James heading out into the rough stuff – Deer Group, West Coast Canada
Every now and then you come across a paddler that you see enormous potential in. I watch a lot of content streaming through social media and a certain paddler has been catching my eye for a while, a young Greenland paddler from British Columbia, James Manke. What’s even more surprising is how new to paddling James is, having only taken it up 18 months ago despite an overwhelming fear of the ocean.
For this British Columbia based Canadian, the surf is his playground
Like many new kayakers, James quickly became addicted to paddling and in particular, the Greenland styles. Living by a lake on Vancouver Island certainly helps – he spends time on the water every day (and sometimes at night) practicing different Greenland-style rolls, a key reason for his rapid skills development. Living in BC has also brought him into contact with those crazed ocean white water lovers, The Hurricane Riders, with whom he draws inspiration from and has been lucky enough to paddle with.
James surfing the standing wave, Skookumchuck Narrows, British Columbia.
Whilst originally a chef (favourite dish is a bacon cheese burger with poutine, hold the onions!) and more recently a web designer, James is aiming to apply his skills as a professional paddler, instructing Greenland skills such as boat and paddle building as well as Greenland-style rolling. He has just been announced as the Canadian ambassador for Northern Light Paddles which is positioning him well for his career switch from coder to professional paddler later this year.
But enough of the talk, the best way to see James’ skills is to watch some of the video content he is now producing of his paddles. His latest, a Greenland surfing session, is enough to get any surf lover jealous. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers, FP
FP
A little background info on James plus video of the man having fun.
Enjoyed it.
Tess.
Awesome video with one of my favourite soundtracks 🙂
Thanks for sharing….
Makes me wish I could surf my yak better….
Mike.
……… and use my GP better….. *sigh*
James and I were out in the surf last weekend and the video James posted gives a good idea of how much fun it was. We were both paddling P&H Delphins and Greenland Paddles and had a blast!
I’m so jealous. The waves we surf here just jack up and dump (on rocks), so they are exciting but often painful! To see those long green waves is just torture. 🙂
Great paddling. It is all about the fun.
This mate is great! If they haven’t already done do, he and Doug Lloyd should get together and talk shop over a few pints.
Moulton – Thanks for the compliment! Doug and I are friends 🙂 He’s a GREAT guy! Hope to travel your way one day and explore!
What a great profile article. Thanks for sharing it. Love the video choice and soundtrack too!
Cheers from Canada!
Old post I know but is that a Sterling Reflection we see in the Skook photo ?