What is surf kayaking?

Surf Kayaking is one of the most adrenalin pumping, exhilarating extreme sports in the world today. Basically, a surf kayaker sits on his/her backside, legs enclosed in a kayak with their paddle doing the same sort of stuff as a surfer, but (in our totally "non-biased" opinion) having far more fun!

Here comes the "science bit" - the surf kayaker uses the power of the wave to generate speed and thus 'ride' the wave from A to B. Surf Kayaking has developed out of both kayaking and board surfing and similar to surfing, we perform manoeuvres which vary from cutbacks, top and bottom turns to barrel rides and even aerials (see our glossary for more explanation of these terms). The aim is to catch the wave in the most critical section of the wave possible (beside the pitching lip) and perform whatever manoeuvre in the power pocket whilst remaining in the green (unbroken) part of the wave.

The person on the water who is doing the most radical manoeuvres whilst maintaining their speed in the green pocket is considered the 'best' surfer.

Surf kayaking is not only for the adrenaline-junkie. Anyone who enjoys a challenge and learning something new can get involved - one way is to attend our "Come and Try It" events (see events calendar). A number of the NI surf kayakers regularly compete on both the National and International circuit, with some holding world ranking places.