people kayaking on the ocean with kayaks under 14ft?

Apparently I met Oceanluvr a few months back at Lake Del Valle. And if I remember correctly, you've also met Pat aka Seabreeze. Anyway, glad you made it to the site - WELCOME to the Madness 

Hope to see you on the water again soon!

Strange note! Changed my screen name from oceanluvr to Bulldog. Sounds better. yeh! previous marine. HURAH!

I paddle (and win tournies on) an 11' OK Caper. 

I joke about being the smallest yak and most likely to get attacked by a shark, but I never really give it any SERIOUS thought. If I did I wouldn't fish in the ocean on any kayak.

Chicks dig dudes who play with sharks!

yeah baby! thats what i'm talkin bout! Chicks!. Ooops my wife just walked in!

Have you encountered any sharks?? Cause I eat sharks for breakfast!! knock on wood.

Well in that case, there is no need for a boat as long as 13'. An Ocean Kayak Frenzy is historically appropriate. Though it's a sit inside, a Perception Dancer is also a great kayak for the southern San Mateo coast. It ought to be fine in Monterey. Here's one cheap: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/boa/372600452.html

I'm not sure what this guy is paddling, but I'm sure you could get one of them as well.


Regards,
Scott

P.S. - local sharks might hit 5.5 meters in length, another 25% or so larger than the one in the picture.

Nice!! Now I gotta go change my shorts! . I can hardly wait

Am I the only one here with the 9.5ft yak (Mini-X) trolling the ocean for Salmon? 
The one that I'm fear/respect the most while out there is our Mother Nature!  I don't think Mr. Sharky care too much if you're 9 or 15 foot long if you're "lucky" enough to have a close encounter with him. 

That's what i'm talking about Sailfish! . I am looking at about 12 to 13 ft. See ya out there soon

Bulldog:  I've been on the open ocean for years and only a very few recent times on boats over 12'.  For years we used Costco boats 9' long.  For me it's all about the conditions you choose to go out in.  I study the forecasts and buoy reports and try to only go when it's "flat".  On the Monterey Bay you can get fooled, I'd say, because it may appear "flat" most of the time.  Wind is probably the major factor regarding your overall safety on the water, no matter what length boat you're in.  I paddle a 12' Scrambler XT, and it's served me very very well in conditions that have been less than ideal.  I'm getting a new 14.5' Malibu X-Factor that I've demo'd a few times, but I don't feel that it's way superior to the XT in terms of stability or overall performance on the water.

Good luck, be safe, have fun.   

Eric

The one that I'm fear/respect the most while out there is our Mother Nature!  I don't think Mr. Sharky care too much if you're 9 or 15 foot long if you're "lucky" enough to have a close encounter with him.

The thing is, empirical evidence says the opposite - size does appear to matter. Look at the lengths of the boats that were in the groups of paddlers, then look at which boats the sharks chose as prey:

http://www.bask.org/ARTICLES/1shark.html
http://www.bask.org/ARTICLES/2jaws.html


Regards,
Scott

When power boating, I usually launch from moss landing. I find it always easier to heads towards santa cruz for an easier ride back. Would probably try to follow the same rule in a kayak.

Well in that case, there is no need for a boat as long as 13'. An Ocean Kayak Frenzy is historically appropriate. Though it's a sit inside, a Perception Dancer is also a great kayak for the southern San Mateo coast. It ought to be fine in Monterey. Here's one cheap: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/boa/372600452.html



Doesn't look like much of a fishing boat

Doesn't look like much of a fishing boat

It depends on what you're trying to catch

I've read those two BASK articles... interesting stuff...

The event in Article 1 sounds like a fairly innocuous (for a GWS encounter) investigative "mouthing"... a curious/cautionary attempt by the shark to see if it's worth risking injury to the shark to make a meal out of the large kayak...

The event in Article 2 sounds like a fairly violent high speed attack where the shark was predisposed to disable the "prey" and not risk losing it with a "gentle mouthing", and then take it's time to come back and see if it's worth eating...

Visibility may have played a part in the difference between the two attacks, but who really knows...

Fortunately, both sharks found the kayaks to be unsuitable to eat and left the scene...

Remember when Chief Brody said to Quint, "You're gonna need a bigger boat."? 

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=9174.0

16 foot yak!  So much for the big yak avoidence theory...