In 2011 we are starting some exciting new kayaking outings. Here’s a taster of what we have planned. It’s kayaking, of course, but not as you know it, kayaking with the addition of foraging, birdwatching, yoga and fishing.

Kayaking/Foraging trip

This day long trip involves a trip to remote beaches, where we will gather seaweed and other wild foods. We’ll cook lunch on the beach, using the food we have foraged, and teach some basic camp/foraging skills and an understanding of the magical world of sea vegetables. Sally McKenna, cookery editor and publisher of the Bridgestone Guides will be arranging the food side of the tour.

KaYoga Weekend

In 2001 we will also start KaYoga weekends. This involves kayaking and yoga,  not necessarily all at the same time but who knows! The weekends will be designed to help you relax and invigorate yourself in one of the world’s most beautiful places to learn both yoga and kayaking.

Bird Watching by Kayak

Observing the flora and fauna around us has always been part of the Atlantic Sea Kayaking offer. We are taking this a little further in 2011 when will also be running specialist bird watching trips every month. From Kingfishers, to Curlews, Cormorants to Spoonbills, the places where we kayak are alive with glorious sea birds, and seeing them from a kayak makes the experience even more enjoyable.

Kayak Fishing Safety

Kayak Fishing is becoming ever more popular, and in response to this we are offering a special safety/control class for those wishing to go fishing in their kayaks.

Keep an eye on our web site, as we will be updating the calendar on a regular basis. Look out also for our offers on Twitter and Facebook.

We began a new venture in 2009 – our Cork City trips. Now going into our second year, these city trips are certainly turning out to be very interesting and are introducing a lot of people to the magic of kayaking and indeed the magic of Cork City.  Cork, by the way was voted in the top ten cities of the world to visit by Lonely Planet? http://www.cork-guide.ie/corkcity.htm. Our Cork city trip http://www.atlanticseakayaking.com/cork-city-evening-time-kayaking-tour-price-45.html lasts for two hours, and during the tour we slip under the bridges and see the city centre from a uniquely unusual perspective.

Cork has been called the Venice of Ireland and we have managed to intertwine both city tours into our Atlantic Sea Kayaking offer. This year we began a 5-day trip to Italy which finishes with a fantastic day kayaking around Venice itself. This is very special tour indeed and we’re delighted to announce we will be doing this tour again over Eastertime 2011 – for all of you teachers who have asked us to arrange some trips during your holidays.

2011 Trip………………………January – February
(suitable for all abilities)

Our Baja, Mexico trip is at long last confirmed. We have redesigned it somewhat due to some people wanting to come again and again.  This year we have moved to a new location near Loreto farther north on the Peninsula and the other good news is we have managed to lower the price as well. On top of that we can offer a further reduction to you if there are two or more from the same family coming.

All details of the trip are below, with a full itinerary in our International Trips page.

In the meantime, check out these links to sample some of the experiences we have in Baja.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf21GFUZDAo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiL-ILHRiIc&feature=related

This is a 12 day adventure to the wild and undeveloped Baja Peninsula of Mexico, to sea kayak in the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez, in Mexico’s 1st National Marine Park, Parque Nacional Bahia de Loreto, and watch the giant gray whales frolic with their young on the Pacific coast of Magdalena Bay. As well as kayaking, we will be snorkeling amongst thousands of tropical reef fishes, exploring coral shelves, hiking the dramatic desert landscape, not to mention waking up to flaming sunrises, pristine beaches, fresh fruit and seafood, beach combing, dune jumping and sipping margaritas at sunset.

The magic of this tour is that we combine five days of incredible sea kayaking in the turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez, based in Parque Nacional Bahia de Loreto, with four days whale watching and sea kayaking in Magdelena Bay on the Pacific coast. Before, during, and at the end of these two amazing experiences, you will spend a night in the Plaza Hotel in Loreto to relax, regroup, and have a night out on the town!

The Sea of Cortez, also called The Vermillion Sea, or the ”Worlds Aquarium” is better described as aquamarine, with incredible visibility and biodiversity. The sea is alive with fish of all kinds, colour and size, from the tiny sergeant major to giant manta rays, dolphins, fin, and blue whales. The sunrises and sunsets are spectacular and the scenery stark and dramatic. Isla Danzante and Isla Carmen are within a National Park, uninhabited and visited by permit only, and is a fantastic base for exploring and kayaking. The camping is very comfortable with cocktail hour and camp cooks who pride themselves in their culinary skills!

