“ They were coming up to Point Sur and a faint 10-foot silhouette started pacing with their board. They brought up their paddles, braced their feet and watched as the shape then disappeared into the abyss ”
Day 2: The Unexpected Detour
Our plan was to spend three days and two nights on this coast, but things happen and you may not understand it at the moment but in time it all makes sense. Our second day was supposed to be the best since we would be passing some of Big Sur’s most impressive beaches and rock formations. In addition, this leg was going to be the longest, with 20 miles of water to cover and no place to stop. We had a light paddle on the river to warm up the arms and wake us up from the late-night stargazing.
The Dead Zone
The majority of the Big Sur coastline runs parallel with Highway 1; however, at a certain point the highway cuts into the coast and there is a 12-mile stretch that we coined the Dead Zone because there are no beaches or outlets. Plus, there’s an indescribably eerie aura.At this point in our trip, we have seen various jelly fish, seals – and of course the great white –but something about the dead zone brought out the rest of the sea creatures. The most inquisitive creature was the Mola Mola (Sunfish) that almost knocked Slater clean off his board. As we continued down the coast we were greeted by a pod of Rissos, dolphins that are almost completely white in color. We were lucky enough to see multiple breaches as close as 100 feet away from some magnificent whales as well. It was fascinating to watch how they can remain under water for up to 35 minutes – and then all of a sudden, they are breaching 50 feet in the air right next to you!
