Mendocino Coast Kayak Adventures in 2021

Family kayaking fun on Fort Bragg’s Noyo River.

Greetings Friends of Liquid Fusion Kayaking,

We hope that you are hanging in there during these crazy times.  Thank you for your enthusiasm and support for LFK. One of the biggest lessons that we learned in 2020 was the need to be flexible. You may have noticed that we have not published a 2021 schedule.  Don't worry, we are still in business and plan to be teaching, guiding, and renting kayaks in 2021 and for many more years.

We are currently working on our spring and summer tour and rental schedule. We will have the tour schedule published and open for reservations by February 1, 2021.

Kayak Rentals on Fort Bragg’s Noyo River

Kayak Rentals on Fort Bragg’s Noyo River

We will officially be open for kayak rentals and tours May 1, 2021. Prior to May 1, we are scheduling private tours and private lessons.

Kayak Tours on the Noyo River and Mendocino Coast

Noyo Sea Kayak Tour

Explore the River, Harbor, and Ocean

Noyo Meander

Nature tour for all ages and abiliites

For 2021, we will be offering our Noyo Meander Tour, Noyo Sea Kayak Tour, and Custom Sea Kayak Tours. For maximum safety and fun, we are planning to offer all tours as private tours. We will have our schedule posted by February 1, 2021; however, you do not need to wait until February 1 to schedule a tour with us. Contact us with your dates and interests and we will schedule a fun adventure for you.

Kayak Lessons

Kayak Lesson on Noyo River

Ocean Kayak Lesson

In May 2020, we shifted to teaching private lessons instead of group classes and GUESS WHAT!?!? We saw our students progress faster and learn more in custom private lessons than in group classes. 

For 2021 and beyond, we are restructuring our programs to focus on private instruction for individuals, couples, and small groups.  Our personal favorite is teaching a small pod of paddlers with similar interests and skills to build their individual skills and skills as a paddling team. Contact us with your interests and let’s schedule a kayak lesson for you.

Do you have questions? Are you ready to schedule a tour or lesson? Contact us and let’s make plans to get you out on the water!

We look forward to sharing the magic of Fort Bragg, the Noyo River, Mendocino Coast, and Eel River with you. We are optimistic that 2021 is going to be an awesome year on the water. Make sure you get out there!

Cheers,

Cate and Jeff

Owners/Operators of Liquid Fusion Kayaking

Liquid Fusion Kayaking’s Dynamic Duo - Jeff and Cate

Mendocino Kayaking in 2020

Wahoo!  It's time to get excited about kayaking in Mendocino County.

Grab your calendar and let's plan to paddle and play in 2020!

Kayaking in the Redwoods on Fort Bragg's Noyo River

Whitewater Ocean Kayaking

Liquid Fusion Kayaking is an owner/operated instructional kayak company based in Fort Bragg, California. We teach sea kayaking, whitewater river kayaking, surf kayaking, rock gardening, and guide wildlife and nature history tours. If you haven’t kayaked in our Mendocino Waters, NOW is the time to make plans to get here. If you have kayaked in Mendocino before, then you know how awesome it is. Let us help you plan a new kayak adventure and help you share it with your family and friends.

Winter and Spring Mendocino Kayaking

Private Kayak Lessons

In the winter months, we are teaching kayak rolling and private sea, whitewater, and surf kayak lessons. This is also the best time of year to catch us in the office for planning adventures.

Whitewater Kayaking in Mendocino County

In the spring, Mendocino County’s Eel River is running. We teach classes and guide trips on the Eel. The Eel River is a gem in the spring with gorgeous, wilderness scenery. The Eel River offers lots of fun rapids and options for Class II and Class III whitewater and multi-day whitewater trips. Check out our Mendocino Whitewater Kayak Adventures.

Sea Kayak Classes and Mendocino Sea Kayak Club

In the late spring, kayakers can get ready for summer kayaking with our sea kayak classes and introduction to kayaking lessons. The Mendocino Coast is a beautiful place to build your sea kayaking skills. Join us for a private lesson, weekend class, or our Mendocino Sea Kayak Club. We guide sea kayak tours as well but recommend waiting until summer and fall when ocean conditions are usually best and sea bird nesting and seal pupping season is over.

Summer Mendocino Kayaking

Summer and early fall are typically the best seasons for kayaking on the Mendocino Coast.

Kayaking on the Noyo River

Spring and summer kayaking on the Noyo River delights all ages and abilities.  Treat yourself and your family and friends to a Noyo Meander where you will paddle under the lush canopy of the riparian and redwood forest to a song bird symphony.  Our Noyo Meander is an idea first kayak trip.  If you want to try out kayaking or get a friend or family member hooked on kayaking, do a Noyo Meander with us.

