PADDLER 27
Swells that were around three metres big came from all directions . I focused on staying right side up , breathing and bracing . I was speaking to calm myself down . “ It ’ s okay ; stay calm . You can do it .” I prayed to stay upright when some of these waves broke behind me . Again , the thought of flipping with my packed kayak spooked my mind . But I kept doing braces and tried my best to be relaxed and breathe . That is for sure the key . And Chris and Oscar were reminding us about this . “ Stay calm , keep paddling , and you will be fine .”
The waves gradually calmed down , but we noticed a current against us . Heavy to paddle , and we had to fight to progress . We gathered the team and discussed everyone ’ s opinion on whether to continue . We decided to go into a bay to refuel and wait until the current loses its power . On the way to the beach were two incredible caves in the mountain . Wow , so beautiful cliffside . And the water is so clean ! I can see the seaweed and jellyfish !
We landed through the surf waves and had lunch on the beach . Some people had hiked there , and Chris made friends with them , and then they took a picture of the team . We even saw people carrying surfboards over the mountain , so it was a perfect day for surfing when they made that effort . We noticed that when we were out in the big swells and also when we landed .
PADDLER 27