This is a listing of some of the tiny critters that you might find. I’m not including all the invisible biting nasties that you find around the water. That’s what bug spray is for. Above is the horrible Greenhead fly – the bane of New Jersey summers. When one of these bites you, you know it.
More: Bugs …
Dragonflies
Dragonflies are aerial predators with a strong liking for water, so you are very likely to get ‘buzzed’ while out kayaking. They are harmless to humans. Dragonfly larvae are fully aquatic little nightmares. There are many kinds of dragonflies in the region, too many to list.
More: Dragonflies etc …
Orbweavers
If you are trying to escape the sun in the shade of overhanging tree branches, you are inevitably going to get spiders in the boat. These are almost entirely harmless orbweavers – they are not aggressive and don’t bite, and are not poisonous to humans, at least no more poisonous than a honey bee. That said, our brains are programmed at the most basic level to fear spiders, and I don’t like them any more than anyone else. Just calmly knock it out of the boat.
More: Spiders …
Whirligig Beetle
Whirligig Beetles are typically found in groups making crazy circles at the surface, although they are also capable of diving and flying. These are ‘true beetles’, not bugs. They are harmless scavengers.
More: Water Bugs …
This is a cable-lock I made, about 12 feet long. It is just 3/16″ coated steel cable from the hardware store, with crimp ferrules, and a big steel ring in one end. The ferrules fit through the scupper holes on the boat, but the steel ring does not. Together with any padlock, this will secure the boat (or several) to your truck, roof rack, a tree, or anything else that is handy. You can take this cable with you, it will give you peace of mind if you leave the boat unattended to go exploring on land.
The object is not to stop a determined thief – you can’t do that. It is to stop someone from casually taking your boat with their bare hands. Don’t lock the boat by the handles – they are easily cut with a pocket knife and cheap to replace. Run the cable through a scupper hole, and a thief would have to destroy the boat to steal it. If your boat doesn’t have scupper holes, you can probably find someplace to thread the cable though, or make a suitable hole in the seat.
You can find a cable like this all set to go on Amazon for under 20 bucks. Where I used a steel ring, you could use a second padlock.