Sea Kayaking
With more than two thirds of the planet covered in water, many beloved vacation spots are near the ocean. And sea kayaking lets you explore them with no special training, while still exercising. You glide quietly and immerse yourself in—without disturbing—local wildlife. In Alaska, that means sighting sea lions, dolphins, killer and humpback whales, bears on land and bald eagles overhead, sometimes all of these in a two-hour tour.
The “sea” in the name loosely translates to benign. The term eliminates rapids, but includes lakes, calm rivers, bays and coastline. On white water, kayakers need to learn to roll underwater and steer aggressively, but first timers at sea kayaking don’t even need helmets. In hard-to-capsize kayaks, a quick demo teaches you how to paddle efficiently and how to steer with foot pedals. Tours run from an hour to a full day in all the most popular kayaking spots like Alaska, Maine, Washington’s San Juan islands, Los Cabos, Florida’s Keys and the Greek Isles.
But you don’t even have to abandon civilization to have a blast kayaking—it’s the most interesting way to see Venice and from the canals you avoid battling tour groups. Stockholm is another canal paradise for paddling. Washington’s Potomac offers a new perspective on the nation’s capital. While Chicago is famous for its guided river architecture cruises, few people know you can do these by kayak as well. Urban tours are also offered in major cities from New York to Hong Kong.
Active tour operators like REI Adventures offer multiday sea kayaking trips in places like the Baja Peninsula, but these are a leap for beginners who will likely end up with blisters and aches. A better option may be a multisport adventure trip, which combines kayaking with hiking, cycling and rafting. Offered by such operators as REI and Backroads, in places like Alaska, the Galapagos and Italy, they let travelers get the feel for each of the activities without a full-blown commitment.
