RIS: NorCal can be pretty unpredictable with its weather and ocean conditions. Did you plan on a certain time of the year or did you just wing it? How was it?

Austin: Since this coast is so unpredictable, isolated and super dangerous you have to make sure you at least the swell and wind on your side or it can get really risky. August tends to not have a lot of swell and the weather is usually sunny so we picked a date that worked for everyone and went for it. Of course after that everything else was out of our control so we put the rest in the hand of fate. Luckily for us the first two days were ideal but our third day could’ve been real serious but we got out in time! 

RIS: Did you see anything cool?

Ikaika P: I’d say around 90% of what we paddled by you literally can’t see from land, so seeing that much of that rugged coast was awesome. For the short amount of time we’re up there, we explored as much as we could, but I could easily see myself being up there for a month just exploring those caves. We also saw a ton of big wildlife. Whales, dolphins, sharks, seals, otters, sunfish; the coast is so alive up there!

Slater T: We saw a ton of sea life during the trip, everything from Jellyfish to Sharks and Whales. 

Scott M: Seeing a juvenile great white in the wild was a pretty wild opportunity. It was a strangely, peaceful moment. That’s the nice thing about SUP’s. I surf in areas where there are juvenile whites around all the time. But you rarely get to see them unless you’re standing up, paddling through their territory.

Scott E: Yeah we saw almost every wild life creature there is. We were on the tip of the red triangle so it was only fitting that we come in contact with a great white. It wasn’t my first time seeing a great white, they are usually just curious.

Marc M: I would say the most stunning view was paddling from around a corner of rocks and seeing a several hundred foot freshwater waterfall spilling off the side of a rocky mountain bluff into the bright blue waters of the pacific on a white sand beach with 80 degree weather. Felt like I was in Tahiti and had to pinch myself to realize it was California

RIS: What was the best part of the trip?

Ikaika P: Hard to decide. It’s a toss-up between the night sky and McWay Falls. The night when we pulled in to camp on the beach, I’ve never seen a night sky that clear before. The Milky Way was so unbelievably present to the naked eye that it made all previous camping nights under the stars seem inferior. Pretty crazy stuff. Slater got some unreal photos. Paddling into McWay Falls was another moment that blew my mind. If you hug the coast there, you can weave in and out of giant Rock formations, caves, and tunnels. And once you get to a giant boulder that looks perfect for diving off of, you’re greeted by this giant hundred foot waterfall breaking right on the beach. I have seen plenty of waterfalls before but there was something different about this one.

Slater T: The best part for me was when we got to McWay falls. It has been a dream of mine my whole life to be on that beach. We were all on such a high that day. 

Scott M: Camping on the beach with the promise of getting back on the water the next day. Being with friends and making new ones is always more memorable when done around a campfire instead of a club or bar. For me, anyway.

Scott E: Everything. Getting away from all the noise life can bring is much needed. To be in an area where there isn’t service is very refreshing. That waterfall is amazing, always wanted a different perspective of it!

Marc M: My favorite part outside a dip under the waterfall was cruising about ¾ mile off shore and seeing these 30 ft. high plumes of mist spraying into the air from whales migrating north. Then suddenly a huge gray while breaches about 100 yards off my paddle board bow and does a big belly flop. Scared me half to death and when it hit was like a bomb went off under the water.