Kayaking to Nikko Bay

Sunday was a beautifully sunny day and to take advantage of the weather during the rainy season I went kayaking. I met up with a ten other expats at Sam's around noon and we got the kayaks into the water. I shared a double kayak with Peter, a Peace Corp volunteer up in Babeldaob who was down in Koror for the weekend.

Our planning was not well thought out because we left a hour before low tide and it was a particularly low tide that afternoon. Our path out of Sam's took us over a very shallow passageway that the kayaks just barely scrapped over. We constantly had to keep an eye out for shallow coral that normally was not an obstacle but was revealed by the low tide.

We paddled around the coral to cross under the Malakal causeway. Underneath the bridge there are always strong currents, but this time we were fighting against a particularly strong current and had a difficult time. By sticking to the far edge near the dock the current was weaker and we were able to get under the bridge. We were still going against the current and decided to wait until the tide shifted to continue paddling. We paddled over to the nearby Fish ën Fins dive shop to wait out the current.

At about 1:30 the tide changed and we were back out paddling toward Nikko Bay. On our way we met up with Phil and Jirka who had decided not to kayak but take an inflatable raft instead. They had driven from Sam's to Nikko Bay and entered from a nearby dock. They looked quite silly balanced on the little raft with paddles. They had no trouble paddling, but they were slower than the kayaks and we had to slow our pace to let them keep up.

I have kayaked to Nikko Bay multiple times, but this time with the low tide our access points were limited. We paddled to the far end of the Bay opening before turning up into the Bay. We followed the channel but soon reached an exposed section of sand and coral. Our destiantion was just beyond the exposed portion so it was a choice of a short portage or long paddle back and then around. Most chose to paddle because the kayaks are heavy, but Peter and I decided to carry the kayak over the exposed section. It was a slow going over the sand and coral carrying the awkward kayak. With slow and steady progress and the occasional break we made it across and into the deep water beyond. We took a break to snorkel to cool down while we waited for Phil and Jirka, who also chose to walk and had a much easier time carrying their little inflatable.

Back on the kayaks we paddled to a nearby cove and met up with the rest of the group. Jirka directed us to a great snorkeling spot and we tied up the kayaks and jumped in. The coral was beautiful with lots of intermingled lettuce and brain coral. The coral was on the edge of the island cove and I swam along following the coral. I occasionally dove down to get a closer look or just to enjoy free diving.

Time flew by and with the afternoon growing late we returned to the kayaks to begin the trip home. We spread out on our way out of the Bay with each kayak going its own pace. At the opening of the Bay we regrouped and waited for the inflatable raft. To speed things up, Phil and Jirka squeezed onto kayaks and dragged the raft until we dropped them off at the small dock.
The rest of us paddled on fighting the glare of the setting sun. We reached the bridge and found a strong current against us. Peter and I tried to get through on one side but had difficulty and had to regroup. We dug in and paddled hard and made it through the current to the calmer water on the other side. With the tide now much higher we easily traversed the path back to Sam's and arrived shortly before sunset.

After putting away the kayaks and grabbing our gear, we all drove over to Fish ën Fins to their little restaurant for dinner. I had a tasty pesto grilled fish and good company making it a great dinner. With sore arms and full stomach, I headed home.