Whitewater Ocean Kayaking

Are you looking for a unique, Mendocino adventure?  If you are adventuresome, able to swim, and willing to get wet – Whitewater of the Sea is a one of a kind ocean kayaking adventure that will rock your world!  In 3 hours, we teach you basic ocean kayaking skills and guide you to kayak and play among the whitewater, waves, and rock gardens of the Mendocino Coast.  Conditions permitting, we will also kayak into sea caves.  This is a super fun kayaking adventure to share with your adventuresome friends and family members.

Mendocino Coast Sea Kayaking

If you want to try out sea kayaking without getting your feet wet, check out our Noyo Sea Kayak Tour.  This tour encompasses multiple ecosystems as we paddle on the Noyo River Estuary through the estuary, through the harbor, and out into the ocean.  We have several options for this trip – including joining one of our special tours and paddling your own kayak or a kayak tandem with a friend.  Or you can book a private Noyo Sea Kayak tour and customize the experience – including the option to ride in the front of a tandem sea kayak paddled by a guide.

The Mendocino Coast is a great place to learn to sea kayak and to build your sea kayaking skills.  LFK’s Cate Hawthorne and Jeff Laxier are internationally renowned sea kayak instructors.  They are the ideal instructors for building basics or learning kayak skills for rock gardens or surf.  Check out Liquid Fusion Kayaking’s Art of Sea Kayaking Mendocino Series that includes focused rock gardening and surf classes.  Or join LFK’s Mendocino Sea Kayak Club for ongoing learning and fun.  Custom and private sea kayak lessons and Mendocino sea kayak tours are also available.

Fall Sea Kayaking on the Mendocino Coast

Fall is one of the best months for sea kayaking on the Mendocino Coast. We have a bit of flexibility in our schedule for custom sea kayak tours and adventures in the fall – Mendo Your Way!  Grab your calendar and let’s schedule a magical Mendocino sea kayak adventure.

We are excited about 2020 and look forward to sharing the waters, wildlife, and wonders of Mendocino with you.  Let’s plan an adventure together!

Cheers, Cate and Jeff

Whitewater of the Sea

Ocean kayaking on the Mendocino Coast of California is amazing.

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On super calm days, you can explore miles of rocky coastline and sea caves. BUT - the truth is that super calm days are few and far in between. When developing a tour to share the magic of ocean kayaking on the Mendocino Coast, we realized that more days were on the sporty side than the mellow side.

We like sporty!!! In 2009, we launched our Whitewater of the Sea Mendocino Ocean Kayak Adventure.

Whitewater of the Sea - aka - kayaking in ocean rock gardens. On the Mendocino Coast, Liquid Fusion Kayaking has created a unique and fun 3 hour whitewater of the sea adventure for beginning through advanced kayakers. This is a great introduction to rock gardening and a fun way to play in the waves, sea caves, and whitewater in the ocean.

LFK’s Whitewater of the Sea is a 3 hour ocean kayak adventure playing in the rock gardens and whitewater features of the Mendocino Coast. No experience is necessary and some of our best participants are first timers. Seasoned paddlers are amazed at how much they get to do and experience with us in such a short period of time. One or our secrets is using highly maneuverable whitewater kayaks. We have sit on top kayaks for those who do not know how to do a kayak roll and whitewater river runners for seasoned paddlers with a reliable roll.

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Earlier this summer, we had international traveler and adventurer Kyle Mulinder aka Bare Kiwi join us for a whitewater of the sea adventure. He is a sea kayak guide in New Zealand and was keen to experience an ocean kayaking experience where the instructors take their students into the rocks rather than avoiding them. Kyle had a blast and shared that LFK’s Whitewater of the Sea Adventure was the highlight of his California tour and one of his top 5 adventures to do globally - Thanks Kyle! That’s a huge compliment. Read more about Kyle’s California trip and see his gopro video on this site.

So what are you waiting for? Get yourself to Fort Bragg on the Mendocino Coast of California for a

Liquid Fusion Kayaking Whitewater of the Sea Adventure.

If you are on the timid side or not 100% sure that whitewater of the sea is for you, you can schedule it as a private/custom event. If you are adventuresome and ready for some ocean whitewater - use this link to book your trip.

Need more convincing? Here is a video from a recent whitewater of sea adventure with a family celebrating their mom’s special birthday.

Yinz kids from Central PA celebrating their mom's special birthday with an ocean kayak rock gardening and sea cave adventure on the Mendocino Coast of California.

