Camera/Kayaking question

[rachelt]

We'll be on the Serenade 6/12 with our two teenagers. We're doing the Orca's Cove trip with Southeast Sea Kayaks. A couple of questions for anyone who's done this. How should we dress - nylon warm-up pants or jeans? Do you get really wet, or do they give you skirts for the kayaks? What about our camera? We'd hate for our good camera to get ruined. Any and all advice is welcomed. Thanks!

[jstducky]

I haven't doing kayaking with Southeast Sea Kayaks, but I did kayak in 2003 when I was in Ketchikan. I will tell you that it was really warm the day I went, almost 80. But the waters were rough, so rough that they told us we could back out and get a full refund if we thought we couldn't handle the rough waters.

 

Anyhow, I wore a long sleeved shirt and warm up pants. By the end, I was sweating cause it was so warm. I would recommend bringing sunglasses with you if its really sunshiney out there.

 

We were given skirts for the kayaks. I would imagine that every kayak outfitter in Alaska does the same.

 

As for the camera question, we each took a camera (it was a double kayak). We took one regular 35mm camera and one waterproof disposable camera. It probably was a dumb idea to take the 35 mm camera. Of course I was glad to have the pictures later, but the whole time I was kayaking, I was just thinking "this kayak better not tip over!" So if you have to take a camera, don't take an expensive one. But the best recommendation would be to take a waterproofe disposable one. Fuji makes a really nice one. This way if the camera gets wet or for some reason you happen to tip over, well, the camera won't be ruined and you'll still have your pictures. My waterproof disposable camera pictures came out really nice. And the camera isnt too expensive for 27 exposures.

 

In September when I went on my Canada/New Englad cruise, we took a kayaking excursion in Bar Harbor, Maine. We were given the usually safety instructions, etc. and told that the kayaks are very stable (which they are). Unfortunately, there was a couple there in the mid 50-s mid 60s, as we were kayaking, the man, who was sitting in the back of the double kayak, lost his footing on the pedals, so he leaned to one side and stuck his hand inside the kayak to try and find the pedal. The lady in front had no idea what was going on, so she turned around and leaned in the same direction. As soon as she did that, you knew what was about to happen. Unfortuantely, their kayak tipped over and they were dumped out. Eventually the guides were able to right the kayak, get rid of the water and get them back inside the kayak. The bad news was that they had this really nice digital camera on them, and when they took the spill in the water, they're digital camera didn't survive the swim.

 

Just goes to show, anything can happen when kayaking and you wouldn't want to lose your valuables unecessarily. Just err on the side of caution.

 

Have fun on your trip to Alaska!

[cruisincarly]

Last time I was kayaking (in North Carolina), what we did was take our camera, which is a digital, small and pretty light, and put it in a ziplock back (the type with the slider), filled the bag with air, and zipped 'er up. The air meant that the bag, while not floating, sunk more slowly, and the zipper kept out all the water (we tested it...luckily we never tipped, so it didn't actually fall out of the boat!). Of course, this was in Albemarle sound where the water's only up to your chest. Not sure I would have risked it in water I couldn't stand in. And its no good for snapping photos very quickly, but good enough if you have time to unzip, turn on and snap. And don't forget to refill it with air ;-)

[rachelt]

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking "leave the good Nikon on the ship" but my husband always insists "it will be fine" - he even had us take it on our Dunns River Falls climb in Jamaica (!) but luckily the guide held it the hold time and kept it completely dry (I still don't know how he did it). I'll count on the disposables to do get the job done that day, even if we don't get photos that are as good as with the 35mm. They'll be in our memories instead...

[MaryEllen1952]

I have lost 2 digital cameras in the past year while kayaking when the single boat hit an undertow and everything went under including the camera. It doesn't make any difference if you are an expert kayaker as that can always happen. I bought an underwater housing for my digital camera as I can't part with the digital on the kayak trips...the photos are too superior to any of those disposable cameras. And I kayak several times a year on trips I take around the world so the underwater housing is invaluable.

[chirk]

I was so proud about protecting the camera I neglected the binoculars, which apparently are not water resistant and has stayed fogged up and useless ever since...

