Adventure Girl
By Courtney Haile
“Ever been ocean kayaking before?” Central Coast Kayaks tour guide Brent asked in response to my inquiry about bringing my phone for photo ops. “We have waterproof cameras. You worry about staying in the boat and we’ll take the pictures.” The Cave Excursion Tour is no place for selfies.
We aren’t in Kansas anymore, y’all. I was never in Kansas, but until today my water sports repertoire had been confined to calm bays and lakes. The ocean induces a deeper level of fear and excitement with its vastness and unpredictability. I’d later learn that swells are actually quite predictable, as Brent expertly timed our white water adventures.
Brent, Chris, and the rest of the staff outfitted my boyfriend Roberto and I in rash guards, wet suits, and booties. The process is super efficient because you provide your shoe size and medical history when booking the trip and signing away your life. We circled up with our tour group, which included a couple from Thousand Oaks who have been married 34 years. They were accompanied by their son (who is in medical school, his mother proudly informed us) and just like Roberto and I they were set to ride in tandem. They warned we may hear them yelling at each other, and, at that point, I wondered how Roberto and I would fare in our first coupled ocean activity.
Brent, who has been leading kayak tours for 20 years, does every water sport imaginable, and it shows. I focused on his super clear instructions feeling safe with him at the helm, and I was pleased with Roberto doing the heavy lifting from the back seat. After completing some skill tests we voyaged on; trudging through beds of sea kelp and mingling with pelicans, sea lions, and seals that lounged on massive ancient rocks.
This was a beautiful prelude to the action we all came for—the cave excursions.
It’s like white water rafting through an awesome cave-scape at an amusement park, but real! It’s challenging, thrilling, just frightening enough, and especially rewarding when working with a team member. We charged through Amphitheater, Cathedral, and Devil’s Mouth–caves cthat can look like death traps, or seem totally manageable depending on the wave action. I was having a blast, but started to feel a little warm. Brent warned that when you feel warm, you could soon feel queasy. I removed my jacket.
We pulled up to a tiny beach for a water and snack break and I felt okay, but slightly concerned that my preemptive Dramamine strike would soon prove fruitless. We headed back and my motion sickness became steadily worse as I tried to will it away. There was one more cave to barrel through and it turns out that part is fun even while queasy.
After the action, on a still boat, I asked a tad too late for a sickness easing ginger chew. The bite of candy did the trick. I vomited over the side of the kayak while my boyfriend and friendly tour mates looked on, offering words of consolation. “It happens,”said the son who’s in medical school. After the release I was liberated but ready for the 3-hour tour to come to an end.
I would do the Cave Excursion at Central Coast Kayaks again in a heartbeat, even if I knew puking was on the horizon. It’s that fun. Learn more at centralcoastkayaks.com.
Courtney Haile is writer and fitness instructor living in San Luis Obispo.