New Mendocino Kayaking Videos

If a picture says a thousand words, what does a video say?

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Liquid Fusion Kayaking’s Cate Hawthorne hops out of her kayak to climb on the rocks to shoot video for Liquid Fusion Kayaking’s new Mendocino kayak videos. Photo by Jeff Laxier

For 2019, Liquid Fusion Kayaking is stepping up their media with more video of their Mendocino kayak adventures. The first part of this process has been revamping LFK’s YouTube Channel - check it out and be sure to subscribe to see more from us.

It is hard to believe that we created our first Mendocino sea kayaking and rock gardening videos 10 years ago in 2009. Video quality and expectations have come a long way. As you peruse our updated playlists, you can watch some of our older videos. In our opinion, they are oldies but goodies. Take a look and let us know what you think.

The current goal for our YouTube Channel is to share fun, authentic videos of our kayak adventures on the Mendocino Coast and Eel River. We are working on a plan to add instructional content in the future. To see our unedited clips and what we are currently up to, check out Instagram and Facebook.

But without further ado - check out our 2 newest Mendocino Kayaking Videos. They are only 1 minute long. Turn on the sound.

Mendocino Kayaking Adventures

Kayak tours and classes on the ocean and rivers of Mendocino with Liquid Fusion Kayaking. Dry and Mild Kayak Eco-tours on the Noyo River, Wet and Wild Sea Kayak and Whitewater Adventures on the Mendocino Coast and Eel River.

Whitewater of the Sea

We hope that you enjoy the videos. Please let us know what you think.

Cheers - Cate and Jeff

Kayak Mendocino and Fort Bragg in 2019

Grab your calendar and start planning to kayak on the Mendocino Coast and Northern California Whitewater Rivers with us in 2019!  

Liquid Fusion Kayaking's class schedule is now live.  We have lots of fun planned for sea kayaking, whitewater river kayaking, surf kayaking, rock gardening, and family kayaking fun.

Sea kayaking in the rock gardens of California's Mendocino Coast.

Sea Kayaking - Waves, wildlife, and wonder - the Mendocino Coast continues to enthrall all who travel here. Let us share the magic with you!  From kayak 101 to advanced level coastal exploration and rock gardening, we have fun and exciting adventures for all skill levels.  Join one of our Art of Sea Kayaking Mendocino Courses or rally your paddling pals for a custom adventure in the sea, surf, or rocks!

Riding a pour-over on the Mendocino Coast with Liquid Fusion Kayaking.

Whitewater River Kayaking -Winter and Spring, we are on the river! Get in on the fun with one of our March or April classes or rally your paddling pals for a custom trip with us on the Eel or another Northern California River.  Whitewater river kayaking is a great way to build sea kayak skills and explore new areas.

Whitewater river kayaking class on Mendocino's Eel River. Scouting exercise including sending in the probe.

Summer and Fall, get salty with our Whitewater of the Sea - whitewater kayaking, rock gardening and surfing in the sea.

LFK's Jeff Laxier uses a Sea Boof to style this ride.

First time kayaker get a taste for rock gardening with Liquid Fusion Kayaking.

Surf Kayaking - Surf is up year round on the Mendocino Coast.  Let us ratchet up your surf skills and fun in one of our surf classes.  Or let us create a custom lesson or safari for you in the craft of your choice - sea, whitewater, or surf kayak.  For those that like long boats, check out our Sea Kayak Surfpedition.

Surf kayaking lessons and classes on the Mendocino Coast of California.

Rolling - Learn to roll or tune-up your roll with Liquid Fusion Kayaking.  Year round, we are available for rolling lessons in the pool.  Or dial in your Sea Roll or River Roll with us.  Contact us to schedule your custom rolling lessons. 

LFK's Jeff Laxier teaches the kayak roll on the Mendocino Coast.

We still have space for your custom sea, whitewater, or surf kayak adventure or training.  Drop us a line if you have something in mind - maybe an intermediate/advanced Mendocino sea kayak adventure, a multi-day overnight river trip, or surf safari?

Kayak camping on the Eel River

Stay tuned for special new events!!! We have a couple in the works - Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to be the first to know!!!

Summer Kayaking is in Full Swing on the Mendocino Coast

WOW!  The first week of summer on the Mendocino Coast has been amazing.  Sunny, warm, and with relatively calm ocean conditions.  Our summer kayak tours are in full swing and we are getting rave reviews from all ages and abilities about our Mendocino kayaking tours and classes.

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Our kayak tours and classes get a thumbs up!

