Exploring the California Coast by Kayak

By David Powdrell

I suspect that John Muir, Ansel Adams, and other wildlife adventurers may have wrestled with the advantages and disadvantages of sharing their discoveries with the world.  Would the beauty and tranquility of the flora and fauna be forever negatively impacted if they shared their stories and photographs, or would sharing their discoveries inspire and educate others to celebrate and protect the land, the streams, the ocean and the wildlife? I’m partial to the latter so I’ll share snippets of what we saw while paddling our plastic sit-on-top kayaks over a period of 54 days covering 1,109 miles from the Oregon to the Mexican borders, paddled in legs spanning several years.

We hugged the coastline closely wanting to explore every sea cave and sea stack, paddled near every lighthouse and under every pier possible.  We spent nights on secluded, inaccessible beaches whenever we could with a toasty campfire keeping us warm at night. It was the adventure of a lifetime hanging out with my good surfing buddies, sharing stories, and reflecting on each day’s challenges and escapades.

Our discoveries were beyond my wildest dreams. Wild boar and deer sauntering the beaches of the Central Coast. Bears along the Lost Coast.  Blue sharks at Jalama.  Herds of elk walking gracefully on the sand dunes near Humboldt and Tomales Bay.  Elephant seals sleeping peacefully at San Simeon.

Colorful pink flowers adorned the sand dunes of Imperial Beach and bright colorful starfish clung tight to the rocks at Point Conception.

Along the way, we picked up buoys and trash bags full of debris and plastic junk, but we only scratched the surface. The amount of trash along the beaches of California is vast. Some of the trash was enormous and some of the beaches were inaccessible by motor vehicle. Clearly, we all have much to do.   

Some say you need to travel far to experience the wonders of the world. I contend that the magic is in our backyards.  

Maybe, just maybe, this article will motivate others to help clean up our coastline and our creeks, or perhaps it’ll inspire the reader to support the many amazing nonprofits that fight tirelessly to protect our environment for future generations to enjoy.      

Recommendation:  Always leave the beach looking better than when you arrived. It feels good. 

David recently joined the board of directors of the Environmental Defense Center and has served on the Santa Barbara Channel Keeper board and supports Heal the Ocean, the Nature Conservancy, Gaviota Coast Conservancy, and others.