Feature Presentation | Grand Canyon by Sea Kayak

When I think about my earliest inspirations and motivations for becoming a rough water centric sea kayaker, especially when I only used a Greenland paddle, the video and clips of James Manke and the rest of The Hurricane Riders crew running a self supported Grand Canyon trip with their sea kayaks is among the top that come to mind instantly. There was an enormous amount of validation that came with each time I rewatched his “Grand Canyon 2012 Quick Clip”. During that time of cutting teeth in my first kayaks, the Greenland paddle was my primary choice for going out in the expansive sandy bottomed tidal delta that makes up the southern tip of Tybee Island and northern Little Tybee Island called “The Triangle”.

It’s not that I was called to run the Grand Canyon myself, but more so an inspiration to continue pushing myself to develop a specific technique while surfing with my beloved stick and begin my own journey in search of my own sea paddling adventures. I had a calling that was fueled by this video to visit new places that might provide a “playground” for unleashing the full performance of my sea kayak.

This first video is the first edit that caught my attention shortly after buying my first kayak in 2013.

And now in 2025, I’m ecstatic to share an updated and longer version of the same trip that was previewed in 2012. This new released a features a new edit with even more perspectives and behind the scene moments.