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So I’ve had the chance to get out three times now in the Mega Bullitt XS in about a week and a half. We had a long drought of waves through june-july that has finally relented, the wind is blowing and we are getting some waves. I had to drive to New Buffalo twice to get them, but both days were very interesting in the Bullitt.

First day was at my home break in South Haven. We had a nice Northerly blow for a day or two, I headed out and saw the waves breaking way down the beach with no larger outside break by the lighthouse. This distressed me, but I suited up and headed out nonetheless. I found small 3-4 foot waves right near the edge of the swimming area. I immediately began to catch some nice left hand runs, super fast down the line, that I never had the speed for in the Valley Rush. However the tail was not coming around for snappy bottom turns the way the Rush does when you build up speed. It was also not releasing at the top for top turns or cutbacks. Full disclosure I was running a tri-fin setup with three inch fins. Overall kayak was crazy fast and able to get up and over some faster moving great lakes waves I would have missed for sure in the Rush.

Second day was in New Buffalo at the trailing edge of a very brief storm with some beautiful peely waves that were 4-5 feet. I was rushed for time and ran the same tri-fin setup I did the first time. I was able to catch everything, and the waves were peeling enough to make cutbacks and top turns, but the fin setup was still not allowing me to throw my weight around and get the tail to release. That said with some paddle effort I got the tail to move and sliced the tail out. I caught many long rides in the top third of the wave adjusting trim to slide down or up based on whether or not it was going to close out. Very very fun stuff.

Third day was also in New Buffalo. Wind was up around 25 knots, waves were 7-10 feet on the outside, though I was surfing the waves that made it around the breakwall, they were much smaller, 4-7 at most. I finally went with a single center fin, a 3″. The tail finally got really really loose. I was catching steep waves and cutting towards the wall, but if I picked up a lot of speed at the bottom where I needed traction, the three inch fin didn’t have enough bite. I ended up switching to my 4″ fin in the center, and finally it started to rock. I was dropping in on steep faces, cutting along the line, and then hitting cutbacks as I approached the breakwall and flying off the shoulder. The waves were so weird. I would essentially wait in deep water, paddle in, grab a wave, surf it in a bit, cut off and then paddle back to safety in the channel. It was so big and mushy you had to really pick your ride.

This kayak is very different than any surf kayak I’ve been in, other than Sean Morley’s Murky Waters Salsa. But it is still very different than that to me. The fins and smaller length seem to make it more nimble. The rails on this boat are very flush so hitting tight bottom turns has been dependent on how much speed I was carrying into the turn. Whereas the Rush was actually more forgiving and would allow me to lean way over on a lower speed turn. Not sure if this is entirely scientific, but I think the more flared rail allows for carving wild turns at lower speed. Whereas the Bullitt XS really wants you to keep the boat flat through a turn like that until you’ve carried enough speed through it.

The Bullitt XS is crazy fast and seems great for Lake Michigan Surfing. Tons of speed, ability to really carry it fast down the line. Can’t wait for a slightly bigger day in South Haven where I can predictably catch waves in the same spot to judge it’s performance better with that 4″ fin.

I’d be curious to hear what other folks who’ve surfed this kayak think.

Many thanks to Nigel and Kristen of Savannah Canoe and Kayak for carrying Mega Surf Kayaks and offering great advice and consultation/.

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I’ve been surf kayaking since 2005. I’ve been talking to a number of people in the great lakes area about surf specific kayaks for quite a while.

Alec bloyd-peshkin had his eye on a surf boat for a while. While it’s always great to have someone order a brand new mega bullitt xs for their first kayak, it’s more practical to pick up a used kayak for your first surf craft. This way you can learn quickly, decide what you like, don’t like, and what puts a smile on your face about surfing.

Alec picked up this murky waters twist used.

Congrats to Alec. I look forward to catching some waves this spring with Alec.

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Found this Liquid Fusion Video of the Santa Cruz Surf Kayak Contest 2011 today. Some good footage from the cliffs above the lane, shot by someone on Jeff’s team.

