# The surf takes its first victim at Seacliff 23/2



## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

A trip was planned for this morning that really shouldnt have happened. Looking out my window now it might have been better this afternoon though the wind would have been up. Strong winds for the past few days and overnight had kicked up some serious swell, no more b*tching about chop this was the real deal.

I was on brighton beach at my usual launch at around 6:45 when i sent a quick message to Matt "Might be a little late mate". I had been greeted by the worst conditions i had ever tried to fish in and the second worst conditions i've ever launched in. The tide was right up so the waves were coming in, breaking on the sand bar and then creating some serious whitewash or whatever you call it in the gutter before the beach. I paddled around in the whitewash for about 10 minutes before i told myself to "grit your teeth, make every stroke count and go hard". Well i was paddling out, i cleared the first breaker and thought i was home free. Wrong. A very large wave followed it and was just starting to peak in front of me. What does "L3GACY the oh so wise" do in this situation? He turns side on to the wave... I think i panicked and without my rudder my right stroke is stronger than my left unless i'm paying attention so i think that's what caused it. Either way a wave was coming at me that was well above my head and breaking. This is probably the part where you expect to read about how it dumped me and i snapped my brand new 15 kilo rod and lost my gps thanks to not having ANYTHING tethered. But that didnt happen! I actually made it over and sort of through the wave. I lost a floating hardbody that was sitting on my console but it was an el cheapo kmart job. God bless the stability of the mighty Quest.

I got down to Seacliff just in time to see Matt try and launch. I wont go into too many details to save him the embarassment, he can chuck more up for you if he wishes. There is no sand bar at seacliff and being a SSW wind it is also protected a little bit by the headland. This meant that the break was much shorter and much smaller here, basically if you could paddle 10 metres you were safe. The only issues really arise when a rogue? (not sure it was but we only saw one other as big as that one in the hour or so we were on the water) comes at you in waist deep water and you hadnt read up on surf launches. Matt and his outback were dumped HARD. I rode a wave in as quickly as i could and helped pick up the pieces. Thank god he had installed tethers for everything of value. He didnt snap any rod tips and i dont think he lost anything either. The only issues were his mirage drive was in the surf zone somewhere (easily found) and his sounder had stopped functioning. I'm thinking the battery was dislodged when it got dumped so fingers crossed its nothing major.

Take two and we both made it out safely, though i did have a wave dump a nice load of seaweed over the bow. We got around marino rocks and over to the cliffs before we decided that things were just too uncomfortable, there were some big patches of rain on the horizon, the wind was picking up and the swell made it a bit risky to get in close to the cliffs. I wish i had some photos of the swell around at hallet's some of it was huge.

Matt survived his landing, he almost looked dignified too :lol:. I told him to try the old dig your paddle in trick if he went sideways which seemed to help him at the end. It was his first time launching and coming back in surf and considering he was paddling the outback i think he did a damn good job. He will be looking for lessons in the near future and i might have to join him.

I nearly left a brown stain on the yak during my return. I normally dont pay attention to the waves too much when i'm coming back in, i just try and get in between a couple and paddle hard. Well i saw a nice small one behind me so i went for it, it came up behind me so i dug my paddle in and fell off the back nice and smoothly. The wave behind it was the killer though. It was a big one and really put me to the test. It sent my bow under big time and i really didnt feel like being catapulted. I leant back as much as i could to try and lift it up but it didnt really help much. The next idea was to turn sideways and dig in, that got me out of trouble but i always feel like a tool coming into the beach sideways lol.

Overall the day was a good learning experience for Mattwah and myself. I will certainly be organising some tethers during the week. I was going to give Water_Baby a hard time for being soft and bailing on us but i think he was the smart one.


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## flea (Jan 24, 2008)

Sounds like it was a bit rough out there,bugger about the gps & rod.
Geez ya got more balls than me i see a bit of a white cap on the river & don't go out.I nearly came down today but seen weather yesterday & backed out when the weather fines up ill attempt to come down & see how you fishos do it.
Cheers Kym.


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

Nah that didnt happen Flea, i said that's where you expected to read that. I think its a good thing you backed out, its not worth it in conditions like this, there's only around 1m of visibility at the moment and there is weed everywhere. Anchoring would also be impossible.


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## fisher (Aug 30, 2005)

Bad luck fellas - I was wondering whether you managed to get out or not. Its not much fun when its rough like that. Forecast looks a bit better tomorrow.


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## fishnfreak (Jun 22, 2007)

bugger mate, the weather is one of the dtermining factors of why i didnt com up, maybe another weekend huh


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## HiRAEdd (Nov 12, 2005)

L3GACY said:


> I told him to try the old dig your paddle in trick if he went sideways


Forgive me if this has been covered before, but what is this technique?


