6 Tips for Overcoming Fear while Sea Kayaking – Kayak Hipster

As kayakers we’re often exposed to intimidating situations out on the water. These are 6 things I like to do to handle and overcome fear.

Thanks to Chris for catching that epic tumble on his drone. Here’s his channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCijHAmI12Ak5lr07qDtaFhw

If you’d like to find out more about the camera gear I use to make these videos, here’s a list of affiliated Amazon links for each item:

Sony a6300 – http://amzn.to/2rUtx3o
Sony G OSS 18-105mm F4 lens – http://amzn.to/2s4DPMS
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Kayak Hipster
http://kayakhipster.com

50 Comments

  1. Chris Lavigne on December 8, 2019 at 7:49 pm

    Great video, i see too many paddlers who get out of there comfort zone and just panic. They go out and there just not mentally prepared for what could happen. This video makes them think oh what if this happens and what if that happens. Great job! Also I encourage your suggestion on coaching.

  2. bowrudder on December 8, 2019 at 7:49 pm

    All good advice!

  3. romakayak on December 8, 2019 at 7:50 pm

    Good advice, well-done!

  4. Emily McLaughlin on December 8, 2019 at 7:50 pm

    do you recommend paddlers wear helmets? I see you wearing them and sometimes in georgian bay it’s all water and rock. when we go out to islands there’s usually shoals as well. Waves can be big. So I’m thinking about landing amongst the shoals in bad conditions.

  5. Alan Kinsella on December 8, 2019 at 7:50 pm

    Top notch advice, thanks for sharing

  6. Ash on December 8, 2019 at 7:51 pm

    Great video, good information. Nice action video interludes.

  7. George Wille on December 8, 2019 at 7:51 pm

    Thanks great video… From Peru.

  8. PVLocalFirst on December 8, 2019 at 7:54 pm

    Luke, i thought you might like this: The word KayaK is a palindrome in at least 14 languages; Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bask and English as listed here, QajaQ in Greenland, KajaK in Africaans, Albanian, Macedonian, and Denmark, CaiaC in Romanian and Catalan, কায়াক in Bangla, कायाक in Nepali, and QayaQ in Inuit, Yup’ik, and Alutiiq tribes. A perfectly balanced word for a perfectly balanced boat. -Daniel Luke Finn

  9. Ross Theriot on December 8, 2019 at 7:55 pm

    I just got out there and did it its alot easier than in a canoe

  10. Raj Gill on December 8, 2019 at 7:56 pm

    Ok these were not fears I had… Monterey Bay is a great white shark spawn and just last week when I was out there the shark advisory said there was a group of about six 6-8foot juvenile whites. What do you do about sharks man

  11. Susanne Williams #BushcraftGirl #VikingGirl on December 8, 2019 at 7:57 pm

    This is excellent and can be used on ALL more demanding sports. Thank you! Yeah.

  12. Leonardo Casas on December 8, 2019 at 7:57 pm

    gran video ,!!maldito Billy Russo!!! jaja

  13. j. Tadeo on December 8, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    What is kind of paddle is the little black one your using?

  14. 911 Tech on December 8, 2019 at 8:01 pm

    Great video, just subscribed. Just starting out myself and this is great info and inspirational as well.

  15. Sailor 808 on December 8, 2019 at 8:01 pm

    The best tip is get into the water when it is cold and rough and you planned to get in. It is the best preparation for when it is unplanned. I hate cold water and still get in just for practice.

  16. RulleLars on December 8, 2019 at 8:02 pm

    I like your T-Shirt !

  17. Ken Koellner on December 8, 2019 at 8:04 pm

    At which shoP did you take the rock class in RI?

  18. Bahrain on December 8, 2019 at 8:06 pm

    1) take classes
    2)support group of paddlers (go with a trained group
    3) pacing ( spend time learning the waves before you surf them)
    4) practice (seat time)
    5) appropriate gear (wear good safety and comfortable )
    6) visualization (visualizing things before it happens , preparing yourself)

  19. Ahmed lz on December 8, 2019 at 8:07 pm

    sea kayaking for me is just a relaxing time but dude you are not in military you need to enjoy

  20. Sierra Roush on December 8, 2019 at 8:07 pm

    Rad videos thanks for making them! Really amazing shot and info!

  21. WoodCravings on December 8, 2019 at 8:08 pm

    Great video (thanks). I noticed the narrow bladed paddles, any benefits (or takeaways) of them versus the regular size kayak blade paddles used with kayaks?

  22. qaannat on December 8, 2019 at 8:08 pm

    You are spot on…

  23. Explorer Mike on December 8, 2019 at 8:09 pm

    Kayak Hipster, You are great

  24. cyclotherapist on December 8, 2019 at 8:09 pm

    I really enjoy your videos and this one was very helpful. I was at Lumpy last week and definitely got a lot from great coaching. Thanks for what you do with these videos!

  25. J T on December 8, 2019 at 8:12 pm

    I notice you have an accent. Where are you from?

  26. Evan Aagaard on December 8, 2019 at 8:13 pm

    What’s the make of that black paddle with the white tip?

  27. Emmanuel Garcia on December 8, 2019 at 8:14 pm

    Hey do yo do any trips in LI ? I would like to kayak with you !

  28. ground pounder on December 8, 2019 at 8:14 pm

    Excellent information thanks for sharing!

  29. Bob D on December 8, 2019 at 8:14 pm

    This was so excellent and helpful!

  30. Fernando García on December 8, 2019 at 8:17 pm

    Con fondo plano corres la ola de lado….