Of course we can't take all the credit.  Mother Nature has definitely been cooperative.   In Fort Bragg, our dry and mild kayak tours on the Noyo River have been spectacular.  Highlights have been all the babies.  From river otters to newly fledged birds, the Noyo River is teeming with wildlife and their young, and we are enjoying the show from our kayaks.

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Another gorgeous day for a family kayaking on the Noyo River.

One of our favorites of the summer is seeing the newly fledged Belted Kingfishers learning how to fish from their parents.  The adult will catch a fish and stun or kill it then drop it into the water for the fledgling to retrieve. 

Newly fledged Belted Kingfishers on Fort Bragg's Noyo River

For the most part, our ocean conditions have been unseasonably calm.  In addition to playing in the whitewater and waves on our Whitewater of the Sea Adventures, we are getting to kayak into some of the sea caves.  

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Kayaking into a Sea Cave along the Mendocino Coast

We are definitely pegging the fun meter with these trips.  It is really fun to introduce all skill levels including beginners to the fun of rock gardening.

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A beginning kayaker rock gardening on the Mendocino Coast.

It has also been fun to see students excelling in our kayaking classes.  Our Art of Sea Kayaking Mendocino has been a success.  It has been fun to have a specific focus each month on the specific paddling skills and features of the Mendocino Coast.  Our next class is The Art of Pour-Overs (a pour-over is a popular rock gardening maneuver where a kayaker rides a swell or wave over a rock).  We can't wait to get our students running pour-overs with finesse and style.

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Riding a wave as it pour-overs a rock.

In August, The Art of Sea Kayaking takes us into the Magical Mendocino Sea Caves.  If you want ooouuus and ahhhhhs this is a trip not to miss.  In 2 days, we will be exploring and playing in some of our favorite sea caves of the Mendocino Coast. 

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Sea kayaking through Mendocino sea caves.

If you haven't made it out on the water with us this summer, there is still time. Check out our calendar or give us a call and let's get out there!

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Enjoying a beautiful evening wildlife watching kayak tour on Fort Bragg's Noyo River.

Mendocino Spring and Summer Kayaking

We are getting excited about our Spring and Summer Kayaking Season on the Mendocino Coast.  An article "Paddling Along the Rivers of Mendocino County'" recently appeared on KCET's SoCal Wanderer site.  It has us jazzed about the magical kayaking opportunities that we provide for individuals and families of all ages and abilities.

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Cruising by a pair of common merganser ducks on a Noyo River Kayak Tour.

May is when we officially kick off our spring and summer season for kayak tours and classes on the Mendocino Coast.  The season kicks off the first weekend of May with our Intro to Kayaking and Intro to Ocean Kayaking Classes.    The first week of May will start our Monday Night Learn to Kayak Series. This class is geared toward locals who want to learn to kayak and meet others to paddle with. 

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Get ready for abalone diving with LFK's Intro to Ocean Kayaking Class

During the first week of May, we are also expecting a shipment of brand new kayaks.  Wahoo!!!

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LFK's new kayaks will be arriving on the Mendocino Coast the first week of May.

The Second Weekend of May kicks off our Art of Sea Kayaking Mendocino Series.  We are very excited about this monthly series that gives sea kayakers an opportunity to develop specific rock gardening skills and to paddle and explore different stretches of the Mendocino Coast.  In May, we will start the series with Touring Ocean Rock Gardens.   Other classes in the series include Surfzone FUNdamentals, The Art of the Pour-Over, and Magical Mendocino Sea Caves. 

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Learn to sea kayak the arches, tunnels, sea caves, and rock gardens of the Mendocino Coast

The Third Weekend of May is the official kick-off to our spring and summer kayaking season.  On Saturday, we are teaching a Kayak Safety Skills Clinic.  Sunday is our Afternoon Kayaking on the Noyo River .  Bring your family our for this fun afternoon of leisurely kayaking on the Noyo River that benefits for Books for Babies and Kits for Kindergarten.  We are also starting our evening Sunset Bird Paddle Tours.

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From here on out, we are heading full steam into summer with our Tracks to Kayaks Tours, Noyo Meanders, and Whitewater of the Sea Adventures.

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Tour the Redwoods on the train and by kayak.

For whitewater kayakers looking for some ocean whitewater kayaking fun, the last weekend of the month is a Rock n Surf Safari.  It is two days of surfing and playing in the waves and whitewater features of the ocean in whitewater kayaks.

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Regardless of California's drought, there is always whitewater on the Mendocino Coast.

If you were wondering why we are closed most of the month of April - it is to get ready for all of these grand adventures in May (and to perhaps have a grand adventure or two ourselves).