Kayaks Waiting To Go Out
We wanted to go kayaking. Something different. The weather was beautiful and we had never done it before. So we looked up kayaking to see what was in the area. There was certainly no shortage of kayaking tours in the area. One of the more popular kayak tours in this area is Stan Cook’s Kayak Tour. Stan and his son, also named Stan, take groups out into Cape Broyle and the bay area to explore the caves and rock formations.
Cape Broyle is just a hop, skip and jump away from the city of St. John’s. When I mean a hop, skip and jump, I actually mean a 45 minute to an hour’s drive south. But it’s a beautiful drive along part of the Irish Loop.
What’s in Cape Broyle? Not much. It’s a tiny town that, like most places around here, rely on the fishing industry as well as tourists. And tourists we are.
So off we went.
David Getting His GoPro Camera Ready For The Adventure
We were in a two person kayak, David in the back and I was in the front. David brought along his GoPro camera and took some video of the adventure. I had our regular pocket camera but it’s not waterproof like the GoPro, so I was more apprehensive about using mine. Most of the time it stayed in the dry bag.
Kayaking In Cape Broyle
Kayaking In Cape Broyle
When you kayak you get a different perspective than if you were in a boat. You can get closer to the shoreline and get up close and personal with nature. Sometimes Stan and his groups have seen whales in the bay area. Alas, we saw none. We did however see a couple of Puffins floating around in the water. They were too far away to get any good pictures though.
David And Brenda Kayaking In Cape Broyle
Stan was a nice host. He told us all about the area and took our commemorative photo by this waterfall. It was a warm day, in the 70’s with blue sky and sunshine, but the water was C-O-L-D! You don’t really get wet while kayaking though. Just the occasional splash. Intended or not.
David And Brenda In Front Of A Waterfall
Kayaking In Cape Broyle
The kayaks are very steady. We felt very safe. However David was not having the best time because his back rest was broken. So he kept having to adjust his posture and keep sitting up, against the ridge of the kayak, the entire 2.5 hours, with no rest for his weary and painful back.
Brenda In Front Of Kayak
David’s Self Portrait, In The Back Of The Kayak
This did not deter David from trying to have a good time though.
Exploring Caves Via Kayak
There were quite a few caves that we were able to explore by kayak. I did not dare get my camera out of the dry bag in the caves though, as water was dripping from every surface onto our heads. I did not want to kill the camera. So you’ll have to take my word for it that the caves were very cool. The waves were flowing in and out, while we floated up and down with every wave. The noises seemed almost unreal. Like you were listening to a dragon breathing. Everything echoed off of the rock walls.
Exploring Caves Via Kayak
Exploring Caves Via Kayak
One Of Our Guides With A Couple Of Starfish
One Of The Starfish
The kelp grew tall and brushed the bottoms of our kayaks. The water was so clear you could see down to the bottom in most places. Lots of fish. Starfish were clinging and feeding on the walls. One of our guides had taken a couple starfish to show us. Don’t worry, he released them afterwards.
Kayaking In Cape Broyle
We had a good time kayaking despite David’s back rest being broken. We would definitely kayak again. I think we got bit by the kayaking bug. We’re looking forward to finding more kayaking in Newfoundland.
On a side note, on our way back to St. John’s from Cape Broyle, we passed this pond with some interesting miniature boats floating in it.
Miniature Boats In A Pond
Brenda Sitting In Front Of The Miniature Lighthouse And Boats
We had to stop and take pictures. That’s something you surely don’t see every day. Someone, more than likely the house across the street, has a very interesting hobby to keep them busy.