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

HiRAEdd said:


> L3GACY said:
> 
> 
> > I told him to try the old dig your paddle in trick if he went sideways
> ...


Stolen from GoneFishn:

I started out kayak surfing on a smaller kayak so i have a little bit of know how. As Gatesy said the un-broken wave is all good you can fully control a yak in it (8ft dumpers now that's a different story) but when you get into white water your all over the place. If you have a rudder this should make things easy but the main thing to remember is to use your paddle lean back as far as you can and use the paddle as a rudder this also keeps the nose from submarining. If this fails and you lose control and you start to turn sideways lean against the wave and hold one end of your paddle and reach out into the wave with the other end with the blade flat to the water this will stop you from rolling, and you might get a chance to straighten up or you can just ride it back in like this.

Have a read of this thread, its probably the reason i've never been dumped:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10524


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## HiRAEdd (Nov 12, 2005)

L3GACY said:


> If this fails and you lose control and you start to turn sideways lean against the wave and hold one end of your paddle and reach out into the wave with the other end with the blade flat to the water this will stop you from rolling, and you might get a chance to straighten up or you can just ride it back in like this.


I'm half familiar with the technique. I know about leaning back and if the nose starts to turn, digging in on the opposite side will hopefully keep you straight. It's worked for me so far, only ever been dumped right at shore getting on the yak  Got that much. But I'm not quite clear on the sentence above. I'm just trying to visualise being sideways in front of a wave and digging the paddle into the wave, wouldn't that only ensure you're kept sideways? Or am I missing some crucial part of wave-kayak dynamics?


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## flea (Jan 24, 2008)

L3GACY
Hopefuly soon ill travell the 260km for a mornings fishing with you yakers lookn forwards to it, might book into west Beach wife shopn me fishn thats the go.
Cheers .


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

Flea: Good idea mate, the missus will have more than enough down Glenelg to keep her satisfied. I have never fished West Beach so i wouldnt mind giving it a go. If you want more of a known area you can give Brighton or seacliff ago, most of us have had success down there. Just make sure you pick a REALLY nice day, i'd hate for you to come all that way to find shite conditions.

Hiraedd: Thats the idea, you stay sideways all the way to the shore. It sounds and looks really unco but it has saved me twice now.


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## HiRAEdd (Nov 12, 2005)

L3GACY said:


> Hiraedd: Thats the idea, you stay sideways all the way to the shore. It sounds and looks really unco but it has saved me twice now.


Ah, i c. I'm so gonna have to try this without gear one day


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

HiRAEdd

This video might make it a little easier to visualize.






There is no surf on their landing, but Jim does a good job of explaining and demonstrating surf landing techniques.
There is a slightly higher resolution version of this video on the La Jolla Kayak Fishing forum http://forum.kayak4fish.com/viewtopic.php?t=9644

You can see the technique demonstrated in this video





Another good demonstration of bracing





How not to do it


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## HiRAEdd (Nov 12, 2005)

Thanks Doug, some great videos there. I get it now  Man, the thought of my X-Factor being thrown around like a twig like the yaks in those videos scares me hehe


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## Guest (Feb 23, 2008)

Thanks for the link Doug. Gretat stuff mate, I love reading your posts, always so informative


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## fishydude (Dec 30, 2007)

Hey guys, Glad to everyone's ok and nothing got broken  . If the weather stays like this I'm pulling everything off my yak and going surfing tomorrow  ....lol...With an empty yak I reckon it would be a hoot 8) . Have to find somewhere without any surfies as an out of control sideways yak might be an ugly sight coming at someone in a wave :shock: . Do you get many people surfing down at Seacliff? I reckon a bit of practise would be a good way to reduce the number of yak capsizings we are likely to get now the more inclement weather might be on it's way.
Surfs up, 
Mike


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

Mate, dont even bother trying to learn to surf at seacliff. It's not going to prepare you for say, launching at porties. I would try and find an area free of surfies at porties or cruise along the esplanade around brighton, you'll see where the sandbars are, that's where you'll get the best experience i reckon.


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## sunshiner (Feb 22, 2006)

L3GACY said:


> The next idea was to turn sideways and dig in, that got me out of trouble but i always feel like a tool coming into the beach sideways lol.


G'day L3, that was an enjoyable read for me, a frequent battler with the local waves. Mate, often the only alternative here in Noosa to coming in sideways is to come in as two separate items: (1) an upside down yak, accompanied by (2) a bedraggled yakker frantically trying to retrieve gear which may not be tied down and at the same time trying to hang on to the yak. Which of these two options makes you feel more of a tool I'll leave up to you.