Check out the full report from the Liquid Fusion Blog. If Jeff was reporting that it was survival conditions, uggh it sounds like a seriously ugly day.

I believe Jeff is in the yellow Valley Rush in the beginning of the video.

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Updated 4:00 PM 3-18-2011

I’ve been watching a few Youtube Channels to see if any videos made it up, no luck yet, but I did see these photos from Caroline via Facebook this morning. These fotos are from yesterday. Today is shaping up to be way more stormy and Lake Michigan like.

That swell report proved to be accurate. Wow! That has to be at least an 18 foot wave with an offshore wind. The photos are from Caroline Janganant of John Bonaventure surfing Steamer Lane.

Can’t wait to see some more photos and video. Hold tight.

Note you can click on the images to get a larger view of them.

Check out today’s photo’s from Steamer Lane from Mickey Stowell.

Not sure, but I am about 98% sure the surfer in the blue boat red helmet is Dave Johnston!

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I am fortunate enough every year to get out to California to surf kayak because of SMX West. Santa Cruz is now a town I feel I know pretty well. If I had to designate a second home in this universe, it would be a tough call between the west coast of Ireland and Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz means a lot to me. I was devastated to hear that the harbor was demolished by the tsunami from Japan. I was also really glad to get a text back from Dave Johnston who runs Venture Quest kayaking and his business seemed relatively unharmed. Dave loaned me his composite Neutron Surf kayak to hit Scott’s Creek on two days and the river mouth in Santa Cruz for three days of surfing.

I was also lucky to hang out with Josh Messer (not pictured for reasons pertaining to security). We had a pretty good time being complete nerds, and managed to hit the coolest cocktail lounge in central california in Santa Cruz, it’s so cool I won’t even tell you where it is unless you e-mail me.

Surfing in Santa Cruz is always a head trip for me each year. I bounce between elation and dread. It can be really great peely manageable surf, or it it can be big, meaty and gnarly. Last year was pretty epic when I got some instruction from Sean Morely. Sean gave me so much information and appreciation for his ability and he pushed me in ways that I hadn’t predicted, that I am really grateful for, but it also gave me some perspective on judging conditions where I will be effective. On the last day of surfing last year at Davenport, which anyone will tell you is a mean place to screw up, I caught a whopping total of around 5 rides, but I got beat down around double that. I was so happy to have caught the five rides I got, which were probably some of the biggest fastest waves I’ve ever caught, but also I took some of the worst beatings I’ve ever taken there. They sort of go hand in hand.

I decided this year to really be more decisive about picking my spots and stating my limits, and anyone who has met me will tell you that it isn’t based out of cowardice, but more an appreciation for what I enjoy about kayak surfing. I really like being able to catch steep discernable sets and performing maneuvers where if I miss a turn, or botch a take-off, I am not going to pay a big penalty. I like hitting a rock solid bottom turn, reattaining the face, hitting top turns, and repeating, with maybe a not so slashy cut-back or two. I would love to get enough good conditions to practice this and hitting a late top turn/aerial, but Lake Michigan only gives up her jewels a few times a year.

This year, I watched the swell report with anticipation and saw that it was small one day, big the next and then small again the next day. So I was able to warm up to Scott’s Creek on Day one with only 4-5 foot waves that were very easy to catch with minor penalties for error. There was a small beach break to warm up on, and then an outer reef break that washed over some rocks near the cliffs. I caught some really nice rides in both spots that were right up my alley.

Second day turned out to be very like a spring day in Michigan. Lots of rain, some wind, and a bit cold. I surfed in the rain for about three hours, Dave was already out and started giving me some local knowledge on positioning and wave selection that really paid off so that I wasn’t picking closeouts and gnarly wipeouts on purpose. Though I got caught on the inside a couple times and once right behind Dave where he might have landed right on me, (not cool), I caught some very steep fast rides that day, and felt like I got a real dose of the pacific.

