Your favorite kayak spots in the Bay Area

January 27, 2016 11:56 AM

My friend and I want to kayak this Sunday. What are your favorite Bay Area kayak spots?

Is kayaking around here a terrible idea for wintertime? We just want to get outside and look at pretty scenery as a minimum.

Research is showing Tomales/Sausalito/Half Moon Bay. North bay would be preferable to south as we're in Oakland/SF, but if Monterey is THATMUCHMOREAMAZING then I'd be willing to make the trek.
Favorite rental shops? Specific routes?
Thanks!

posted by blueberrypuffin to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (9 answers total)

Best answer: Elkhorn Slough, between Monterey and Santa Cruz, is teeming with otters and thus amazing. Amazing as in you will probably see at least fifty otters. I think I've rented through kayak connection and they were fine. Probably better to make a reservation if you can plan ahead.
posted by carolr at 12:19 PM on January 27, 2016 [6 favorites]

Yes, it's really that much more amazing :) Moss Landing, which is right by Monterey, has otters and sea lions and a kayak rental place.
posted by ananci at 12:32 PM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]

I don't kayak, but I usually see a bunch of cars with kayak racks parked in Marin county on Valley Ford Rd near Marsh Rd. They must put in there to paddle to the Estero Americano State Marine Recreational Management Area
posted by TDIpod at 1:59 PM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Definitely Elkhorn Slough. The Moss Landing harbor is where a lot of the otters hang out this time of year.

You want to check with a rental place about the tide table on the day you plan to go, though, because the kayaking can be considerably more difficult during certain tide phases.
posted by mudpuppie at 2:03 PM on January 27, 2016

For sure Elkhorn Slough. I have gone out off the Santa Cruz wharf too, and it's nice, but this time of year I wouldn't do that. And I wouldn't go near Tomales Bay this time of year.
posted by fingersandtoes at 5:43 PM on January 27, 2016

Best answer: Also, it's been some years, but I recall Tomales Bay being a hard day's paddle and there wasn't much to see, just open ocean basically, not a lot of wildlife as I recall. And it's a breeding ground for great whites, which is wildlife I'd rather not see when I'm out in the water with it. I haven't had any urge to go back.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:57 PM on January 27, 2016

Jack London Square. No, really, that's my favorite spot. Calm water, good rentals, and you can tool around Alameda and the Coast Guard Island. And then afterwards, there's good food and ice cream.
posted by zippy at 8:10 PM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: As mudpuppie says, kayaking Elkhorn Slough can be much less fun if the tide is wrong, because if the tide is coming in strongly while you're trying to return to the docks at the harbor you can paddle like crazy and make little progress. That applies double if you're renting/using a sit-on-top kayak. And it applies triple in summer months when there's often a strong on-shore wind in the afternoon working against your return.

This Sunday Jan 31 the tide's not great but not too bad either. Low tide is around 10:30 am, at 0.57 meters; high tide about 3:45 pm at 0.92 meters. I.e the timing's poor but the range is quite low, so although the current will be against you paddling home should be manageable.

The otters in Elkhorn are wonderful just now.
posted by anadem at 8:00 PM on January 28, 2016

Response by poster: Fifty sea otters?? That's a no brainer. Thanks for all the responses, I might have to check out the other options mentioned in the summer. Thanks anadem for looking up that info for me, super helpful.
posted by blueberrypuffin at 9:35 AM on January 29, 2016