Water Sports
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Japan's got more going for it than bright lights and temples—namely, some of the best places in the world to ski, climb, kayak, bike, and surf. Bow down to the wild, wild East.
One dad's quest for an undiscovered surf spot turns up perfect waves, crazy wildlife, and just the right kid-friendly vibe on Costa Rica's wild Osa Peninsula
Diving after elusive sea life on the teeming reefs of Indonesia's Celebes Sea
In a (completely misguided) bid to make the 2008 Olympic team, ex-NCAA swimmer W. Hodding Carter is training like he did in college. And that means spring break. Only this time our party frogman is cruising the British Virgin Islands under his own power.
No need to put a toe in the water. It's ready, and you will be too with our guide to the season's best new equipment for ocean, river, and lake.
Here, read a conversation with writer Mark Anders and professional surfer Rob Machado continued from our August 2006 Letters section.
With a new ban on Caspian sturgeon eggs, caviar fans turn their eyes to the Rockies
Wind, waves, and siestas—just a few of the reasons to discover Tarifa, Spain
For over a decade, 26-year-old Bruce Irons has captivated the surfing world with his gravity-mocking aerials, smooth style, and convivial countenance. Many, including 2000 World Champion Sunny Garcia, have called him “the future of surfing.” But while big brother Andy was winning a trio of world titles, Bruce struggled to…
Divers do the damnedest things in pursuit of Northern California abalonelike poaching, drowning, and getting gobbled up by great white sharks
The best beaches for practicing your moves offer gentle waves and a no-pressure atmosphere. Here, over 20 of the best beginner breaks in the country to get your feet wet.
It's every adventurer's dilemma: Nothing's more exciting than the next tripbut nothing's harder than leaving home
I'm on blood thinners which cause feet and hands to get very cold when I go fly fishing in winter. How can I keep the extremities warm? I have tried sock liners and two pairs of wool socks, to no avail. Sheldon Warren, Ohio
As adventure goes mainstream, a new crop of youth teams takes root. Can climbing moms be far behind?
Three Kiwis are readying to kayak almost 400 miles around the South Atlantic Ocean island made famous by Sir Ernest Shackleton's fated Endurance expedition
It seemed like a good idea: Two war correspondents escape reality into far Mongolia, stalking an otherworldly fish called a taimen. But in the process of cleansing their souls with icy water and Johnnie Walker Black, they realize it's possible to stray too far from home.
America's multiplatinum surf troubadour rides his dreams like a North Shore break. His secret? If you love what you do, life and work can both be a rip.
The growing mob at surfing's premier big wave has tow-in veterans fearing for their lives
I see a variety of different kayak clothing on the market (i.e., drytops versus wetsuits). I have always been confused about the different weather conditions and types of kayaking in which each type of clothing would be appropriate. Can you help? Philip Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
At the bottom of the biggest underwater cave in the world, diving deeper than almost anyone had ever gone, Dave Shaw found the body of a young man who had disappeared ten years earlier. What happened after Shaw promised to go back is nearly unbelievableunless you believe in ghosts.
If you’re the grandson of legendary aquaman Jacques Cousteau, swimming with sharks is almost blas矇. But becoming one—now that’s honoring your pedigree. This past winter, Fabien Cousteau, 37, climbed inside Troy, a 14.5-foot submarine/shark decoy, to film the great whites around Guadalupe Island, off Mexico’s Pacific coast. Created by Hollywood-stuntman-cum-inventor…
Thanks to one of the worst droughts in a century, the Southwest’s most thrilling boating of late has been a motorized trip to Cathedral in the Desert, the reemerging sandstone amphitheater in Utah’s man-made Lake Powell. Well, times change, and so does the weather. Suddenly, the big news…
Go in search of the epicenter of summer soul and you’ll eventually wind up at Hanalei Bay, in Kauai, Hawaii. Among this tight-knit community of surfers, the days revolve around the sun, the wind, and one of the most revered waves on the planet. “Hanalei Bay is a spiritual place,”…
I'm heading out on an extended canoe trip and I'm not really looking forward to jumping into freezing cold water to wash. Can you recommend a good solar shower? Space and weight are a major issue. Tim New Jersey
Trophy trought and salmon are only part of the catch at these luxe western lodges.
