Sea Kayaker Jenny Zhang

Hi, I’m Jenny, a paddler currently living in Southern California. I started sea kayaking in 2019 on a man-made lake in China with Lakers Kayak Club, and since then, I’ve been hooked. Ever since I came to the US, I’ve been paddling with the San Diego Kayak Club for four years, and I’ve learned a lot from them and developed my skills with them.

In the summer of 2023, I spent three months paddling in the San Francisco Bay Area with Bay Area Sea Kayakers (BASK) and Western Sea Kayakers (WSK). Paddling in the SF Bay Area was so different from what I was used to in Southern California: colder water, stronger wind and currents, more rocks, and a much larger kayaking community. It was so much fun that I didn't really want to leave.

I enjoy coastal paddling, kayak camping, and any form of scenic paddling or new adventure. I also like kayak surfing and rock gardening, because they are fun, exciting and challenging. At this moment, I want to become more competent and confident in more dynamic water (tidal current paddling, rough water rescues, kayak surfing). I also want to improve my forward strokes (improving speed) and develop kayaking leadership skills.

I currently own three kayaks

• NDK pilgrim (fiberglass kayak, 15 foot 9 in long, my go-to kayak, I use it for long-distance paddling, surfing, skill practices)

• Valley Avocet (plastic kayak, 16 foot long, I only use it when paddling near rocks, like rock gardening, sea saves)

• Dagger Mamba 7.6 (whitewater kayak, new to me)

Fun fact: I used to struggle with seasickness while paddling on the open ocean, but I’ve made significant progress in overcoming it recently. (see this blog: How I overcame seasickness while kayaking)

Kayaking Blog

I wrote some blogs about sea kayaking experience and gear reviews.

• Kayaking Experience

  • 9/3/2023 Big River Surfing Rescue Report (Incident)

  • How I overcame seasickness while kayaking

  • Santa Cruz Island kayak camping trip 2023 May

• Gear Reviews

  • Kayak loading system reviews - Thule Hullavator vs Yakima BoatLoader EVO

  • Finding the Right Hatch Covers for Valley Avocet RM Kayak

  • What do I wear under the drysuit

• Gear DIY

  • How to sew a paddle bag

  • How to make contact tow line

• Checklist

  • Jenny's Kayaking Gear Checklist

Kayaking Video

I film many kayaking videos and posted on my YouTube channel. Below are some selected playlists & videos.

• Kayak Surfing, Skills Practice Sessions 2023

  • Kayak Surfing at Blacks Beach (San Diego), Capsize to pass big waves 20231020

• Open Ocean / Coastal Paddling in Socal

• Kayak Skills

  • Sea Kayak Hand Roll Underwater View

• Santa Cruz Island Kayak Camping

  • Santa Cruz Island: Capsized in the 700 ft sea cave... (edited bright version)

  • Santa Cruz Island Kayaking Trip Day 2 (Nov 2023)

• Whitewater Kayak - Upper Kern River

  • Ewing’s Rapid at Upper Kern River 1380 CFS (capsized), 2023/8/27

• Mendocino Kayaking

• Florida Kayaking & Snorkeling

• Kayak Gear Review

  • loading kayak using Yakima BoatLoader EVO

Kayak Club

I enjoy paddling with kayaking clubs, and being part of these communities help me and support me a lot. I would recommend following kayak clubs.

• San Diego Kayak Club

  • Their meetup Group: The San Diego Sea Kayaking Meetup Group

• Bay Area Sea Kayakers (BASK)

• Western Sea Kayakers (WSK)

• Lakers Kayak Club

  • Where I started sea kayaking, in Qiandao Lake, Zhejiang, China

Resources

• Online Sea Kayaking Course website

  • I enjoy learning new kayaking skills by watching online videos. They are incredibly helpful, especially when combined with practicing with friends on the water. This way of learning is much more affordable than taking instructional classes. I highly recommend Online Sea Kayaking Course.

• BASK Trip Planner: https://www.bask.org/trip_planner/5.76/

  • A great and powerful tool for planning a kayaking trip. It provides information for tides, current, weather, launching location (parking, rest room, etc), printable charts and more.

  • You can watch this Intro to Trip Planner Video

Want to know more about me? check out: me.jenny42.com

Updated date: 4/14/2024