Tag Archives: rock gardening

Dee in close to the rocks for the first time

Beginners Rock Gardening 101: Team Fat Paddler Get More Action Than They Bargained For

It’s hard to believe that’s it been a solid year since I last went rock gardening. Sure, I’ve been surfing my Stellar SR surfski amongst the rocks of the Bower…

2012 Top Ten Viewed Stories on Kayaking

Whilst I spent far more time in 2012 riding surfskis, plenty happened in the world of kayaking to keep us all amused. In fact, some of the most popular kayaking…

Video: Pushing the Limit with Neptune’s Rangers

Having spent the past year largely on my surfski, I’ve missed out on the rock gardening I did for much of the previous year. I love my ski and love…

A Neptune Ranger breaking the wave barrier on the Californian Coast

Rock Gardening Team Profile: Neptune’s Rangers

Back in March of 2011 those scallywags of the US west coast, the Tsunami Rangers, issued a challenge to find, scale and take a photo at the peak of “Neptune’s…

Ocean Whitewater - where surf and swell hits the land, there shall be froth!

Video: Ocean Whitewater Thrills and Surfing Spills

I don’t often paddle solo but with all my team-mates otherwise unavailable, I took to my local rocks knowing that today’s conditions would be lumpy. A direct easterly 1.5m swell…

Seaman Riddler gets his first taste of moving water and rocks

The Riddler Gets An Introduction to Rock Gardening

The Riddler, the newest member of Team Fat Paddler, is somewhat new to paddling. Like me however he shares a background in rugby and a somewhat pragmatic view to getting…

Lt Nat on his Epic V8 Ocean Ski... a touch skinnier and longer than my Remix XP10

Grey Skies and Lumpy Rides with the Oddest Paddler Pairing Ever

The skies were dark and threatened rain as Lt Nat and I set off for an early morning paddle to Manly via Gelo Cliffs. As we paddled out from The…

Even Nat wanted to try out the Remix, and conceded post-paddle that even he may find himself wanting one

A Week Off Work Means a Week On The Water

Due to speaking and press commitments, I took a week or so off work to launch my book, The Fat Paddler. Fortunately most days had a window of opportunity for…

Midshipman Mike, stoked at catching his first wave. Woohoo!

Rock, Roll and Rescue with Team Fat Paddler

With a huge low pressure system sitting off Australia’s east coast, temperatures plummeted, rain poured down and the ocean swell jacked up to a massive 6 metres. Daily weather warnings…

Eric Soares meets a 4m wall of water. Photo by Jim Kakuk, who was reportedly HAMMERED by this wave a second after this shot was taken!

Q&A with Cmdr Eric Soares, Tsunami Rangers, on Kayak Surfing and Rock Gardens

The Tsunami Rangers are well know for their crazy antics in big surf, wild rock gardens and surfing in caves. This band of renegade paddlers spent many a year playing…

Lt Cmdr Gelo having a heap of fun at the newly named "Gelo Cliffs"

Team Fat Paddler farewells Lt Cmdr Gelo with some Rock Garden fun at Gelo Cliffs

A small contingent of Team Fat Paddler gathered at the The Spit to see off one of the team’s most popular members, Lt Cmdr Gelo. After a year paddling canoes…

The Aquanaut was a great boat to learn to rock garden in. Tough, stable, and fun!

Rock Gardens are like the Ocean, never turn your back on them – a painful lesson for Fat Paddler

It started off well. Mike, Lt. Gelo and I met at Sydney Harbour Kayaks at the start of a magnificent Saturday morning. We kitted up in protective gear – wetsuits,…

A tough morning's paddle in paradise.

An introduction to paddling fun, Fat Paddler styles

Last weekend I hit the water with Sydney paddler Mike, a random fella I met via the FatPaddler.com Facebook page.  I didn’t know much about him other than he’d paddled…

Lt. Gelo catches his first ever wave in a kayak. Nice!

Video: Rock Surfing with FP and Gelo

Beautiful weather called for an early morning paddle, with Lt. Gelo and I both keen to get amongst the rocks. After a quick paddle from Sydney Harbour Kayaks to Grotto…