[MaryEllen1952]

You can also get WATERPROOF BINOCULARS in travel size. Also very useful if you travel near water frequently.

[drodrigues]

Just purchases a digital camera from Pentax which claimed to be waterproof up to 5 feet underwater. So I tried it out in my friends pool which is 12 feet deep and it worked great. Even takes pictures underwater and it works like a champ. So we will use this camera for our Alaska trip.

[ladysail2]

We have a kayak tour planned in Ketchikan. I know all about the camera, thanks to you folks. Now, what do you do with your other stuff such as a backpack for after-kayaking looking around?

Will the tour operater look after it? I can't remember who we're with - it was reserved by another in the group.

 

Thanks for any help :D or suggestions :D

[MaryEllen1952]

You definitely don't want that stuff in the kayak as if your kayak turns over...that stuff will definitely be wet.

[ceejay_San Angelo]

ladysail2: Southeast told us that we could leave items (backpack, TourSaver Book, etc) in their office while we are kayaking. They take us there first to sign liability statements, etc. and will drop us back off there.

[SEPyle]

Great, question answered...since I'm with Ladysail, I'm the one who booked the tour...with Southeast Sea Kayaks. I'm really looking forward to this kayaking excursion!

 

Sharon

[Bekkiz]

I just got back and we took the Orca's cove trip. It was wonderful!!! We saw a ton of eagles, a martin (which is a like a ferret) and about five harbor seals.

 

The weather was a bit overcast and rainy at first, so the seat in the kayak was a little wet when I got in. I wore jeans, and that was fine. I think warm up pants would dry a little faster though. Other than that, we didn't get wet at all. The skirts really keep you dry. I would suggest layering if it is a gray day. DH had long johns and under amour on, and was fine. I had a long sleeve t, and a fleece, but no extra layer under my jeans, so I got a little cold when we would stop for a period of time. He, however, was fine.

 

They provided a dry bag for our camera and camcorder, which worked fine. We left our extra stuff in their office.

[ceejay_San Angelo]

Bekkiz, I hope you're planning to post a review? Please, please. What was the terrain around Orca's Cove? No glaciers here, are there? Was the water clear to see starfish, etc?

[Eleazar]

It all depends on just how risk adverse you are. Anytime a camera is exposed near water, there is some risk of damage. If you are on the water, the risks go up. In kayaking, you also have to balance access with protection. If it takes you 5 minutes to get to the camera, you may not get lots of the shots you want. We will be kayaking with Sunny Cove and they did not have any specific recomendations for waterproof bags. I use a Cannon Digital EOS 300D. After LOTS of searching, I found Ortlieb:http://www.ortliebusa.com/cartgenie/prodList.asp?scat=8 Their products came with very good reviews. I purchased the AquaZoom Plus bag. It should work great in case of rain or the spray but not in the case of a dunking. For that risk, you should trade convenience for a fully sealing closure. on the regular AquaZoom. It should float for a while but I do not think it will withstand prologed or deep immersion. Either way go with a harness too. The less you are fumbling around, the less likely you will go for a swim.:)

[Bekkiz]

We were there in the afternoon, so the tide was quite high. Along the coast we did see a number of starfish and anenomes, but I think we would have seen a ton more closer to the surface at low tide.

 

All in all, it was our favorite excursion. We had an absolute blast, the people were fantastic, and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone. We are more athletic people, and have kayaked before, so I think we were able to go a bit further than others might. Still, even if we only did half of it, it still would have been awesome.

 

Don't worry if you get tired, you can hang out and just watch for animals for as long as you want, they put no rush on you. We were the only 2 on our trip, so that may have added to the relaxed nature of the trip. Also, I don't like smoked salmon, but they got me to try their favorite, and it turns out I do like smoked salmon, just no cold-smoked salmon (like lox-blech). The canned smoked salmon they give you for a snack is wonderful. They serve it with a little picnic of crakers, cream cheese, fruit, onion etc.

 

We're considering their 5 day kayak trip in the mysty fjords someday (if I can handle the camping part!)

[ceejay_San Angelo]

Thanks for the descriptions! Looking forward to seeing it myself in 3 weeks!!