Blue Water Kayak Club - Stranraer - South West Scotland

Blue Water Kayak Club-Stranraer

THE CREATION OF A NEW KAYAK CLUB FOR STRANRAER

Sea Kayaking (Blue Water)

If you are going to go kayaking, then it will be very helpful for you to figure out what effect the tides will have on your trip.

Tides

Tides can vary by quite a bit depending on the area you are in and what time of year it is.

Unless you pay attention to these changes and plan accordingly, you may find that the water depth is not what you would expect it to be. As you might imagine, this could make kayaking in certain areas far more dangerous than it would be otherwise.

First of all, the tides are caused primarily due to the gravitational pull of the moon on the earth. This is one of the reasons why the tides tend to take about 12.5 hours to change. For this reason, you get about two high tides and two low tides every day.

Since we've been paying so much attention to the moon and to the tidal fluctuations of different areas, you can even find out what the tide will be like at a certain place and at a certain time of day - weeks or even months ahead of time.

Before you go kayaking in any area, you should definitely make invest in a tide book. Every area has different tides, so you'll want to make sure that you get a book that will tell you when the tide will be a certain way, and how low or high it will be.

Tides do not always fluctuate between the same two values, either. Depending on different forces that act on the tides, and the location of the moon and sun, you might get extremely high or extremely low tides. This is one reason why a tide book is important.

Without it, you can't just assume that the high and low tides will be what you want them to be.

Once you've made sure that you're taking the tides into account, you should be ready to go kayaking. Just make sure that if you are going to be travelling over any areas that are relatively shallow that you do so at high tide.

You should also plan ahead in case there are areas that you can only cross during certain tides - and make sure that you have a back up plan in case you miss the tide!

Easytide Website

Stranraer (Scotland) Loch Ryan (Dumfries & Galloway)

Select the link below to take you to coastal waters

EASYTIDE

About Admiralty EasyTide

Admiralty EasyTide has been designed specifically with the coastal leisure enthusiast in mind.

Developed by the UKHO, it offers users the ability to obtain tidal predictions for over 6000 ports worldwide.

Whether you're in the sea, on the sea or near the sea, Admiralty EasyTide will quickly provide

you with valuable tidal information to help you make the most of your time.

Main site: http://www.ukho.gov.uk

Leisure: http://www.admiraltyleisure.co.uk

Tidal prediction service (EasyTide): http://easytide.ukho.gov.uk

Notices to Mariners Online: http://www.ukho.gov.uk

Introduction to sea kayaking

SeaFreedomKayak

Sea Kayak Safety

Other Links Include

Skill coaching, guided trips and rental

http://www.seafreedomkayak.co.uk

B&B in the UK offering sea kayak guiding, coaching etc
http://www.strumhor.co.uk

The unique white/salt water venue
http://www.fallsoflora.info

Surf kayaking

Surf kayaking is the sport, technique, and equipment, used in surfing ocean waves with kayaks. Surf kayaking has many similarities to surf board surfing, but with boats designed for use in surf zones, and with a paddle. A number of kayak designs are used, but all are aimed at better using the waves to propel the craft.

Surf kayaking is popular in many areas frequented by surf board surfers. The sport has grown in popularity over the last decades, in pace with the rise of sea kayaking, and modern materials and techniques.

Dangers of surf kayaking

As with all water sports, surf kayaking carries inherent risks. Participants should gain experience in various swell heights, and wear suitable safety equipment. One should wear a helmet, and suitable PFD. The dangers of cold water immersion, leading to Hypothermia should be addressed by wearing a Wetsuit, Dry suit, or other suitable insulation.

Sea kayak touring sees many injuries associated with accidents in the 'Surf Zone'.

Techniques used in landing loaded sea kayaks through surf generally involve following behind the crest of a wave to avoided broaching in following seas.