On The Water - Rocher-Percé Up Close!

We were up at 6:45 this morning to take a look at the weather outside.  All night we could hear the breakers crashing on the sea wall and the wind howling through the eaves.  A peek outside the patio door of our hotel revealed the sun shining brightly with a few wisps of clouds.  I stepped outside to get our kayak gear from the car.  I could hardly believe it!  Warm weather with a nice cool breeze!  A perfect day to kayak out to and around Rocher-Percé.  Something I always wanted to do since I was a little kid in Grade 4 at Shediac Central School.

We were down to the kayak shop for 8:15 where three other couples joined us and our guide.  We donned our splash skirts, life jackets and surf boots, picked up our paddles and walked a short distance along the boardwalk to the north side of the quai where the tandem kayaks were stored - two people to a boat.

Climbing into the cockpits with the bow pointing directly into the water, our guide launched each kayak directly into the surf.  A wave broke over the bow and the front person (Sharon) got a spray of salt water in the face.  Welcome to kayaking at Rocher-Percé, fer shur, fer shur!!

It was only then that I realized we were at a 45 degree angle to the swells that were 3'-4' high.  This was not a gentle rocking of the boat by any means!  We paddled and straightened out the kayak so that we were on a gentle roll - if there is such a thing in the middle of 3'-4' swells.

We headed directly for the hole in Rocher-Percé, about 15 minutes by kayak from our launch point.  As we approached the southern edge, we could see the breakers crashing on the rocks sending up a large splash of spray - something you didn't want to get caught up in.

While it might have been tempting to "go through the eye of the needle", that would have been very dangerous as the surf was very rough as it crashed against the rocks and there was always the possibility of rocks from above crashing down on our heads.  So we paddled out to the tip of the "nose" - way beyond the tip of the "nose" as the breakers were even larger and moving faster.  Only now the swells were 5'-6' high and we had to paddle parallel with them to get around the tip of the "nose".

About 500' to our right five grey seals , their heads bobbing up and down in the water, periodically disappeared beneath the water to see what was below.  As we continued to paddle the swells subsided and soon all we could hear were the faint crashing of the waves on the other side of Rocher-Percé and the water lapping against the rocks on our side.  We had arrived!

This had to be worth a photo or two.  I handed my camera to another couple in a nearby kayak.  We positioned our kayak with the hole in the rock in the view-finder and - click, click - two photos to record the event!

After returning the favour, we slowly paddled along the edge of the rocky shoreline, examining the structure, the cracks, and the striations.  As we did so, two dozen cormorants and a handful of seagulls stared back at these intruders, flying off and moving down the rocky shoreline as we intruders kayaked along their territory.

Our next stop, after examining Rocher-Percé, was to cross about 15 minutes of open water to get to the mainland part of Rocher-Percé.  Over the millenia the rock between the mainland and Rocher-Percé has eroded to the extent that the water is only about 10' deep at this point on this small stretch of rock rubble.  It provided sufficient protection for us to paddle to the mainland part of the rock structure to see the same sheer cliffs plunging down into the sea.

We had no sooner arrived, cruising about 300' from shore when two grey heads bobbed up on the water.  These two grey seals tried to push their heads out of the water to get a better look and cautiously approached to within about 100'.  They no sooner came closer when another approaching kayak scared them off.

It was soon time to turn around and head back to the wharf for what seemed to be a very, very long paddle back along the route that we had just travelled.  As we travelled leisurely along the shoreline, there was a loud splash off to our left.  It was a grey seal who, swimming under water, suddenly came across our paddles and kayaks in the water, did a quick 90 degree turn and leaped out of the water.  He quickly dove below the surface of the water again but we could see the turmoil on the water as he was quickly swimming away.

Our guide decided that we would take the "short cut" between Rocher-Percé and the mainland!.  Now it's one thing to paddle a kayak in 3'-4' swells or even 5'-6' swells.  However, it's another thing to paddle through 3'-4' swells with 2'-3' breakers crashing over your bow.  You line up the kayak so that your 90 degrees to the swells and breakers that are coming right at you.  You make sure both feet are well placed on the rudder pedals and that you know which push will steer you to the right and which push will steer you to the left.  And then you paddle like hell, keeping the kayak always at 90 degrees to the oncoming breakers!  (Here's a photo of the short cut only I took it at 6:30 pm in later in the day. To be uploaded tomorrow.) 

It's that first crash of the waves over the bow that's exhilirating.  You keep on paddling, steering, and holding on!  One couple didn't keep their kayak at 90 degrees and soon they were trapped parallel to the oncoming waves with their kayak rolling too-and-fro like a log.  The guide raced to help them through the waves. 

In five minutes we were through the breakers and running parallel to some 3'-4'  swells.  We kept on paddling towards the beach racing to beach the kayak high up onto the beach.  Only problem was that me, being the person in the rear cockpit, had some waves breaking over my backside while our kayak was hauled up onto the beach.

The kayaks were hauled up far onto the beach, our paddles gathered, and we walked back to the kayak place like drunken sailors trying to find our land legs.  All in all, a truly great experience!  We're gonn have to do it again, fer shur, fer shur!!