Southeast Sea Kayaks/ www.kayakketchikan.com

[booth22]

Has someone who has done the Orca's Cove excursion with Southeast Sea Kayaks/ http://www.KayakKetchikan.com descrbie how easy/difficult the paddling is? It says no experience neccessary, but we were wondering how difficult it will be. Any info will help. Thanks in advance

 

I posted similar before but listed the wrong company name! Thanks again for your help!

[Host Caroline]

The folks at Southeast Kayaks told me an uncoordinated klutz with two left feet could kayak... I will let you know when I get back on June 11:D Actually I've talked to several local kayakers and they tell me it's just not that difficult esp. in calm waters which Orca Cove tour is..

[natesfirewife]

We did the Orca Cove tour and had a blast. It's not very hard to do and you'll love the atmosphere. They also provide a wonderful snack at the end. I couldn't believe how clear the water is and the starfish are everywhere!! Enjoy.

 

Misty

[Budget Queen]

I have gone with this company and indeed it is easy for most everybody and with their small groups you can get all the encouragement you need. :) Go and enjoy. Carolyn- I could have sworn you have recommended this company - haven't you already gone with them???

[CEWayfarer]

When we sailed on the Pride to Mexico a couple years back, we decided to try kayaking in Mazatlan.

About 12 kayaks (2 people per kayak) pulled away from the beach at the same time.

We had never kayaked before, but DH is a runner and really athletic. I am not. Right out of the gate, I knew we were doomed.

DH tried to get us under control, so he's sitting in back yelling, "left, right, left, right"

Meanwhile, I'm paddling right, left, right, left.

We whirled around in circles for most of the trip.

By the time we got out to the point, we were both exhausted. We got out just in time for everyone else to turn around and head towards shore.

We begin paddling to get back to shore. Finally, Bruce says, "JUST STOP PADDLING!!", and began to single-handedly get us back to shore.

The kayak company had a boat out as well with an outboard motor, so if you got into trouble, they would tow you in. Bruce would have DIED before he'd let them tow us in. No WAY would we look like the goofballs we were.

We decided that if we'd had to pass a kayak test to qualify for our marriage license, we wouldn't have been allowed to marry.

We made a vow never to kayak again.

For our upcoming Alaska cruise, we were looking over the excursions with the other couple we're traveling with. They say, "What about kayaking?". We both screamed, "NO!!!".

[ceejay_San Angelo]

CEWayfarer, loved your story!!

 

My DH and I kayaked at Princess Cays a couple of years back. My initial amazement at how low to the water those sea kayaks were should have tipped me off. We did great paddling out - it was the turn to come back in (with the wave bearing down on us) that tipped us over.

 

He climbed back in first, then said "okay, now you get in". But my (front) end of the kayak was now about 3 foot above the water - no way I had the armstrength to pull it down and climb in. I started laughing - he was laughing - the waves were rolling over us - we were being pushed by the current towards the kayaking boundry rope.

 

The guy on the Skee-Doo started towards us to help - no way we wanted that to happen!! Finally DH got out, I got in first, then he got in. We were still laughing. No harm done, the water was warm, we were never in any danger. It was great fun.

 

Now in Alaska........... we ARE going kayaking with Southeast. First of all, the kayaks are different, more substantial. And the cove is protected, so no waves to deal with. I love the water, and the descriptions of how clear it is, the wildlife, etc. - just couldn't pass this up!!

 

Still laughing...........

[jrask]

I did Orca Cove with this company and loved it. The kayaks are built in a way that you don't have to coordinate your strokes. It takes about 5-10 minutes to get coordinated with the kayaks as a first timer, but nothing like the story described earlier in the post. We weren't going in circles but we were doing parabolas for the first 5 minutes until we learned how to make slight course corrections that would get us moving as we wanted. The person in the rear adjusts a rutter with their feet and this controls steering provided that you actually paddle on both sides (even if stronger on one side over the other). So, the ease of picking up the process largely depends on that rear person. You will start to feel the paddling in your arms after a while (unless you work out more than we do) ... but (1) you'll figure out how to make this easier after not too long a time and (2) you can take breaks and just sit in the silence because of the small group (Orca Cove maxes out at 6 people ... ie. 3 kayaks ... for us, it was just the two of us + the guide. After a short period of time, we were able to kayak right up along the beach and position ourselves for wonderful shots of bald eagles sitting on a log and then taking flight.