Launching and Beaching a Kayak

Getting in and out through the surf is the part of kayak fishing that most guys struggle with, and the part that matters most. Here's how the crew does it, straight from Justin's demonstration in the wild shorey at Salt Rock.

Get your mind right

Plenty of people are scared of launching, and there are some fair reasons to be. But most of the fear is about what your mates will think when you get chowed. Everyone falls, especially in the beginning. There's a very fine line between anxiety and excitement: get yourself onto the excitement side of that line and you'll be fine. Learning to actually enjoy the launch builds the confidence that gets you in and out safer.

Getting on: two techniques

Side saddle

Grab the handle, run into the ocean, and as you're ready, pull the kayak forward. Land bum first, then swing the legs over. This is Justin's method and it works for plenty of other okes too.

The cowboy

Run in, swing your leg straight over, sit, then bring your feet in. Slightly slower to settle, but it carries more momentum into the shore break.

Whichever you use, the rule is the same: forward momentum going into the shore break. Too many people run in, stop, climb on and then try to build speed by paddling while the shore break comes at them. That's how you get smashed.

The launch

• Have a good look at what the shore break is doing before you go. Be patient and pick your gap.
• Grab the three-quarter handle, run down the beach and meet the wave.
• Lift the boat over the wave, pull it through as it passes you, and jump on with forward momentum.
• Punch foamies exactly straight. Hit them at even a slight angle and they will flip you.
• Between the shore break and the backline there's usually a trough: a safe zone where the foam is chilled. Sit there and wait, and reverse back into it if a set stacks up.
• The backline is the danger zone. Spend as little time there as possible: pick your moment, then go as fast and hard as you can. If a wave catches you anyway, far better to hit it with momentum than without.

Beaching

• Read what's between you and the sand first. On a low tide there may be a sandbank before the shore break: deal with the sandbank first. Find a wave that isn't going to break, piggyback it over the bank, and once you're close, commit.
• At the shore break, sit on the back of a wave. Don't sit too shallow and never turn side-on, that's how you get into trouble.
• Let the wave break in front of you, paddle on behind it, hop out, grab the front handle and walk the boat up the beach.
• Keep an eye on what's behind you so the next set doesn't catch you on the sand.

If you're separated from your kayak

Swimming with one hand while holding your paddle barely moves you. Use the paddle as your arms instead: swim with it, or lie on your back and paddle yourself along. It takes some effort, but it gets you out of the danger zone quickly.

The short version: commit. Even a wrong commitment beats a half-hearted one. Pick your gap, hit the shore break hard, wait in the trough for your backline gap, and go. And watch to the end of the video for the fail reel, because everyone gets chowed.