Kayaking Co Clare

Sit on top Kayaks are the best to learn in, you don't have a cockpit to hold you in so you don't need to be able to execute an eskimo roll, they are particularly good fun in the surf and a great core exersise. However you must not be afraid of getting wet and with sit on top Kayaks that is all a part of the game. For your first outing I would suggest a good thick wetsuit 6mm at least for this time of year, hood, gloves. booties and a good boyancy aid with enough "Newtons" for your weight. Wade chest deep in calm water stay near shore and practice climbing back on board time and time again. Falling off is the easy bit but if you can scramble back on board proficiently enough you're set to go anywhere.
If you're like me and you can't wait to buddy up or spend your time on the water according to some one elses schedule and you're going it alone, always tell someone where you are and what time you'll be back.
Good luck with it, be safe and have fun!

KenHy wrote: »

Not a good idea, always paddle with others. It's not like hill walking where if things go wrong you can survive by waiting, if something goes wrong kayaking theres a reasonable chance that any help that's not already on the scene will be too late to be of any use.

not meaning to put anyone one of kayaking, just be aware that the risks of water sports are diffrent to that of other activities.

http://canoe.ie/Information/ClubContactList/tabid/1259/language/en-GB/Default.aspx is a list of kayak clubs in Ireland, don't see any in Clare, but there is one in Limerick, and maybe some of the others are Clare based and I just don't know where the are! Good luck with kayaking!

Which is great if you have the Club or the population density nearby so there is always someone to go out with, where I am on the oceans edge if I had to rely on that I'd never get out on the water, so I do go it alone be it wise or not, on saying that I have also seen visiting Kayaking Clubs come here and make some near fatal mistakes.
Be it a party of 1 or 10 the Sea makes the decisions at the end of the day, as a participant it vital to plan ahead, know the tides, weather, current, eddie tides etc.
It is best that you practice in an environment you are safe and feel safe in. Travel to a Kayaking Centre and take a couple of days lessons if you have to. Build your confidence in your ability and equiptment. If you never have the confidence to be on the water then you really shouldn't be there, a lack of confidence alone can become a hazzard to your own safety.
Every sport carries it's own risks and sadly enough people around here have been pulled from both the sea and the mountains, both have had their share of fatalities.
Know the risks, know your environment and be prepared for them.
In my travels I have been fortunate enough to meet a man who single handedly kayaked around the coast of Scotland and he says that there is no substitute for experience.
Have the upmost respect and knowlege of the environment you are getting into but don't be afraid of it.
I am a boat builder to trade and I have spent my life on the sea, I build all my own canoes, paddleboards and kayaks and I'm always out on the water, mind you on saying that you'll never find me up the side of a mountain.

take a look at meteireann.ie, http://windguru.com/int/index.php?sc=47735,stormsurf and to help you plan your trips http://magicseaweed.com/Lahinch-Surf-Report/52/lan , there's a good book called Oileain a guide to the irish islands, http://www.oileain.org/oileain.htm it's got the shannon estuary and county by county info
i don't know any other swell forecast sites for ireland, anyone else know any???