The alarm went off at 4 am, I was excited, I was on a mission. I wanted to take my kayak out onto the reef of Scotts Head, I wanted to chase large fish. The pelagic season runs from December until May, roughly calculated. Pelagics are fish that surf the warm currents in summer and chase schools of baitfish. These include dolphin fish, tuna, and various mackerel species. All of which I have hooked on my inflatable kayak before, but not for a long, long time now. The waters are still clear and at around 24 degrees Celsius at perfect temperature. I have tried to get onto the ocean a few times before this year. But too often turned around, watching swell and wave actions at the launching area. ‘Where is your no pain, no gain, happy-go-lucky attitude’ I asked myself. That’s when in doubt, go without kicks in.

Scotts Head is a very popular surfing spot as well as for boating. A large reef lies just east of the headland and I have caught some decent fish here before.

I set Maniyak up in the dark and the aim was to be out on the water before sunrise. The golden hour yields the most feeding activity and increases the chances of success. I sat out on the rocks with a coffee in hand to persevere the swell like I always do. Mhhh, okay… some bigger waves are coming through which I need to avoid. But there is always a long quiet period. Confident I got back to my inflatable rubber duck and completed the final preparations. A friendly local came up to me on his bike, saying it was not a good day for kayaking. Some big waves are pushing through. ‘But there is always a long period of calm waters’ I replied. In hindsight, I should have checked again.

I floated before the first breakpoint, where several surfers had congregated. Yep, that looks okay, the next calm duration, and off I go. I need to install some bells to push behind surfers. We’re not on the same wavelength. Without large waves, I passed through and veered away from the headland, where even more surfers congregated at the ‘point’.

It was then that I looked ahead towards the rising sun on the horizon. Bliss, morning glory. It was short-lived as the sun disappeared behind three significant waves, rolling towards me. Holy guacamole, where did these come from I thought as I paddled as fast as I could toward them. Like a rollercoaster, maniyak wafted at least two meters up and skidded over the first and next two waves into the safe zone. Phew, that gets your heart pumping. I was surrounded by rising vapor steaming of the ocean. Wow, what a view towards a golden horizon. I should have taken Maverick (drone) out for a flight over the waters to capture this beautiful moment. Not today.

It was very quiet out on the water. Only the sound of breaking waves in the distance was heard. No other boats were anywhere near, tranquility at least. It took some time to collect useable bait, which I towed behind me over the reef. No bird action was observed, it’s quite a sight to see gannets dark into the water. And it appeared that large schools of baitfish were chased off by last week’s stormy action. Nevertheless, it is always worth getting out on the calm waters. I often lay down and drift off for a while. Serenity and tranquility, soul-searching effects. Even paddling along the three headlands didn’t yield any hits, but I was able to study the wave action a bit closer. This will be interesting coming back in.

Well, I have to get back in at some stage, I thought as started preparing for an emergency landing. Slowly and observing I made my way back to point break. Here I was like a sitting duck at the point, watching the waves go by. The number of surfers increased, that’s not good news for me. We’re definitely not the wavelength at this point. In saying that, the waves rolled nicely for everyone else out on the water and some good skills were on display. Might as well watch the show on offer. I heard the ‘fudge’ word clearly numerous times, as another one slammed into salty waters. And that’s what I am facing ahead. On the large scale.

I have rolled Mani-yak a few times in my paddling career. Particularly in the early days when excitement overruled common sense. It’s not much fun ending up in the water, but it’s the gear that takes a beating. In saying that, I get an adrenaline rush like no other when the line peels off at high speed, this is a biggen. My yellow (sub)marine is the inflatable version, made out of hard rubber plastic. It floats incredibly stable on the water due to its width. But that increases friction and drag on the water’s surface and simply rolls when pushed from behind. I sat and counted waves and the times in between. Three heart-stopping-sized waves were followed by three smaller ones, still too big and fast for my undertaking. There was a calm period in between which I needed to use, but had to make sure I paddle all the way. Which I wasn’t confident to do at this stage, the active duration overrules the quiet period. The outgoing tide wasn’t helpful either, this venture was poorly planned and overestimated executed.

I won’t get in safely without help. I thought about activating the E-perb, which I never had used before. But a marine rescue would have to dodge tricky bar conditions on the Nambucca River to get to me and then what? Surf lifesavers keep a good eye out on numerous beachgoers, they could get the jet ski and pull me in? I started to wave my oar to alert the surf lifesavers. Maybe one of the surfers or beachgoers recognized the signal of distress. Some waved back. A drone appeared over me, watching my movements. I waved and signaled again. Surely someone would actually read the signs?! I sat there for at least another hour, the surfers had a ball. No help came and the warming sun was taking its toll. I still had some water left. Not too much. The usual three large waves pounded over the rocks at the ‘point’, and the small ones followed. I crept up closer to the shoreline, just in case. The horizon appears rather calm at this moment in time as I move closer to the edge. That’s it? It’s now or never, make or shake. I gave it all I had. My foot peddled motor was in overdrive. The oar in my hand to correct steering and off I went. I yelled to the surfers that I was coming in, like a plane on a crash landing. I passed the first breakpoint and looked behind me. There it is. Not huge, but big enough. Keep those feet moving as I reach shallow waters. ‘Did you catch anything?’ a young boy asked, whaling in clear waters? ‘Catching a wave mate’ I quickly replied. Here it comes.

It doesn’t take much force to push Maniyak over. I tried to correct with my paddle in hand but a swift move saw me flung out of the saddle. It was shallow enough to hold on to the yak and prevent it from a 180-degree rollercoaster. I actually don’t know how exactly I executed this reflex, but all gear stayed dry and safe. Phew, that was close as my heart was still pumping adrenaline through my veins. A little too close for comfort. It wasn’t quite the thrill I was looking for this morning, but this will do for the day. Different thoughts ran through my mind as I pulled Maniyak through shallow waters. The school holidays filled the beach like Bondi Beach, but no one even cared about my ‘could have been’ event. Didn’t anyone see me waving my paddle? No one asked if I was okay or if I needed assistance? No surf lifesavers to be seen anywhere? Things that make me go ‘uuhmmm’. The young boy came up to me and repeated his question. He was just a bit disappointed that I didn’t open my bag of tricks and showed him my prize catch, even more so than me. ‘You were lucky’ he said. Yes I know young man.