The latest in
Justine Curgenven's series of kayaking DVDs,
This is the Sea 4, has arrived. This latest release is a well put together two disc effort.
Disc one is a series of shorter films, and opens with with a group of kayakers out playing in rock gardens and caves of Baja in northern Mexico. This looked like a whole lot of fun with a lot of rock hopping and beautiful sea caves.
The next segment profiles the Seattle-based commando kayaker
Dubside, followed by a segment on kayak fishing in San Diego. I'm not much into fishing, but it was interesting to watch a group of sport fisherman on their fully-outfitted sit-on-tops on the water. It was even more interesting watching them land through the surf! :) At one point, one of them even hooks what looks like a giant ray, but it gets away.
Next up is an island-hopping crossing of the Bass Strait between Australia and Tasmania. There's some great wildlife shots -- I didn't know wombats are so cute!
The next segment features Canadian kayak champions
Ken Whiting and Brendan Mark running the rapids of the Ottawa River in sea kayaks. They get into some gnarly whitewater and there is some great footage here, especially as Justine, far out of her comfort zone, follows the boys down the river.
A quick paddle on the Dead Sea in Israel is followed a longer sequence in Norway. First, there's profile of a Norwegian family that perform amazing balance tricks in their kayaks while enjoying the amazing scenery of the fjords. Then they go to a standing wave that's never been ridden by sea kayaks, and end with a paddle along the Norwegian coast. The disc ends with a paddle along the American side of Lake Superior. There were some amazing sandstone cliffs and sea caves in this segment; it looks like a terrific place to kayak!
Disc two has two longer expedition films, the first being a circumnavigation of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Three paddlers go around both islands in a figure-8. The second expedition is clockwise trip around the south island of New Zealand. Both expeditions feature action and adventure and terrific photography.
As with the previous 3 DVDs, all the segments contain great and picturesque footage, and there's a nice balance between flat water, whitewater and expedition kayaking. And as always, there are great stories waiting for the viewer. No doubt this will be on a lot of kayakers' Christmas lists, and well it should be.
