Sea kayaking is popular around the world anywhere there are large open bodies of water to be explored: lakes, bays, calm rivers, estuaries or the ocean. Although sea kayaks come in variety of styles, they generally are different then their white water cousins in that they trade off the maneuverability for higher cruising speed, cargo capacity, ease of straight-line paddling and comfort for long journeys. Canoes are an alternative for many of the areas accessible by sea kayak, but less suitable for unsheltered waters.
Sea kayaking is open to people of all skill levels, from renting a kayak to paddle around a small lake, to months long journeys into complex marine conditions. It is often combined with wilderness backpacking for exploring otherwise difficult to access wilderness areas and allows access to fishing areas that might otherwise be inaccessible. Kayaks are also popular to bring along when cruising on small craft, allowing boaters to go ashore or generally give access to areas that larger boats won't fit.
Contemporary sea kayaks trace their origin to the native boats of Alaska, northern Canada, and Southwest Greenland. Inuit hunters developed a fast seagoing craft to hunt seals and walrus. The ancient Aleut name for a sea kayak is Iqyak, and earliest models were constructed from a light wooden frame (tied together with sinew or baleen) and covered with sea mammal, (sea lion or seal) hides. Archaeologists have found evidence indicating that kayaks are at least 4000 years old. Wooden kayaks and fabric kayaks on wooden frames (such as the folding kayak Klepper) were dominating the market up until 1950s, when fiberglass boats were introduced, while modern plastic kayaks first appeared in 1984.
Sea kayaks come in several different styles, materials and configurations. They are designed to accommodate one to three paddlers together with room for camping gear, food, water, and other supplies. A sea kayak usually ranges anywhere from 10–18 feet (3–5½ meters) for solo craft, and up to 26 feet (8 meters) for tandem craft. Width may be as little as 21" (50 cm), and may be up to 36" (90 cm).
Besides an actual sea kayak there are a number of pieces of equipment that are needed for an excursion.
You should of course have adequate equipment, including suitable clothing and means of getting help.
It is paramount to know the basic rescue and self-rescue techniques. Although keeping a kayak on its keel is not as difficult as it seems the first time you try to enter one, a breaking wave can easily turn you over. Unless you succeed in rolling up again, you should be able to get out, catch the kayak, get rid of most water in it and enter it again, regardless of conditions. You should also know how to get somebody to the shore without his or her kayak.
Though invisible, the current has great impact on kayaking. On the ocean, the current changes direction subsequent to the tides. This can either slow you down and/or cause you to drift far from your itinerary. The amplitude of tides can sometimes rise above 6 meters and even moderate tides, of less than a metre, can cause very dangerous currents in some regions. Currents can occur also in seas without tides, resulting from shifting wind and air pressure. The local currents do not always point in the same general direction as the tides or the wind, as islands and sea floor topography have significant influence.
Recreational kayakers can maintain on average a speed to 2 to 3 knots (3.5 to 5.5 km/h). Currents between 1 to 4 knots are then regarded as average, while currents above 4 knots are significant.
Some regions have prevailing and constant winds that can be easily forecasted. Wind has a drift effect similar to the current and can also rapidly decrease its ambient temperature. Sudden wind-blasts provoke strong, sometimes breaking waves and can cause you to drift very far from the banks. Great care should be taken when interpreting weather forecasts.
In open waters there are often waves. However, they may not always behave like one would expect. Especially in shallow areas the sea floor topography affects the direction and speed of wind waves and swell, which may cause cross sea and breaking waves. "Shallow" here means less than half a wavelength of depth, about 5 m with 1-m-high wind waves; swell has relatively greater wavelength (as it originates from large waves), which explains surf caused by swell that is invisible off shore. A steep shore can reflect waves, also causing cross sea and sometimes standing waves.
Consider the water temperature rather than just the air temperature when choosing clothing. Layers of quick-dry clothing are ideal, and hats, sunglasses and sunscreen are highly recommended. For footwear consider wearing sturdy, strap-on sandals or water shoes.
8 °C is a critical threshold. A forced plunge in water below 8°C can provoke hypothermia within minutes. Swimming in water between 8 and 15°C, though uncomfortable, is tolerable: you can remain alive and active for quite some time.
The natural environment in which an excursion takes place should not be taken lightly. Camping conditions, the presence of dangerous animals, evenness of terrain, and its remoteness can each trigger or influence minor incidents that could take on catastrophic dimensions.
Traffic can be dense on large, navigable channels and along certain coastlines. Cargo ships in these areas are obliged to adhere to exact routes, leaving them with no room to maneuver around you. It is your responsibility to steer out of their way. The crew of these huge ships cannot detect you on their radar, cannot spot you when beyond a distance of 3 km (2 miles) (and that in clear weather), and lose sight of you again when you are closer than a half mile to their ship. Also fast recreational vessels are a danger. You can often avoid traffic by keeping to shallower water and crossing fairways quickly.
Know your rights and obligations as a pleasure boater and respect the navigational regulations in order to avoid collisions. Make sure that you are well seen and heard. To this effect, the color of your kayak and your PFD can play an important role. Kayaks come in a variety of bright colors not for reasons of style but because the bright colors make them more visible to other boaters. Yellow, orange and red are the colors that are the most visible on water. Signalling devices should always be within hand’s reach.
See also: Boating on the Baltic Sea
Sea kayaks can get closer to wildlife and maneuver through areas that larger boats can't but be well prepared for cold weather.
kayaking - The act of paddling kayaks
Kayaking safety rules - Safety measurements of paddling if the rough oceans