New Jersey Kayaking

First Trip

So you just impulse-bought a new kayak at Walmart. Now what?

Don’t take it someplace hairy for your first trip. Pick a place that is easy – shallow enough to stand up, no tides, no wind, no waves, no motorboats, no currents, no cold. Find some nice inland lake, I have quite a few of them listed. Learn how to get in and out of the boat, how to paddle, etc. Get a feel for things before you head out into the big water.

Also, figure out how to secure the boat for transport. The pool noodles and twine that you used to take the boat home from the store on the roof of the car are not suitable for the highway. Get whatever racks and tie-downs you need and figure out how to set them up properly. I always use a minimum of two completely independent tie-downs, even for the most local of trips. On the highway, double that.

Advice for Beginners,

Blue Holes

A New Jersey “Blue Hole” is a sand quarry that has filled with water from the aquifer below. These are very dangerous places. This is because, although the visible part may look like a Caribbean beach, the underwater sides of the quarry are steep and unstable, and merely walking near the edge can cause a collapse into the hole. The water is deep and cold, and the victim is quickly overcome by shock and hypothermia and drowns.

I have marked a few of the bigger and more notorious Blue Holes that might look like good places to go on a satellite image. They are not. Most Blue Holes are either state-owned or private property, and strictly illegal to trespass.

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