  31. Todd Mitchell on December 8, 2019 at 8:17 pm

    Very good advice. Thanks for your video.

  32. whollyman on December 8, 2019 at 8:18 pm

    Fantastic contribution, thank-you soo much for this. Perfect mixture of visuals and talking head on how to escalate our self-challenge within that tension between two fundamental needs, thrills and survival. I very much enjoyed how you come clean with your anxiety and all the strategies you put in place to not be thwarted by this powerful emotion once out in the open water.

  33. Charles M on December 8, 2019 at 8:18 pm

    Great video. Hey, I’m new to sea kayaking and looking to buy a decent used kayak. Would you know where I could look in the N.Y. Area? Thanks!

  34. DALE thebelldiver on December 8, 2019 at 8:19 pm

    I’m planning a trip that includes rough tidal flows and heavy inlet chop. Due to converging currents. My fear is the huge population of sharks in this area. If I miss the the mark the currents will flush me right through the shark area and in very rough water that has no consistency.

  35. mark scott on December 8, 2019 at 8:21 pm

    Staring to learn how to roll. roll. I this video very helpful on learning the proper technique. Any suggestions for someone who tends to panic once your upside down with the spray skirt on? Not sure why I have this anxiety? I’m a very good swimmer and not afraid of big or deep water. Until I’m upside down in my kayak. Very frustrating..

  36. asaied100 on December 8, 2019 at 8:24 pm

    great video, what gloves are you using and what is the maker of the carbon fiber greenland with white tips ? thank you

  37. Aaron Adventurez on December 8, 2019 at 8:25 pm

    what kind of paddle is that?

  38. Explorer Mike on December 8, 2019 at 8:26 pm

    OMG, Kayak Hipster, where do you get these great ideas for unique vid topics. This is another excellent video. Everybody has times of self doubt or fear in the water sometime. Great advice on how to work through it. You ROCK, man! Another thing that can help: music while paddling. Music can turn scary to fun.

  39. Robert on December 8, 2019 at 8:29 pm

    Did you get the Idea for this video from a seths bike hacks video?

  40. Robert on December 8, 2019 at 8:31 pm

    Often considering all your options and knowing what they are helps, like you said hipster – seat time. More often than not it is much safer to paddle in behind a wave – close enough to follow it to shore where it will pull you along with it. Its no drama and doesn’t look as cool as the "surf it in" method but you get to keep all your gear and dignity while watching your friends flail in the surf. At least that is how we used to beach land in California shore break with sizable waves. Being a surfer helped and paying attention to what was possible made getting in through very large surf a lot less hairy – as long as the shoreline was not too steep with backwash. This is what worked best for us – great videos!

  41. Ian Hamilton on December 8, 2019 at 8:34 pm

    So cool to see you and your buddies out there paddling. I like watching videos that remind me that yeah these things are possible and that I will make progress every day I’m out on the water. I’m trying to progress on SUP at the moment, but have a fondness for kayaking and many of these videos apply for any watercraft IMHO. Thanks for the great video.

  42. mark morris on December 8, 2019 at 8:34 pm

    thank you bro love the video

  43. Michael Cox on December 8, 2019 at 8:36 pm

    I can’t thank you enough for this fantastic series, it is a great confidence builder for beginners (me) but I’m sure more advanced paddlers find lots of good tips here too.

  44. james james on December 8, 2019 at 8:37 pm

    One added fear that I have and this is a legitimate fear here in Western Australia is SHARKS.  Every second that I am paddling I am anticipating being hit by a shark.  I love and respect sharks however even seeing one while paddling is sometimes too much.  Here we have Great White sharks that come up like torpedoes from the sea floor.  I know the chances of this happening are slim but (I grew up watching JAWS) but it certainly puts a dampener on my sea kayaking (also the fact that I am not an expert kayaker).

  45. Dora B on December 8, 2019 at 8:41 pm

    Thanks for your video. I avoid the scary situation as possible but I must face more of a challenge as not everything is predictable. Just today the sea in Scotland was quite rough and I was scared to go near to any rocks. Never thought about taking such a class. Great idea!

  46. Thomas Dennis on December 8, 2019 at 8:43 pm

    GREAT idea to just sit in the chop and swells in a lot of different angles to get comfortable with what might happen to the boat and just reacting…THANKS for posting!!!

  47. Kayak Life on December 8, 2019 at 8:44 pm

    Best take away … have fun with what you got 🙂 Grew up in Maine so total got you on surfing the hell out of 1 ft too haha 😉 So … let me ask you Luke, whats your top 3 favorite kayaking experiences that keep popping up in your mind thus far for 2017? Or is that for another video?

  48. fisherman jones on December 8, 2019 at 8:45 pm

    I like the part where you talked about gear that makes you feel more comfortable like a surf hood. Kayak instructors talk a lot about safety gear but not so much comfort gear. If you’re freezing cold in a 2 mil wet suit in west coast waters while learning to roll, you probably won’t have too much success.

  49. Terry Monaghan on December 8, 2019 at 8:45 pm

    You should have stayed terrified.. When you have had your boat smashed and ribs broken on rocks it is too late. KEEP AWAY FROM ROCKS IN BREAKING SEAS.

  50. Vee&A Vee&A on December 8, 2019 at 8:46 pm

    Hi Luke, I really liked your video, especially since you showed a mistake. Thank you! First one I’ve seen in a serious kayaking video. Your advice is spot on.Cannot stress the importance of visualization enough, especially when learning a new skill. In the past I have tended to minimize the importance of this. Your video has helped me rethink this approach. Thanks!

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