into a cave where the ocean waves can enter and you surf them inside. You have to set up to meet the wave head on and once it’s almost on you, you paddle as hard as you can up the wave. The kayaks are sit on top which means the water is splashing over your head (this feels great because you’re hot at this point). Once a wave breaks you have 3-4 seconds to settle before the next one arrives and you do it again.

If you don’t paddle hard enough or if you are not facing the wave head on it could flip you over. The guide was right there in case I fell out in order to help me get back in. I surfed about 4-5 waves back to back. It was absolutely the most exhilarating, adrenaline-pumping activity I’ve done in a very long time.

After this cave, we paddled out a bit more to find a short canal between two large rocks. Here we surfed more waves. This time instead of surfing against them we surfed with them. Once we were all surfed out we paddled back to the starting point. From here we went back to the shop and changed. The next day CCK sent a dropbox link with our adventure photos.

Important Details to Know

• I am claustrophobic but the caves did not trigger any fears/panic. Although they are caves, they had large openings with a lot of light coming in.
• My tour was during low tide, this meant there was a lot of seaweed to paddle through which did make it slightly more difficult, but not by much.
• The low tide also meant the cave entrances were overall larger.
• If you are prone to seasickness, then you should bring Dramamine or an equivalent with you.
• I did fall out at the end, once we got close to shore and it wasn’t bad at all.
• You don’t have to go into any cave you don’t feel comfortable with, that being said, even if scared (I was terrified) you should do it anyway. It ended up being amazing.
• The guide can’t guarantee you will ride big waves or small waves, it’s just what comes. You have to go with the flow and accept what nature gives you.
• And lastly, it’s completely okay to pee in a wetsuit! Our guide put it “there are two types of people, those that pee in wetsuits and those that lie about it”.