Pulling into the parking lot, grabbing my little backpack and rain jacket, and running down the slipway whilst madly clicking on my remote to lock the car was not a good way to start our little morning adventure with Kaskazi Kayaks. We were a little bit late and Dirk, our guide, had already phoned to ask where we were.
We ran towards the kayaks lined up neatly on the beach and sheepishly handed over our shoes, apologising profusely, then slipped into our seats … kayak seats, that is.
Dirk smiled, and his long wiry frame told me that he was an avid athlete of some sort. Then, in his calming, German (I think) accented voice, proceeded to give us the rundown of what to expect that morning. First, he explained how to use the foot-steering mechanism (something I didn’t have to worry about, though, as I had handed that responsibility over to my friend and fellow kayaker, Clare). He also told us how to hold the paddle and how to row. Simple enough? Let’s go!
Kaskazi Kayaks Adventures
After ensuring we were comfortable in our seats and had the paddle in hand, we were helped down to the water’s edge, where Dirk’s assistant, Shadreck, gave us a few shoves into the cool water. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that a few runaway waves decided to roll up into our kayaks, and we got promptly and properly wet even before starting. Lovely! Oh, well, thank goodness for quick/dry clothes!
Clare and I quickly got into a rhythm after a few screams and laughs and made it perfectly out of the mouth. We had been told to steer into the waves head-on to avoid capsizing. And we did. No worries there. After the rest of the party got going, we slowly made our way to the right and towards the lighthouse.
One could not have asked for a more beautiful day. There wasn’t a breath of wind, the temperature was cool and pleasant, and the sea was flat with the occasional swell. The paddle out along the coast was majestic, and while we didn’t get to see any dolphins, except for somewhere behind us (I did hear someone call out that they were near), we were entertained by a few playful seals. As my friend and I are quite active, we paddled around the others when there was a lull and probably looked super crazy too.
There is something special about sailing along in the ocean, no noise of passing traffic, just the gentle slapping of the water against our kayak and the paddles doing their thing. After a few selfies and posing for Dirk and his camera, we turned around and made our way back to the beach.
After much unnecessary debating and planning on how we were going to get back through the mouth and land safely on the sand without tipping (we clearly had visions of a Tsunami wave ruining our trip!), we smoothly sailed into the little bay. We were on solid ground before we could shout, “Kaskazi Kayaks rock!”.
And they do, we had a fabulous time. Besides the universe blessing us with the most perfect kayaking morning, Dirk and his assistants were ever attentive and informative. Even when one of the other kayakers, a 5-month pregnant lady, felt a bit nauseous, Shadreck hooked up their kayak and towed them back.
Thank you to Kaskazi Kayaks and the folk who made this experience possible.
Contact Details
Kaskazi Kayaks is located in Three Anchor Bay in Cape Town. To make a booking, call them on 067 927 7158 or email them at kayak@kaskazi.co.za. For more information, visit them online at www.kaskazi.co.za, or follow them on Facebook HERE and on Instagram HERE.
