The Sea Kayak
The islands have a strong appeal for us lovers of the sea and outdoor activities. We sense for the islands a primal attraction where salt water and dry land become the setting for fictional adventures.
When I close my eyes and think of Elba, images are projected in my mind with colors ranging from indigo blue to biscay green where the rounded stones create a regular pattern that fades into the depths of the Tyrrhenian Sea with transparency and brilliance that probably only those who have paddled on the west coast of the island know.
Sea kayaking conducted with knowledge and awareness is the proper means of establishing a
close relationship with Elba.
Documentaries and Instagram accounts in recent years offer breathtaking images and videos of more or less long adventures in warm crystal clear waters or icy polar waters. Sea kayaking can be practiced with the right equipment and preparation in many parts of the world, becoming for enthusiasts the ideal means of environmentally conscious travel and tourism with a very low environmental impact. It is the perfect way to spend every minute of your time outdoors, in contact with the sea and nature. The paddler has the privilege of having the front
row seat to the spectacle of sunrises and sunsets, to dreamy starbursts to rainbows and marine wildlife sightings but will also have the front row seat to rain, wind and waves, thunder and lightning.
A whirlwind of wide-ranging emotions.
The experience of paddling around the island provides a unique and different perspective on Elba’s great geodiversity and biodiversity. You paddle in front of rocks that are very different in origin, shape and color. I am reminded of paddling in front of the white eurite of Cape Bianco near Portoferraio, paddling in front of the red and yellow cliffs of Rio Marina, and the expanses of granite with sinuous lines and huge orthoclase crystals in front of St. Andrew’s. The coast looking north has rich tall forest vegetation, paddling southward the chestnut and pine trees gradually give way to Mediterranean scrub.
It is not uncommon to encounter within a few meters of the canoe cormorants, marangonians, and gulls, and to see the razor-sharp flights over the water of the berta. Schools of tiny fish jump out of the water in front of the tip of the
canoe, perhaps pursued by some predator. Usually in the winter season dolphins come close to the coast, and throughout the year from the sheer cliffs mouflon and wild goats appear as if to
check on us paddlers who pass silently in their field of vision.
There is a lot of magic, but it must be remembered that the sea remains an extreme environment that needs respect, a little awe, a lot of knowledge and above all a lot of love.