The Last Day was very stormy out at Davenport and Scott’s creek, it looked like a giant washing machine. So I elected to try something in town. Dave suggested the river mouth. I was reluctant only for the reason that board surfers were bound to be competing fiercely for small sets. This did turn out to be true, but I also got a good lesson in not backing down to unreasonable board surfers when I was obeying the rules of the road. I surfed some awesome four foot sets with tight turns and cutbacks. There were quite a few school age kids out on a monday morning! I paddled out when there were only four board surfers, two adults, decent surfers, and a couple of real hotshot kids.

I waited my turn until each of the board surfers had caught a decent ride, I then moved in to the somewhat less than ideal part of the peak and caught a decent ride in, and then paddled back out to repeat. After a couple rides like this, I watched and waited to see what the expression was on everyone’s faces. Everything seemed copasetic, so I continued waiting for decent rides, and backing off of waves where a board surfer had claimed it from the deeper part of the peak. Pretty soon a few more boarders were out there. One of them claimed a ride from deeper water as I was breaking out and I got the stink eye, I sort of knew he was a problem from the minute I saw him. A few minutes later I saw a good looking set, I paddled to the deeper part of the peak and looked down the line, and no one was going for it so I decided to try and take it, this guy looked at me as I was paddling and then paddled three times and then stood up, as he rides by he says, “don’t even think about it”. So after timing my rides to when this guy is paddling back out, he comes up and starts accusing me of dropping in on someone. I hadn’t even been surfing when anyone else paddled for the same wave. Some of the board surfers were doing this by breaking left or right, which was possible on this wave. To avoid this very thing I had been careful to not even paddle for a wave until I saw it was clear. So I thought about apologizing and being submissive, but then I thought, this guy basically decided in about three seconds he had a problem with me. Most likely it was with the kayak being on his break inside steamer lane, and not with me personally. So I could do one of two things, back down and go in, or stand up to him.

Not being one to be bullied around, I yelled back to him that he was out of his mind, I hadn’t even paddled for a wave I saw someone else on. To which he replies, “Am I seeing things?” I answer yes, and someone else finally chimes, in. “Leave him be, he’s cool.” To make my point, I paddle for the next wave. I surfed for another thirty minutes, until I see about 4-5 more board surfers in the water. I had caught enough waves, no reason to stay out and risk another confrontation.

Steamer lane is one of the most competitive spots to surf in California that I’ve been. It’s scenic and predictable, but it’s also crowded. The more dangerous spots up the coast are where they push surf kayakers because less people frequent them, but sometimes you have to risk the people factor to get a few waves. I was glad I did.

I really look forward to seeing Dave Johnston in the Santa Cruz surf kayak festival videos. Wish him luck, he and Galen Licht are both local boys so no harm in rooting for them!

Post on canoecopia is coming.

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Back from Canoecopia 2011, wow! Huge crowds, lots of interest in paddlesports, it was a whirlwind, I don’t think I even got to see half of what I wanted to see, or spoke to everyone I would have liked.

I managed to take a good long look at the approach to this presentation that I started over a year ago. I think the spirit of what I am about, and what this website is about is enthusiasm for the sport, and encouraging people to step outside the box of their normal limits of risk. My first pass at this presentation failed in one respect, inclusion of the largest demographic of paddlers – sea kayakers. I got started in paddlesports with sea kayaking. Like a lot of other people I paddle with, sea kayaking is their passion. Sea kayaking is also a passion of mine, and will continue to be a driving force in what I do, teach and think about. But I also see surf kayaking as a companion to sea kayaking, and that the two can compliment one another, the do not exist outside of one another. My sea kayaking has improved to a great extent because of my surf kayaking, and vice versa.

I hope that this pass at the presentation does a better job of giving my sea kayaking friends a peek at what the excitement, thrills, and the buzz is around surf kayaking.

I’ve mentioned this before, and it is always worth mentioning, that surfing is probably one of those few perfect moments we humans get. We can totally disconnect from life other than the moment of rushing along a wave strapped into a kayak. You can’t think about your job, your dog, or your bills when you’re doing this, it is a singular moment. That’s what it’s about.

