Hi,

Englishman in sydney here, new to surf kayaking and keen to learn.

Anyone else in same situation or fancy showing me how to properly surf?

Cheers

Rob

Hi Rob,

I'm not sure how many surf kayaker's visit this site in the Sydney area. I'm a whitewater kayaker from just up North on the Central Coast. I take my playboat in the surf when I get the chance though.

Maybe try contact these guys: www.surfkayaks.com.au - If anyone knows of any surf kayakers in sydney, these guys would be your best bet.

cheers mate, going to jervis bay this weekend to possibly buy a mega maverick from them, so i'll learn more then i suppose.

do you know anything about surf kayaks, which are good/bad etc?

bought a fluid element instead, so excited.......comes wednesday, anyone any ozzie sydney kayak tips - locations, techniques...?

You may want to have a look at this website. It's more of a whitewater kayaking website, but I know there's a few sydney-siders who take their playboats out in the surf. www.adventurepro.com.au/paddleaustralia/


What is your current skill level? Can you roll a kayak? Learn that first in a pool, and once you're doing that alright, practice on the other side. If a wave tips you over you'll get surfed upside down sideways, and it's not always going to be on your strong side for rolls. So practice a few rolls on your off side.

Also just take it slow, start on some smaller waves and work your way up. The hardest thing in medium to big surf is getting out over all the white wash. It simply takes practice to get better at this and get confidence as well! Taking a swim really isn't something you want to do if you can avoid it. Simply because when your kayak is full of water, it weighs a tonne. Even if your close to shore it can be a struggle to get it the last few metres to the sand. I've had my kayak full of water and pulled it onto shore, but the weight combined with the wet sand meant I couldn't even tip it over to empty it! I had to wait for another wave to wash up to help me.

Having said that, the more you get out there, the quicker you'll learn. And it's great fun, so get out there! Even though it's a bit colder in winter now, you generally get better surf, so don't use that as an excuse. If you're getting cold, make sure to upgrade your gear to keep you warm.

cheers mate, intend to take it to a lake first and re-master my roll. i could do it once, but that was 15 years ago.

I've been surfing an ocean kayak yak board for a few months with some success, so i'm used to getting battered by the waves, but all it does is go in a traight line. can't wait to try a proper surf kayak.

as for the cold, i'm english, this is boiling.

the roll is the key, if i can do that i reckon i'll be sorted...... hopefully.

I have just started a Sea Kayak Forum based in Sydney and 1 of our members is a Yak Surfer. You can contact him here.
www.seakayakforum.com

Hi Rob

There is a few of us based in the Eastern Suburbs and North Shore who surf kayak in and around Sydney. Drop me a line if you are still looking for a group to paddle with.

Andrew