Sea Kayaking - Features of Wind & Waves
Sea kayakers should never take lightly the power of the wind and the waves. Understanding how they affect Kayaking is highly recommended in order to spare sea kayakers from uninformed judgment and avoidable hazards.
Wind
In warm weather, winds tend to blow offshore during nighttime. This is because the air moves to the sea as the land cools. During daytime, when the temperature rises, the wind blows onshore.
Winds, even light breeze, affect the movement of boats. When kayaking out into the sea, watch out for onshore winds. These will move your boat around and turn it upwind.
Like the onshore winds, cross-winds have similar effects to sea kayakers. Cross-winds will try to turn your Kayak around towards the wind. Constant sweep strokes are needed to keep your craft on the right track.
Before going out into the sea, make sure that you tune in to weather forecasts. Know what the sea conditions will be. This will give you time to plan you trip, as well as to prepare for probable weather changes.
Waves
In some cases, the sea becomes like a white water river. This happens when the water moves quickly above submerged rocks. Normally, waves are caused by winds out in the open sea. Waves that are caused by winds are classified into two: chop and swell.
Chops are small waves caused by winds over short distances. When wind strength swells in a short time, calm seas can become very choppy. Sea kayakers may find it hard to sail through choppy seas as waves will seem to be coming from all directions.
Swells, on the other hand, are waves created by winds blowing in the same direction over long distances, and are reduced when they meet an oncoming wind. Usually, these waves are more evident in oceans than in small closed-in seas.
In Sea Kayaking, you will experience the lashing of winds and the splashing of waves. These two work together in a number of ways. Treat both waves independently when you come across them simultaneously. In extreme cases, you will experience harsh wind and waves. What you should always do is keep your Kayak Paddles low and tilt into the direction of the wind. This will make you safe. Moreover, it is important to just maintain your balance and relax your body. Surfing the waves can also help sometimes.
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