Walk the Bay
An epic waterline hike from Monterey to Santa Cruz By Leonie Sherman Leonie Sherman walks home. Photo: Steve Moyles Once the scope of our historic drought dashed my hopes of an annual New Year’s ski tour, I caught a ride to Seaside State Beach, just north of Monterey, turned right and started walking. Three days later I climbed up the stairs at Pleasure Point in Capitola, in love with the wilderness in my own backyard. Doug Peacock defines wilderness as a place where you can be eaten, and walking the Monterey Bay gives you a front row seat. You stroll the beach in perfect peace, while sharks and sea lions frolic less than a hundred yards away. There’s no chance you will be eaten, but real danger is perilously close. Sunset near Moss Landing. Photo: Amanda Gunther Wilderness is also a state of mind and hiking the Monterey Bay...
Two Nonprofits and a Local Business Clean-up the Seas
Partnerships for the 27th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Two Santa Cruz nonprofits are well-known for their ongoing work keeping the Monterey Bay safe and sound for both marine life and local residents– The Clean Oceans’ Project and Save Our Shores. These organizations are linking up with local Monterey Bay business, Kayak Connection, on Saturday, September 17th for the 27th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. Last year, over 82,500 people participated in this day’s clean-up efforts statewide and helped remove over 1.2 million pounds of debris from beaches and waterways. Kayak Connection will be providing stand-up paddleboards for volunteers to clean up the shoreline from Natural Bridges to the Santa Cruz Harbor. Another group will be on-site in the Elkhorn Slough in kayaks, helping remove debris there. Volunteers are welcome to join in this venture. You can register with SaveourShores.org here: http://www.saveourshores.org/what-we-do/accd.php <http://www.saveourshores.org/what-we-do/accd.php>...
From Mild to Wild: A Kayak Adventure’s Guide to the Sanctuary Coast
By Roger Schumann “Renowned for its world-class scenery, the Nor Cal coast spans three national marine sanctuaries, two wilderness areas and a national seashore. It’s no accident this area has received so much protection—it is among the most spectacular and wildlife-rich marine habitats on the planet.” – Guide to Sea Kayaking Central & Northern California. Bordering not only our collective backdoor, our local Sanctuary Coast also borders what is essentially the world’s largest wilderness area, the Pacific Ocean. The vast majority of local paddlers are content paddling within the relative safety of wildlife-rich sloughs and harbors like those around Elkhorn Slough, Pt. Reyes, and San Francisco Bay. The promise of remote beaches, hidden coves and sea caves, however, beckons to those willing to develop the paddling skills and sea savvy to venture beyond. Armed with a little knowledge of sheltered launch sites, local wind patterns, tides, and some basic safety...
SCUBA DIVING FOR NEANDERTHALS
by Christa Fraser We were all perfect divers in the womb, our dive instructor, H, told us on our first night of scuba diving class. This made sense. We did once live in an amphibious state in the womb. Then he went on to tell us that because we were learning to dive in Monterey Bay, which some consider to be the Mt. Everest of scuba diving, we would be reborn as dive Sherpas by the time we passed the class. Let’s just say I wasn’t reborn as Tenzing Norgay. Learning to scuba dive isn’t just about becoming friendly with your air tank and schlepping 60 pounds of gear, it is mostly about training and using your brain. We were constantly reminded to bring our brains below the surface, like any piece of good equipment. The problem was determining which brain to bring—the modern, evolved one which allows you to...
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