Tricked out kayaks Hitting the water - Wavelength Paddling Magazine

More documents

Recommendations

Info

International destinations they only end up with a small amount and ruined land.” Most of the money goes to the people who broker the deals. By now the lagoon is like a lacquered surface, and in the distance is a small island, Matikuri, on which sits an eco-lodge, the place where we’re staying tonight. This is a good location from which to access the Bapita Passage, a narrow system of waterways and a great place to kayak. Bapita immediately swallows you into its mangrove belly; the smell here is pungent: I imagine this is what it must have smelt like back in headhunting times, when freshly severed heads were left for a month or two to decompose. Once the skin was eaten away or peeling off, the brains were emptied and the skulls buried. On entering the passage, the water turns into a sheet of shimmering emerald. Stripy fish dart past my paddle as we approach an isolated village. Fishermen are out in numbers catching food for tomorrow’s Sabbath feast. A teenage girl sings in one of the huts and for a fleeting moment our eyes meet. They twinkle with longing, and as I paddle past she sings louder. Eventually her voice is lost to the mangroves, replaced by a strange birdcall that hoots like an owl before sounding like it’s coughing up phlegm. We pass underneath a logging bridge. The Australian navy bombed this part of Bapita to create a shortcut through the passage. This meant locals no longer had to haul their canoes over mudflats. The passage opens out and cliffs of mauve, grey and gold curve over my head, along with overhanging trees. Beneath our kayaks is a sinkhole where divers can descend 28 meters before a horizontal cave traverses 20 meters horizontally. There the ceiling ends and the cave widens into a canyon which holds the remains of a battered American barge. Another good diving spot near Matikuri (roughly a two-hour paddle) is Hele Bar. Here, on the edge of a reef that plummets 40 meters, lies another wreck: that of a 35-meter Japanese tuna fishing boat, Taiyo, which ran aground on its maiden voyage. The captain was drunk and decided to take a shortcut instead of sailing around Above: Heavy clouds give a welcome respite from the South Pacific sun. Inset: Raba and the author pose together. the passage. A failed salvage operation has rendered the Taiyo completely vertical. Near this wreck is a small island, and by the time Aerum and I reach it my sunburned hands feel like they’re covered with hot embers. Aerum points vaguely to where the wreck should be, and I wade in with my snorkel. The path to the edge of the reef is convoluted: the water is shallow and if I try to swim over the needle coral I’ll end up scraping the skin off my stomach. Instead I follow a series of troughs until the reef ends and murky blue water stretches 18 WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE WINTER 2010
Solomon Islands For more information: • To embark on a Marovo adventure, log onto kayaksolomons.com. All kayak trips start from Uepi Island and the resort owners have excellent knowledge of the area and can organize varied itineraries. They can also arrange boat transfers (at an additional cost) between kayaking sites. ominously in front of me. A big wave surges in and I’m thrown onto the coral. I cut my hand and blood spirals. Sharks swim around inside my head. Mildly panicked, I try to get away from the reef, but another wave pushes me into a piece of coral that resembles a giant brain. This time I cut my knees and feet. Sea urchin spikes are inches away from puncturing my stomach and giant clams look as if they’re mouthing ‘Go back’. I abort my mission and swim ashore before I make a wreck of myself. ‘You didn’t see it,’ says Aerum as I stumble ashore. ‘Never mind,’ he says, taking my snorkel off me. ‘There are some things you don’t need to see.’ That’s true, but the Marovo Lagoon isn’t one of them. < Dave is a Melbourne-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in a variety of travel magazines Down Under. He is currently writing a travel memoir about Australasian fringe dwellers, part of which will feature his Solomon sojourn. Kayak Repair & Refit Andrea Morrison Meet Blackline’s kayak specialist – eight years of manufacturing and repair experience. • Component Replacements • Gel Coat Refinishing 2072 Henry Avenue West Sidney, BC. (250) 654-0052 • Keel Line Rebuilds • Structural Repairs Vancouver Island South One more great gift idea Maps: always appreciated by the kayaker who has everything Find a great selection of BC maps online at Wavelength Magazine’s online store. wavelengthmagazine.com/orderonline WINTER 2010 WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE 19
Page 1 and 2: WaveLength Explore coastlines, expl
Page 3 and 4: Contents This month’s features: R
Page 5 and 6: WINTER 2010 WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE 5
Page 7 and 8: News How dirty is our coastline? Pl
Page 11 and 12: Ireland Paddling with a shamrock Im
Page 13 and 14: Ireland The spectacular Cliffs of M
Page 15 and 16: Solomon Islands way the chief would
Page 17: Solomon Islands “At night they ba
Page 21 and 22: Tours and Services Tours and Servic
Page 23 and 24: Beer Bread and Chowder Coastal seaf
Page 25 and 26: Our Tricked-Out Kayaks One of the g
Page 27 and 28: Our Tricked-Out Kayaks Electric bil
Page 29 and 30: Our Tricked-Out Kayaks Disadvantage
Page 33 and 34: Surf Kayaking Student and instructo
Page 35 and 36: Kayak-Friendly Accommodation Kayak-
Page 37 and 38: Surf Kayaking 101 Here’s what you
Page 39 and 40: Standup paddleboards legs never got
Page 41 and 42: Flares to help them pinpoint your l
Page 43 and 44: The Hand of God very easy to roll t
Page 45 and 46: Rainforest Chronicles WE HAD BEEN s

Tricked out kayaks Hitting the water - Wavelength Paddling Magazine

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?