Paddling on the Hacking...

[khiemtran]

This Sunday, come with me to Bonnie Vale in the Royal National Park, for a paddle on the clear waters of Port Hacking.



It's Liem's first time paddle boarding, but he takes to it with ease.



The boards feel wobbly when you first get on, but they're surprisingly stable once you find your sea legs. It doesn't take long before you're balancing unconsciously and correcting automatically to sudden waves. Of course, it helps that the waters are so calm.



It's a wonderful morning and the water seems flat almost all the way out to the mouth of Port Hacking.



While Liem learns to paddle board, Mummy finally gets a kayak all of her own.



And shows Liem a clean set of heels...



And, of course, when you get tired of standing, you can always sit down and paddle and you've got yourself a kayak too...



We've nowhere to go today, so it's a great morning just for chillaxing on the water.



And trying to spot turtles in the sea grass. I saw a few fish, but no turtles. Liem says he saw a round object moving against the current, but we never confirmed what it was.



A shot of your humble correspondent paddling with the kayak hire place in the background. This was so much fun to do as a family, we might try it again. Liem is starting to get just a little too big for the three of us all to fit in the Big Blue Yak, so maybe he'll need a ride of his own before too long...

Comments

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

...they're surprisingly stable once you find your sea legs...

Ha! I'm betting it's not nearly as easy as you make it look!

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

When I first tried it, it took very intense concentration for the first five minutes just to stay balanced. But after that, my brain seemed to adjust and it began to feel very natural. It's quite meditative to just paddle along slowly, especially when the water is as flat as it was then.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Third-from-the end [antepenultimate!] photo is lovely, mother and son ^_^

I really want to try this one day.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you'd love it. It really is like walking on water. The first time I did it, I paddled almost all the way across the river. Once you get the hang of it, it's quite a meditative experience as you paddle over the gentle waves. It's also quite a good work out for your legs and core.