If it looks like I might be rolled, I usually opt for the sideways technique *before* it gets too late, ie just before the breaking wave catches me up. And you're right, the sideways yak on a wave is not able to be steered by the operator, at least not by me, and so selecting a landing spot with no obstacles, such as unwary humans, is very wise.

It's a great idea to get out from time to time without fishing gear and other bits and pieces to hone the necessary skills. Great fun too...


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

sunshiner said:


> L3GACY said:
> 
> 
> > The next idea was to turn sideways and dig in, that got me out of trouble but i always feel like a tool coming into the beach sideways lol.
> ...


That's a good tip there, i was very close to being catapulted (my nose was WAY under) so going sideways asap would certainly prevent those sort of situations.


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

L3GACY said:


> That's a good tip there, i was very close to being catapulted (my nose was WAY under) so going sideways asap would certainly prevent those sort of situations.











:shock: :shock: :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## fishydude (Dec 30, 2007)

Lmao :lol: ...that used to happen to me all the time on my surf ski when I was a young fella. Mainly because it used to fill with water through a big crack in the nose and as soon as the nose pointed slighly downhill all the water would rush to the front and under it went until bouyancy decided it time to throw you in the air. Used to lie on the bottom for a while hoping not to get hit by my ski :shock: . Then jump on again and try again...lol....never said I was a smart young fella  . Actually ripped the stirrups out of the deck one day doing that  . Ahh them were the the days, young, dumb and no fear of pain.
Cheers
Mike


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## Robbo (Jan 6, 2007)

Thanks for the report. Enjoyed reading it.... but it made me feel like a wuss. :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## water_baby (Oct 26, 2005)

well, well, well. it turned out as i suspected. luckily for me, being a wuss saved me the embarrassment of a bad surf launch!!

good on ya's for giving it a crack, and the experience gained is someting that can only come from putting yourselves out there. but, bed was much better on this occassion!!

so, i assume no fish caught?? :lol: :lol:


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## Mattwah (Nov 12, 2007)

G'day all- good report from Jon and pretty accurate I reckon- and fair to say, for me, a skid mark inducing introduction to surf launching. Thing is, I spent about 10 minutes watching the sets of breakers roll in, and didn't see anything unusual. Opted to try my ususal launch style- IE waist deep, jump on side saddle (between waves) and paddle like the blazes was the plan...did someone say naive! 
Plan seemed pretty good except for the really really big breaker that coincided with me being ready to jump on. I'm pretty glad I hadn't got on the Kayak already. You know the rest- everything went a over t- me the kayak, rods, esky, camera, epirb, gps, knives, soft plastics, bait, hat, sunnies, esky, water, net, mirage drive, etc etc... fortunately I'd had the good sense to leash all the important stuff, and luckily nothing broke, including me...

Anyways about 20 minutels later, after some much appreciated help from Jon, getting ewverything back in place, we managed a sucessful launch- Jon went first and I followed- a bit white knuckled I've got to say...

Fishing was uneventful- gottaa say my mind wasn't really on the job, I was thinking more about getting back in, particularly given the size of the swell arounf the first set of cliff south of our launching point and the 3 impending rain bands not too far out to sea...

So we headed back in, and with a bit of good advice from Jon I managed to get in safely (phew)

Sounds like Jon had a hell of a time getting in, and I'm glad he managed to avoid poleaxing himself...

Definately a learning experience and I'll bee looking to do a basic kayaking safety course and a surk kayaking course in the near future.

Cheers!

Matt


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## LoboLoco (Feb 1, 2008)

sounds like some awesome fun! 
is it better to over a sandbar where the waves form quicker or over a hole/gutter where the swell just rols over but then forms big and fast at the end?


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## FoolInjected (Feb 4, 2008)

Funny read with some helpful tips

That photo by DGax65 also reminded me of the old surf ski days (when I mended better than I do now)
I fell off in the bay the other day (to amusement of the Coast Guard boat moored near by) so beach launches are still a long time off for me.
Until I get more practice think I'll stick to the flat water


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

LoboLoco said:


> sounds like some awesome fun!
> is it better to over a sandbar where the waves form quicker or over a hole/gutter where the swell just rols over but then forms big and fast at the end?


i would say that is depends on the size of the waves. With our conditions it was easier to walk the yaks out into deep water at seacliff where there was no sandbar, though i did not do this as i did not want to get THAT wet . Though i expect my launch at brighton over the sandbar would be easier in rougher conditions because i can just bob around in the white wash of the gutter until i am ready.


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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