Full Circle
Everglades Challenge 2027
It has been far too long (12 years) since I’ve done any sort of expedition or ultra-distance race, but now the kids are older and more independent, I have a bit more time and freedom to plan, train for, and execute an ultra and I have registered for the Everglades…
Egmont Key
Egmont Key Long before our move to Bradenton became a reality I spent hours looking at Google Maps dreaming about the paddle adventures I could have once I had a kayak here. And top of my list of places I knew I had to paddle to was Egmont Key, a barrier island that…
Florida – A New Start
Florida – A New Start We moved to the West Coast of Florida in June 2025 to be closer to the kids. Our daughter Shea is at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina and our son Kai is at IMG Academy in Bradenton so it was a relatively easy decision for us…
Retirement from Paddle Sports Coaching & Retail
Retirement from Paddlesports Coaching & Retail There have been so many tragic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic: loss of lives, loss of livelihoods, economies in tatters. But for myself the pandemic and the subsequent ‘Stay At Home’ order back in March of…
Paddling on the Edge
Paddling on the Edge What does kayaking have to do with Pixar’s Cars movie? Do you remember the scene where Doc Hudson is coaching Lightning McQueen on how to race on dirt? Doc Hudson: “I’ll put it simple: if you’re going hard enough left, you’ll find yourself turning…
Staying Balanced
Article first published in Issue #70 Ocean Paddler Magazine | May 2019 Staying balanced is much more than a metaphor when it comes to paddlesports. As young children we have a low center of gravity and an instinctive ability to stay centered. You can put a young…
Feel The Pressure
Blade awareness is a term that you may have heard during your education as a paddler. But what does that mean? This article seeks to dig deeper into this concept and I encourage you to read this with your paddle handy so that you can imagine being in a kayak with the…
Light & Fast
This concept comes from the alpine style of mountaineering, where the aim is to leave behind everything but the minimum gear required to reach the objective under the assumed conditions. Why is this relevant to paddling? Well, in a sea kayak designed for multi-day…
Become a Better Student
By Sean Morley Are you a new or developing paddler seeking professional instruction or have you been taking classes and not seeing the improvement you’d hoped for? First of all – congratulations! By seeking professional instruction you are definitely on the…
Want to Become an Instructor?
A Brief Guide to ACA Instructor Certification We often get asked about instructor certification and so we thought we should try to explain the process as briefly as we can. The ACA website has a wealth of information on it but it may appear overwhelming for those that…
Bay of Fundy Sea Kayak Symposium – 2017
Experiencing the largest tidal range in the world is reason enough for any sea kayaker to want to attend ‘Fundy’. And running the tidal bore on the Shubenacadie River or playing on one of a multitude of tide races that scour the south-eastern shore of Nova Scotia is…
gnilddaP Backwards!
By Sean Morley Seriously, why do I need to know how to paddle backwards? I’ve spent my whole life working on my forward stroke, and now you want me to paddle backwards? If I wanted to go backwards I’d be a rower! These thoughts went through my mind as I…
The Extended Paddle Roll
By Sean Morley The kayak roll is a fundamental skill for an advanced paddler and once you have acquired a solid combat roll, you will have the confidence to paddle with friends in the most challenging of conditions. First learn to roll with a professional instructor…
Simposio de Kayak del Pacifico Sur – Buena Vibra!
