ACTIVITIES
Make Waves in Sitka Sound
IF YOU PULL UP to the Sandy Beach parking lot during a swell, you might be surprised to see adventurous surfers riding Sitka’ s stormy waves like a raft of bobbing sea otters.
When you hear the word“ surfing,” you likely think of white beaches, hot sun, and palm trees, but not even Sitka’ s cool, rainy climate can keep locals from their surfboards.
Sitka’ s Tlingit name is Sheet’ ka, or“ Shee,” which loosely translates to“ the island behind the islands.” Sheltered from the open seas and high winds by hundreds of tree-studded islands, the calm, protected waters of Sitka Sound are nature’ s playground. Rain or shine, you’ re likely to find Sitkans enjoying an offshore adventure – whether it’ s boating, surfing, kayaking, or even snorkeling.
Want to join in on the fun? Sitka Sound Ocean Adventures is a seasonal kayak guiding company with a fleet of durable sea kayaks and a treasure trove of camping gear. In addition to their half-day trips, they also offer guided multiday expeditions.
“ The Sitka Sound area offers some of the nicest sea kayak paddling terrain anywhere in the world,” says Sitka Sound Ocean Adventure’ s manager, John Dunlap.“ There are all kinds of great places to go, depending on what the conditions are, and there’ s almost always somewhere you can go where the conditions are within your abilities.”
If you plan on exploring Sitka’ s islands and coastline – no matter how you get there – stop by LFS Marine Supply to buy necessities like life vests or an inflatable float to take out on the water. If you need some snacks for a day at sea, or even a kayak, AC Lakeside is your one-stop shop.
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