"Avatar" Kayaking is like paddling with David Copperfield, Jerry Garcia, Steven Speilburg, Steve Irwin and Noam Chomsky (all at the same time). There is a way to do it however and a way to "allow" yourself to "see" the naturally occurring magic light show. Email me for details. Taking pictures is nearly impossible and like trying to take a picture of a glow in the dark ball in the pitch blackness of the bathroom. The flash will ruin your vision and the picture will be of the water without the "sparkles" as they are doused by the flash.
Get all equipment ready and prepare the return equipment so that a flashlight is ready upon your return. (many hints for what you should have for the take out cooler) be mindful of the residence and how sound carries over water. Put-in after dusk and wait about an hour. The best time is from 10pm to 4am.
Turn off your headlights once you are afloat, paddle in serenity for a few minutes until your pupils begin to dilate to full. You will soon see the faint glow of your bow wake, then the glow as you paddle disturbs the water, then the iridescent vortex that each paddle stroke makes. soon after, the individual drops of water from you paddle become visible as it makes a plunge into the sea ... and then the reverberating micro splash becomes visible too! ... then the splashing begins and then you will notice the quiet ooooh-ing and ahhhh-ing that surrounds you as if you were in some spiritual theater on a exclusive viewing on hallowed waters :) enjoy~
###
I was camping there last week and two distant lines of bow wake on either side of our kayaks were lit up blue green as well as each paddle stroke. If we put our hands in the water and shook them it lit up brightly as well. splashing ourselves with water resulted in sparkles and when i rolled, i sculled repeatedly and erractically while under water to watch the effect which was spectacular in the otherwise darkness.
gregg :o)
###
I have to admit that my expectations for this tour were very low.
BUT, this is a "Must See" experience!! We set out for ### Island. There is a stretch called "Pine Flat" where it is easy to land. After grabbing a snack and a sip of water the
darkness was beginning to settle in. Norma was the first to notice
that there were "sparkles" in the sand when it was disturbed.
We returned to our boats, and it was as if the rangers at ###
had flipped on the electricity! Every paddle stroke through the eel
grass was a light show! It was absolutely incredible! As we cleared
the grass and headed south toward White Gulch, our bow wave was
aglow! Fish darting from beneath our canoe left trails of light; the
bat rays flew away as a balls of luminescence! The group sounded like
a bunch of kids as we "Ooooed" and "Wowed!" It was surreal!
We crossed over to the West side of ### Island and listened to the
grunts and croaks of the double-crested cormorants roosting in the
trees. After paddling around the south side of "Piglet" islet we
crossed back guided by the amber lights of ###. The group
returned to the boat launch at about 10:30pm.
Arriving home ### at midnight--we had time to get some sleep,
switch boats and join John D and crew for a Sunday Gorge run.
California--what a great state!
If you want to self-guide, I think a small group could easily do
this. Your IKs and hardshells would be fine out on ### Bay on a
calm night. I've been out on the bay many times in a canoe. Bring a
headlamp, water and snack. A GPS is a good idea too. Red lights allow
paddlers to keep track of one another, and don't ruin one's night
vision. Periodic "count offs" are a must to make sure the group is
intact.
The display is usually visible ###
###but the experience is not to be missed!
Evan
######
In order to protect the pristine nature of this trip you must email me and get specifics... please do not "broadcast" this experience as I have been there several times and not once has any crazy rave parties have been going off... once you have experienced this, you will see how simple my prediction of such a party could take place.
I have removed the above specifics in order to protect the lands and waters that they exist in. email me for them and they are yours on two key terms. 1) you treat the world as if we were borrowing her from our children 2) help me by looking at my very first post on this blog
Thanks
Jay GOsuiCo
outsidejay@gmail.com
2010-
September 4/5/6
sunphase 0640-1933
moonphase 0204-1701
October 8/9
sunphase0709-0839
new moon
rent boats from California Canoe and Kayak tell them Jay sent you.
No comments:
Post a Comment