Exostosis – Surfer’s Ear
I know, ear’s are kind of disgusting to look at. So why post a picture of my ear? I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase; “Do as I say, not as I do.” Well listen up my fellow paddle surfers, river paddlers and sea kayakers. If you like to stick your head in that…
Dawn Patrol at the Golden Gate
San Francisco Bay is a fascinating place to paddle, whatever your craft. The interplay of wind, tide and swell produce endlessly variable conditions that can change considerably during any given day. Aside from the pervasive marine layer (which really is such a…
A Paddle on the Wild Side
Elkhorn Slough and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary As you approach the fishing village of Moss Landing on California Highway 1 the view is dominated the cooling towers of the Moss Landing Power Plant, the tops of the towers often obscured by grey cloud. It…
Trinidad Head – A North Coast Haven
California’s North Coast can be so forbidding; sheer cliffs wreathed in fog, cold stormy seas pounding treacherous reefs and unrelenting miles of often steep beach that offer few places to find shelter. And then you come to Trinidad Head. I can only imagine how…
Paddling with Giants
On a recent business trip to Montana, Wyoming and Idaho I was fortunate enough to meet and paddle with some true giants of paddle sport. I flew to Bozeman, MT rented a hire car (which I almost immediately destroyed by hitting a deer at 80 mph on I90) and eventually…
Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival 2014
The Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival is held at Steamer Lane, one of the best amphitheaters for a surfing competition anywhere in the world. Conditions for the 28th annual event were mixed. Participants had to endure a fickle swell on Friday, wind and rain and almost…
Testing the NEW Karma Unlimited/RG prototype
Testing the Karma RG CGI of Karma RG Jackson Kayak’s popular Karma creek boat is undergoing two simultaneous evolutions this year: The Karma Unlimited creek racing kayak and the Karma RG ocean play boat and river tourer. Playing in the ocean is what I am all about…
Ecuador – The Land of the Boof
Ecuador – The Land of the Boof Boof: The act of lifting the bow of a whitewater kayak while going over rocks, waves, or waterfalls, in order to launch over hydraulics (“holes”) or rocks.] When my boss Marty Cronin invited me to Ecuador with the Jackson Kayak sales…
A Journey Down Big Sur
A Journey Down Big Sur Big Sur (Big South) is a stunning 90 mile section of California’s Central Coast bracketed by the towns of Carmel to the north and San Simeon to the south. A vast tract of ranchland, 5,000ft mountains and deep valleys that plunge seawards, Big…
Flat Water Creeking
C reeking usually involves descending very steep low-volume whitewater. But there is an alternative flat-water version that will appeal if you are not hooked on adrenalin and not looking to hurl yourself down some steep ravine. Many watersheds have quiet backwaters…
The Bay of Fundy Sea Kayak Symposium
Cape Forchu Lighthouse, Nova Scotia Known for its friendly welcome, delicious seafood, countless headlands (many with historic lighthouses), empty beaches, intricately beautiful inlets and more than a thousand islands (many of which are publicly owned and make for…
A Kayak Surfer’s Angst
It begins as soon as I get the permission slip. I check the swell forecast online. If I don’t like what I see I check another site, all the time knowing that I will go no matter what the prediction. I wake in the night listening for the roar of wind in the…
The Lost Coast Of California
The Lost Coast of California It would seem that the builders of Highway 1 dutifully followed the California coastline for the majority of its 1,000+ miles but the King Range in northern Mendocino and southern Humboldt Counties presented too much of an engineering…
Channel Islands Expedition
AN EXPEDITION IN OUR OWN BACKYARD In September 2010 three California-based paddlers attempted to be the first team to visit all eight of the Channel Islands of California by kayak in one continuous journey. Legendary open ocean pioneer Ed Gillet is believed to have…
Vancouver Island Record Attempt
An Account of Sean Morley’s Record-Breaking Circumnavigation of Vancouver Island 2008 Introduction In September 2008 California based British sea kayaker Sean Morley attempted to break the record for the fastest circumnavigation of Canada’s Vancouver Island. The…
Roof of Britain
ROOF OF BRITAIN KAYAK EXPEDITION ‘No Reason!’The Roof of Britain Kayak Expedition By Sean Morley & Ian Wilson ‘Those that ask the question will never understand the answer – those that understand the answer will never ask the question’ (WITH ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO…
Around the Sharp End
The South West Peninsular Sea Kayak Challenge The Challenge: To paddle a sea kayak around the coast of Devon and Cornwall in the fastest possible time. If weather conditions permit to include open-sea crossings to and from and circumnavigations of the Isles of Scilly…