Sea Kayaking in Seattle

Sea Kayaking in Seattle

Tuesday – 6/24/2008

When my good friend from college days emailed me that he was between jobs for a short while, and now was the time for me to come up for a visit to Seattle, I jumped on the chance. I told him, if at all possible, I want to kayak in Seattle. And it is in fact, possible.

There is an outfit called Aqua Verde, and we found out all about it from their website. They have a midweek special advertised, or did, stating that if you start by 3pm, and get back by 6pm, the third hour is free. Their rate for a tandem is 2 hours for $30. So we arrived at 3pm to take advantage of the deal. There are bike racks close to the water right next to their kayak rental counter. Turns out that they had changed the deal, but hadn't changed their website, but they very kindly agreed to honor what was posted on the website, and we were grateful. Check out their website for the current deal, start by 1pm, back by 4pm, and you still get the third hour free, so the total trip is $30.

They asked if we're headed toward Lake Washington or Lake Union. If you say, Lake Washington, they give you spray skirts. It wasn't choppy at all though, and we kept the skirts open to stay cool. They outfit you with paddles and life vests, and get you in the kayak. They coach you through the process of mounting the kayak by holding the paddle behind you, with one hand holding the paddle to the coaming of the kayak, and the other hand bracing the paddle against the dock, which is level with the deck of the kayak. You just sidle over into the cockpit. Then we were off. I didn't notice the make and model of the kayak, but it was a very uncomfortable seat. Now I know how spoiled I am in my Necky Looksha Sport. There were rudder pegs, but nothing for my thighs to brace against, so it was like sitting on the floor of a canoe. This was my first time operating a rudder, and it was just fine.

We paddled around the Arboretum, and saw several blue heron, muskrats, and even a bald eagle. I did get pictures of the Bald Eagle, but they weren't National Geographic Quality. See the album for the pictures. My Dad tells me these pictures are fantastic, and I'm sure there is no bias whatsoever.

We meet Yoram, Lara, and Anjie at the mexican restaurant, Aqua Verde, and have a great meal. I would highly recommend it.