Where noted in the presentation, photocredit goes to Ming in Australia, borrowed from our friends KayakSurf.net She takes amazing surf photos, and I hope she is on site again in Santa Cruz for the 2011 Surf Kayak Festival. Second, I forgot to put the slide credit to Tim Mattson, on the slide for wave shape and water depth, which I really regret, I hope he can forgive me.

The link to view the surf kayak presentation is available from my google docs, acct.

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I’ll be attending the largest paddlesports expo in the midwest Canoecopia friday, saturday and sunday. I love going to Madison Wisconsin, and I am hoping to meet a lot of new midwest paddlers.

I will be speaking about surf kayaking. I have made some fairly substantial changes to the presentation from this summer based on a lot of really good feedback from readers and other instructors. So stop on by to check it out. I am really excited to see all of the other presenters and vendor booths.

I will be speaking at 11:30 in the Caribou Room upstairs on Saturday, and 10:30 on Sunday in Sylvania

This will be my first expo type event, so I am really looking forward to the buzz and excitement that will kick the paddling season off.

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The Santa Cruz Surf Kayak Festival is coming!

This teaser video from their YouTube channel should get your blood moving and excited for the world’s most exciting paddle surf competition and festival.

The surf kayak festival will be held March 18-20th 2011 at the infamous Steamer Lane point break. Contestants from around the world will be flying in to surf the lane. Last year actually had a great mix of conditions from small to good overhead sets. Let’s hope for the same this year.

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We were very lucky to have Matthew Norconk to take photos from the pier and shore with his Canon rebel DSLR. He got some great shots of the paddle surfers. It was a rough day for the surf kayakers looking to catch easy rides. It was a slug fest with a steady Southwest wind into the pier, so kayak surfing was limited to the area near the pier in about 4-5 feet of water. I had several faceplants in the sand myself, I know John Fleming had a bit of flesh wound with some zebra mussels in there. It would be great to see a few Stand up paddle surfers, and board surfers on a good day come to join the fun. It was pretty cool when we had 4 honest to goodness surf kayaks in the water at one point. I was somehow deeply honored that I’ve motivated even three people to take up what I consider the coolest sport known to paddle sports. If there are even three crazy surf kamikazes, we can always make more.

Thanks to everyone in attendance for showing up to hang out at one time or another, I hope to see some more paddle surfers out next year for the Surf Jam.

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This is the promo video for the World Surf Kayak Championships that will be held in the Outerbanks of North Carolina, Cape Hatteras in Fall of 2011.

The qualifying event was this past weekend at Cape Hatteras. ESKA, hosted the tournament event. As it turned out, according to ESKA, it was an international event with participants flying in from all over the world, US, Canada, Basque, and the UK.

The Battle For Hatteras Event was hosted at the same time, which made it a full event.

From what I can gather, Battle For Hatteras formed three person teams with any sort of craft to surf in heats for top score against other three person teams. But boat types surfed against boat types, Waveski vs. Waveski, HP boat vs. Hp Boat and so forth. For an amateur, (me) it sounds like something we (Great Lakes) should put together a crack amateur team for the next event.

As it turned out the swell provided 4-5 foot waves for the weekend with one set topping out at 10 feet. This is always a problem for surf events, no waves.

Check out ESKA’s Website for full rundown of the event.

Winners in Category:

• 1st Buck Johnson Grand Masters (old farts) Long Boat
• 1st Charles Salters Long Boat
• 1st Lindsay Usher Women’s Long Boat
• 1st Steve Riordan Wave ski
• 1st Tom May Grand Masters Short Boat
• 1st Garazi Iturralde Women’s Short Boat (also voted best wave of the comp) Sidenote: I wish my name was Garazi Iturralde
• 1st Matt Radis Grand Masters Short Boat
• 1st Anthony Bell Long Boat
• 1st Edu Exteberria Short Boat
• 1st Junior Julen Arriz (only junior) half of life is showing up!

Honorable Mention in Big Letters here, is 3rd place in the long boat division for John Tarbell who is reputedly from the Great Lakes, I will be hunting down more info on this later.

I am planning on heading down for the World Championships in 2011, I hope to have the world championship coverage first hand from Cape Hatteras.