>>1194140>>1195373Alright im getting hungry so im not gonna put as much effort into this but
-4: OCEAN KAYAKING IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM LAKE/RIVER KAYAKING.
Im a river rat. I like how the waves stay still and im always close to a place to get out and take a break. Not true with oceans. The currents and waves are more unpredictable than in the river. Youll be farther from shore. The Tide can change everything. You can be surfing a wave and it will throw you into rocks. Undertows can fuck you up. (I dont know a ton about ocean hazards, which is even more reason why you should seek out an instructor)
-5: BRING SAFETY GEAR AND ALWAYS TRY TO PADDLE WITH A BUDDY
River Knife. Whistle/Airhorn. A flare and a cheap marine radio. Rope. Bare minimum. Id also reccomend food, water, and some waterproof containers to put all this in. If your going at dawn/dusk then bring a headlamp. Some states require you to put lights on either end of your craft. Speaking of which....
-6: KNOW YOUR LOCAL LAWS.
SOme places require you to have a tag for your watercraft, or always carry certain equipment with you, or not paddle in certain areas at certain times of the year. Some places are designated shipping lanes which arent always obvious.
I hope all this doesnt deter you from the wonderful world of paddlesports. Im probably a bit more alarmist about all these things than others in this thread becuase im coming at it from an instructors POV. At the very least I hope it motivates you to go out into the world and get some real info. If you do just want to borrow your buddys/uncles/whoevers boat and float in a bay and explore the shoreline from the sea for a bit then go for it and have fun. But if you want to invest a lot of time and (probably some money) into this, and you dont already know someone experienced who will take you under their wing, then please go seek out a real world professional. It will be very worth your time and money.
GOOD LUCK!
