shiver me timbers!

[Odyssey]

Last Saturday we spent an enjoyable afternoon catching up with a couple of friends who'd just returned from a driving trip round Newfoundland. They treated us to their photos of whales, boat parades and ice bergs. A series of pics showed someone kayaking far from shore near an iceberg, and a couple of Humpback whales surfacing very close to them. I was awestruck! What an experience that must've been for that kayaker! I felt shivers of excitement and fear seeing that paddle of a lifetime. I've not experienced those kind of shivers. Have any of you?

 

[yellowcanoe]

Yep. We kayaked a bit in Newfoundland in 2010 but the parade of icebergs was paltry. It was August. Its not unheard of to kayak with whales. While we have met a few at home we did not in Newfoundland.

Did the blackflies show up in the pics? We had visits from many in August of that year.. It was wet.

 

[Odyssey]

Our friends didn't paddle there (they don't paddle?) but did a lot of day hikes. No mention of biting bugs, but the scenery was amazing. Aside from a whale watching boat tour, and seeing them from a distance, they also observed them from atop a cliff. A humpback was 40' below feeding. Incredible trip. I've had many enjoyable times in a canoe, but never any shivery moments of adrenaline rush.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I've had many enjoyable times in a canoe, but never any shivery moments of adrenaline rush.

Paddle D2O.

Cherry Creek of the Tuolomne should suffice. It made Jim Shelander "see God".

 

[snapper]

The year of our 20th anniversary my wife and I visited with friends who lived in Hawaii at that time on Maui. It was February and we signed up for an all day kayaking/snorkeling trip led by a local shop. We had been out in the surf the day before paddling traditional outrigger canoes and that was pretty exciting, surfing down the waves and all but this day was exceptional. While hiking along an old lava field we could see the humpback whales breaching out on the ocean. With that the guide suggested we paddle out to see things in an "up close & personal" sort of way. While I thought it would be intimidating, it was absolutely breathtaking. I stopped counting the number of full body breaches this one whale did at 14. After that I just watched and was enthralled. I've paddled with lots of wildlife since (moose, gators, etc.) but nothing was as exciting as that day.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...Be well.

snapper

 

[ppine]

I have seen orcas pretty close from a powerboat, but not from a sea kayak. I have seen tidal rips come out of nowhere a long way from shore in 55 degree water. Sea lions under the boat, but no whales. Canoeing gets scary when rivers are in flood and big hydraulics build where they have never been before. The scariest moments have all been rafting. Swimming Tunnel Chute, a Class V on the American River. Sitting on the forward deck of a raft going thru Lava Falls in the Grand Cyn, and getting pinned under a raft after taking a swim on another fork of the American River.