by Carlito Rockola
Kayaking originated with the Eskimos of Greenland and Alaska, who built kayaks by stretching seal or other animal skins over a driftwood or whalebone frame and rubbing them with animal fat to waterproof the covering. The kayak was used for fishing and hunting; in the 20th century the Eskimos gradually abandoned them in favor of motorboats. But the rest of the world adopted kayaks; now instead of animal hide, kayaks are constructed from wood, fiberglass, plastic, polypropylene and Kevlar in an array of designs and sizes for uses from ocean touring to Olympic racing to shooting white water rapids.
Get out and try a few of the options available in Nicaragua, like surf kayaking. Surf kayaking, as the name suggests, is riding the waves like the surfer dudes do, but with relatively more stability sitting in a kayak. For the uninitiated with basic canoeing skills seeking a ride-the-surf experience, kayaking is a beginner-friendly sport, as long as you start with really small waves. But the extreme sport types will be happy to know that the potential to break your neck is omnipresent. Just find a big wave on a rock strewn beach.
Surf kayaks come in an array of shapes and sizes; this experience describes using an open deck model. Wade into the surf leading the kayak behind you holding the handle on the front of the boat. If you push it in front of you, you risk having the incoming waves flip the boat up and bonk you on the head. Immediately after a wave breaks, jump into the boat and start paddling. Keep the nose of the kayak pointed straight into the next breaker, and as the wave hits lean forward a little to offset the lift in the bow and you’ll glide right over. After two or three of these you’ve reached the point where the waves have not begun to crest; you can leisurely paddle around and pick the wave you want to ride in.
As soon as the last roller passes you, point the bow toward shore, with the wave at your back, and dig in hard with the paddle.
Here, timing is everything. You need to reach nearly the speed of the wave so that it catches up with you as the wave begins to crest. If boat and wave meet too soon, the wave leaves you behind. If too late (which is less likely, waves move faster than you can paddle) and you’re pushed ahead and tumble in the surf.
Hit it just right and the wave does the rest. Suddenly you are speeding ahead toward shore with the churning water and the roar of the surf around you. The temptation now is to paddle manically; don’t do it. Lean back (yes, back. Contrary to what your previous canoeing experience dictates, don’t lean forward to dig in with the paddle) and let the wave propel you. Paddle only to steer. The rush of water will turn the bow left or right and if uncorrected the kayak will turn parallel to the wave and be engulfed.
Don’t over steer, if the bow veers right a quick swipe with the paddle on the left will correct it. It’s not like steering a bicycle where the correction is immediate, wait a second and resist a second paddle stroke as this might overcompensate. The bow can quickly turn the opposite direction, depositing kayak and rider in a heap on the beach.
Time it all just right though, and you harness the power of the wave and joyride triumphantly to rest on the beach.
These same kayaks can be used for shoreline hops along the coast. Surf kayak rentals in San Juan del Sur are available at Hotel Casablanca and Colonial, or ask for Pat Lynch or Dave Grace at Big Wave Dave’s to arrange a trip.
Another option is kayaking Lake Nicaragua. For those seeking a more placid experience, kayaking Granada’s Las Isletas affords an opportunity to see remote parts of the Las Isletas inaccessible by any other means. Mombotour in Granada offers tours in sea kayaks, slender three-meter long banana-shaped boats with closed decks.
After a short lesson in the use of the twin-bladed paddle by guide Barcell Almanza, you’re off. Sea kayaks are a little tippy, the key things to remember are to paddle with your shoulders and don’t move your hips, and don’t over extend your paddle stroke. “Only about one in a hundred people tip over, the last guy who did had a little too much to drink,” said Barcell. The only hard part is climbing in the cockpit, which Barcell helps you with by holding the boat steady.
There is something magical about the kayak. When you’re paddling one of these skinny, low riding boats, you’re in the water more than you are on it. At one and the same time, you’re at home in two very different worlds: water and air. There’s no experience quite like it as you glide easily through narrow channels enclosed by overhanging trees; see flowers, birds, monkeys and other wildlife close up. Get out in the early morning to see wildlife at its most active before the heat of the day.
If this proves too tame for you, head out from the shelter of the islands and take to the open lake. Lake Nicaragua with even a little wind is famous for rough waves, going against them keep your bow pointed into the wind. Then turn quickly and paddle with the wind at your back and find out why kayaks are considered the fastest-moving human- powered water craft. However, the open lake is perhaps not the place for a novice.
Besides Mombotour in Granada, several hotels near Las Isletas and on Ometepe offer kayak rentals and Morgan’s Rock Ecolodge has river kayaking for its guests.
