Mountaineers Books
In Paddling the Salish Sea, professional kayaker and paddling coach Rob Casey guides paddlers to the most rewarding destinations across the region. This updated, comprehensive guide covers everything from the quiet inlets of the South Sound to an entirely new section featuring the fjords, waterfalls, and local waterways around Vancouver, B.C. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced paddlers can find beautiful, rewarding routes for their skill levels.
Enjoy a Q&A with Rob about his new guidebook Paddling the Salish Sea.
How did you get your start kayaking? Did you know right away it would be a lifelong passion?
I used to hike the Washington coast often and on one trip, sea kayaks got to our favorite spot before we did. I decided I needed to learn to kayak to score the best campsites. In 2000, I began to take kayaking lessons. I’m traditionally not athletic and a bit dyslexic, so it took a while to feel confident. It took two years to nail my roll with several instructors. My first time in Deception Pass freaked me out. Then, I took a whitewater kayaking class and the next time, Deception Pass was easy in a sea kayak. Over time I was more comfortable maneuvering as a tall clumsy type on water vs land. That’s when it became my lifelong passion.
To write this guide, you traveled many (if not all!) of these routes yourself. Did you have a favorite?
Choosing the more ambitious of two deadlines, I completed most of the update in seven to ten months, working on it in my off-season. Due to the new book being in color, it was critical that I got mostly blue skies and calm seas, which proved to be a challenge as the 2023 winter and spring were cold with many storms. I did 95 percent of the trips on water and all on land to update travel and launch details. I can’t list a favorite as they are so different. The new Canadian trips to Widgeon Creek and Witty’s Lagoon definitely stood out.
The Montlake Cut.
Living along the Salish Sea is a gift that’s easy to overlook. How can residents along the shore take advantage of all the Salish Sea has to offer?
Since the last edition launch, I’ve settled into paddling my favorite spots. The book forced me to break out of my comfort zone when revisiting existing book trips and discovering new ones. I recommend paying attention to sea life, the shoreline and its changes, and the history and environmental issues along the way. As a history buff, I enjoy spotting culturally modified trees, visualizing what the Salish villages looked like, and learning about post-contact history. I also pay attention to the things that damage the shorelines, such as the miles of armor in the South Puget Sound and Hood Canal, and the endless volume of microplastics and Styrofoam that fill our beaches. I remove beach debris during every paddle I go on.
Paddling the Salish Sea is an updated version of a previous guide. What differences can paddlers expect to find?
We added a beefed-up intro section to better prepare paddlers for trips and also added several new trip destinations, including the Vancouver area, the Gulf Islands and Victoria area, and some in the Olympic Peninsula. The guide is now in color, slightly larger, and includes land acknowledgments.
This guide includes canoeing, kayaking, and paddleboarding. How do you cater a guide for each of these different modes of transportation?
Each of those crafts may get there faster or slower and can carry more or less gear, but it’s the individual that needs to learn the ins and outs of tides, currents, wind, and/or paddling technique and touring to safely and enjoyably complete a trip.
What is the number one tip you hope sea kayakers and paddlers take away from this guide?
To keep exploring new places.
Paddling the Salish Sea is available for purchase at our Seattle Program Center Bookstore, online at mountaineersbooks.org, and everywhere books are sold.
This article originally appeared in our summer 2024 issue of Mountaineer magazine. To view the original article in magazine form and read more stories from our publication, visit our magazine archive.
