Sea kayaking in Gran Canaria: do something sporty 😉
This was the third year that we traveled to Gran Canaria and we had not yet done “Kayaking in Gran Canaria”. We were determined to make it a sporty holiday that year and booked the sea kayaking group activity with Mojo Picon Adventures. The day before we went sea kayaking, I received a WhatsApp message from them confirming our booking. We had booked the 9:30 am morning kayak adventure and were expected on a beach in Arguineguin that morning.
Getting to know our guide
When we arrived at 9:20 am, there were 5 kayaks ready on the beach, 2 single and 3 double. The guide himself was not yet visible, but he walked onto the beach at 9:30 am sharp. After a quick and friendly introduction to our guide Miguel, we received an explanation of, among other things, the basic techniques. He explained everything in a nice way, sometimes serious, other times funny, but not exaggerated. The other 3 participants were also friendly and calm and immediately felt that it was going to be a fun trip.
Explanation of the equipment and practical kayaking tips
So most of the explanation was about the equipment, the kayak itself, how to best paddle synchronously with your fellow passenger, how to close the waterproof bag, about the waves and your life jacket. One of the tips was that as a man, it is better not to use the life jacket with a bare torso. It would hurt the nipples, which of course seemed funny at the time. We had already gone kayaking several times on, for example, the river “the Lesse” in Belgium, on the Ardèche in southern France and did a canoe trip in the Everglades in Florida, but still found Miguel's explanations and tips interesting.
As with our climbing adventure, we received “Via Ferrata in Gran Canaria” in the mountains above Maspalomas, also bring one bottle of fresh water (per kayak) and a bag of mixed nuts. Miguel gave us bananas on the beach itself. Water was refilled as needed. After the explanation we could go out to sea. If we had any belongings that we did not want to take with us in the kayak, we could put them in the van. Participants came by taxi and that was handy.
2 double kayaks 🛶
We had 2 double kayaks, one I shared with my son, Jessica one with our daughter. The sea was calm and there was little wind, which made it pleasant to paddle. You start right next to a cement factory (the only one in Gran Canaria), which initially made it a bit of an ugly starting point, but you quickly leave the factory behind you. From the beach at Bar Playa El Boya in Arguineguin (not the commercial beaches where we stayed the year before), you immediately kayak down the coast towards Maspalomas and sail along and between all kinds of rocks.
Miguel did his best to take a nice photo of everyone with his GoPro. After a little patience, you will then receive these photos forwarded to the email address you provided. I have used my cell phone to take photos while kayaking, but that is not without risk. When we arrived at the 2de On the beach my son stepped out of the kayak diagonally opposite the waves and half capsized. Luckily my cell phone was in a protective case, otherwise it would be at the bottom of the sea somewhere.
First stop: Archaeological Guanche site
After 35 minutes of kayaking we made a first small stop. I still thought “hopefully this is not the beach described, because I have only just warmed up to paddling!”. No, luckily this was a first stop. You can have something to eat there, swim or you can look at an archaeological site of an old settlement. The original inhabitants of Gran Canaria, the Guanches or Guanchos, lived here. A 1-minute walk from the beach, there are three limestone settlements followed by a collective cemetery.
Stone floors have been found in these “houses”, which proves that Spaniards also lived in the houses after the conquest of the Canary Islands. There is a large iron fence around it, but it is still worth a visit.
Lunch break on a beautiful golden sandy beach
After a 15 minute break, we sailed further down the coast. That part lasts about an hour and we then arrived at a beautiful beach to have our lunch break. This beach has a beautiful golden sandy beach, where we indeed played with a Frisbee as described in the activity. We brought diving goggles and snorkels and I also went snorkeling. I must admit that (at that time) there were few fish to be seen. There were more to see along the rocks on the coast.
Sharks can be seen along the coast in summer
Miguel said that many sharks can be seen along this stretch of coast in the summer and come to lay eggs in large numbers. I don't remember what kind of shark it was, but don't panic, they weren't white sharks or hammerhead sharks! You also sometimes see turtles there, but unfortunately no dolphins. The coast around Gran Canaria is too shallow for that. If you want to spot dolphins, you can either book a dolphin boat excursion or rent a boat yourself. Note: If you rent a boat yourself, extra special rules apply. You are not allowed to sail to the dolphins yourself. Miguel brought pallets for the beach and we happened to have some with us too.
I honestly didn't expect it, but we actually had a good time on the beach. The beach is a nudist beach, but it was no problem for the nudists that we kept our swimming clothes on 😊
In one straight line back to Arguinenguin
After a pleasant afternoon break on the beach, we sailed back, no longer along the rocks, but in a straight line to Arguineguin. We were still lucky with the wind and waves. In the afternoon the wind is usually stronger and there are higher waves, but we were lucky that day. It was quite calm at sea without much headwind. On the way back I forgot “the tip of the bare torso and the life jackets”. It was quite warm and of course I left the beach without a T-shirt on. I can assure you that Miguel's tip wasn't a joke! Those life jackets are like sandpaper. After paddling for a while it started to become sensitive, but even more so by the time we got back and in the evening. 😉
Who is this kayaking trip suitable for?
The kayaks are quite comfortable with a soft seat, which I think is important for lower back support. The kayaking trip is mainly intended for people who have little or no experience with kayaking, but kayaking is always fun, so it is also fun for the slightly more experienced kayakers among us. It's something different and it's a healthy sporting activity. Also important, you support the local economy and it opens up a different perspective of your holiday in Gran Canaria! It is not really a strenuous activity, but make sure you apply high factor sunscreen, because even if it is cloudy, you burn very quickly in a kayak.
Is kayaking in Gran Canaria a fun activity?
We arrived back at Arguineguin beach around 13:30 PM. After all the kayaks were on the beach, we could go back to our apartment for lunch. We had gotten hungry from paddling about 8 miles and playing on the beach. Personally, I didn't think it was cheap to paddle at sea for 4 hours with 4 people, but I can recommend this kayaking trip with Miguel to everyone. Mojo Picon Adventures to book. Afterwards we all had a nice and good feeling that we went (sea) kayaking in Gran Canaria! So don't hesitate, just book!