After four nights camping it is great to get back to the hotel for a shower and a comfy bed, as well as an evening in the colorful, friendly, and very Mexican town of Loreto.

The next part of the trip brings you to Magdelena Bay to one of only two mating and calving grounds for the grey whale who make their way from The Bering Sea to the warm waters of Mexico between December and March and can be seen in their hundreds as they swim with their calves and breech, coming straight up out of the water. Sometimes a “friendly” whale will seek contact and allow us to touch and even kiss her! The boats are well controlled with permits and respectful of the whales and never harass them.

The camping here is very posh, with walk-in permanent tents with cot beds, a dining room tent and a beer cooler. The campsite is on a sandbar between the Bay and The Pacific Ocean and the night time noises consist of whale song and the odd coyote howling at the moon!

We will have in camp with us a beautiful fleet of kayaks for touring the rich and fascinating mangrove estuaries, as well as for enjoying advanced instruction from Jim, both in the bay as well as taking advantage of the nearby surf.

What makes our tour so different and special is that on all of our expeditions Jim Kennedy (see about us) tutors and advises clients on all aspects of their kayaking technique. i.e. forward paddling, rescues, correction strokes, towing, rolling. So by the end of an amazing tour, not only will you have a great adventure but your personal kayaking proficiency will also have reached new levels. At the end of the trip people can be assessed for a European Paddle Pass kayak approved certificate.

This tour is suitable for all abilities, beginner upwards, and is fully supported. We use a combination of singles and doubles on the trip.

Our first Venice trip took place in early November. It was a four day trip, with days one and two spent kayaking in Bibione, an hour east of Venice, where we kayaked the lagoons and canals in a similar geography to that of Venice itself, sort of like Venice pre-the Doges. We stayed in a local campsite, where we all slept in smart wooden chalets. We catered in one of the little kitchens, making delicious food from the local well stocked supermarket. We also had an memorable dinner in the Casanova Resort www.casanovarestort.ie – in fact there was a fair bit of eating and drinking – we were in Italy, after all.

Then on to Venice itself. Our local guides were Sandro, Fabrizio, Raffaella and Giorgio and, after a day of just visiting the city, we made the journey across the lagoon, traveling alongside the railway and road link into the city itself. The rules were, stay in line, keep together, and always give way to the Gondola. Also – only ever pass a Gondola on the side where he keeps his paddle, but let’s face it, who would dare overtake one of these magnificent vessels.

We all agreed, kayaking in the canals of Venice was nothing less than one of the greatest experiences of our lives. The highlight was kayaking down the Grand Canal, under the Rialto Bridge, battling it out with the Vaparetto, the speedy water taxis, and the imperial Gondolas. The buildings of Venice are all designed to be looked at from the water, and it is not until you get to water level that you can really appreciate the majestic spectacle of this glorious city. To do it under your own steam is about as powerful a cultural experience as it gets.

Our next trip is a whale-watching trip in Baja in Mexico. More details to follow on www.atlanticseakaying.com next week.

Congragulations to Phillip, Siobhan, Jo, Val and Pa on obtaining your Level 2 at our recent weekend course. Here are some photos of the two days – taken in seriously splashy circumstances, as you can see from the camera screen.

Hi all ,
Jim Kennedy here
www.atlanticseakayaking.com
I run kayaking trips most nights so I am used to the night sky.

Tonight I was on the water and looking SW at about 10.55 pm as what I thought was the ISS passing by from the SW and heading NE. As I have seen it many times before. This time it seemed a little slower and somewhat orange in colour I thought this may be due to mist. I was telling my group about the ISS when, about 2 minutes after it passed, I saw the same type object follow the same path then a minute or so later I saw  a pair of the same objects then there were 4 of them following all in the same direction  I witnessed 8 in all the last 4 were heading NE they  then stopped and headed south stopped and then headed off to the NE again. There were 16 of us watching this it lastedabout 5 minutes in all they eventually faded above a mist in the NE.
I certainly found this interesting.
Any other reports of this?
Jim Kennedy