The PaddlerUK magazine September 2015 issue 4 | Page 72

Alcatraz

PADDLERUK 72

is of course the most popular island on the bay for
the tourists and the most well known from movies
and TV, but for the kayaker, it’s unfortunately off
limits. That certainly doesn’t stop us from paddling
around it on almost every trip out and enjoying its
unique skyline and views.

Yerba Buena is another large natural island with an
artificial island connected to it called ‘Treasure Island,’
which was built up from an underwater rock shoal
with landfill for the 1939 International Exposition
and World Fair. Yerba Buena has a great beach on
the east side to stop for a lunch break and stretch
and plenty of shady areas to take a nap under the
Eucalyptus trees.
Ask any experienced kayaker on the San Francisco
Bay about surfing and they will smile and give you
two enthusiastic thumbs up! With approximately
400 billion gallons of water moving rapidly through

Did you know:
Much of San Francisco is built on top of old Gold
Rush ships

the SF entrance with each tide cycle and up to four
tide cycles per day, tidal races and standing waves
abound!
Some local favourites are Yellowbluff and Point Blunt
among many others. The wind speed/direction and
wave height can even produce a tide race in an area
that does not normally produce one! You’ll also find
large whirlpools where currents are colliding,
reverse eddy lines that stretch a half mile or more
and in the summer months, winds often blow over
25-30 knots on a daily basis, which add to the
excitement and wave height!
Another surfing opportunity is with the giant wakes
of the ships and tugboats that enter and exit! Huge
container ships exit the bay at speeds up to 14
knots, producing a very big and deep set of waves.
Many times, I have caught a set of these and surfed
them all the way across the bay, cutting my trip time