If you decide to drop out and start surfing full-time, there's no place like Mexico's Pacific coast. When Peter Heller heads south and signs on with a tough-as-nails board guru, he discovers a wave-riding scene of world-class barrels, hard-grooving kids, and guardian angels.
FOR TODAY’S SURFERS, knowing where the planet’s best waves are hitting is as easy as tapping the Web for weather and buoy data. The challenge is getting there before the swell subsides. Enter surfwear mega-labels Billabong and Quiksilver, which are sponsoring the ultimate rapid-transit system for their pros: 1950s-era Grumman…
How best to describe Jack Johnson? Surfer? Filmmaker? Multi-platinum rock star? How about the luckiest friggin’ guy on the planet? Raised on Oahu’s fabled North Shore, Johnson, 29, began competing in pro surfing events in 1992, at age 17. He quit to study filmmaking at UC Santa Barbara, and his…
My buddies and I are planning a return trip this summer to some rather large wilderness lakes in Wyoming's Wind River Mountains. Fortunately, these lakes have no trails around them, which keeps visitors to a minimum, but makes backpacking near impossible. We think we have the perfect solution: packable rafts. We've found two four-pound versions from Sevylor and Alpacka Raft, but wonder about quality on one and price on the other. We will be hauling these over 3,500 vertical feet (in just the first day), with off-trail travel, scrambling, and paddling into the mix. Add to that the fact we aren't diminutive representatives of the human race plus pack weight and we push or exceed the weight limits on many one-person boats. I hope I have presented you a worthy challenge, Sir Gearalot. Mack Johnston, Iowa
It's a 21st-century refinement of the Robinson Crusoe fantasy: Your own private island—but with none of the inconvenience and discomfort of being a castaway. From the coral reefs, talcum sand, and swaying palms of the Seychelles to nine other crowd-free island retreats, we've got the ultimate unplugged paradise for you.
Wipe out trying to bodysurf the Newport Wedge and you'll burst an eardrum, yank out a shoulder, or snap a few ribs. Daniel Duane tackles the mean blue beast and meets the elite riders who court her lash.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's plane wreckage answers a 60-year-old riddle. Or does it?
We have finally made the climb out from the upper gorge—but instead of reaching Payi and heading to the Po Tsangpo confluence, we have descended to the village of Gobden and Luku. This is actually our planed take out point, but we were forced to come here due to the…
Gyala, Tsangpo Gorge—We have been on the river now for four days and many things have happened. For one, we have realized just how small we are. Since reaching the end of the road, we have hired 68 porters that have carried all our equipment from camp to camp.
Kintup Falls, Tsangpo Gorge—We have just completed the Pemakochung bend and made it past Kintup Falls—this was a long day of portages and discovery. It was also the first day on our satellite photo, which was very exciting as we can now see every rapid as we come to…
VIDEO The Foam Zone click here Expedition member Steve Fisher plunges into the Upper Tsangpo Gorge Portage from Hell click here Porters and paddlers trudge 5,000 feet straight up on the epic mountain portage from Upper to Lower Gorge Going Deep click here Ground team member Andrew Sheppard rappels…
Lhasa, Tibet – After three flights we have finally made it to Lhasa, Tibet. We managed to check in 14 kayaks and 26 bags weighing 30 kilograms each all the way through with very few problems. From San Francisco, Cathay Pacific styled us all the way to Chengdu, a huge…
Team Triumphs on Tsangpo click here 窪蹋勛圖厙 contributing editor Peter Heller reports on the historic first descent of Tibet’s Upper Tsangpo River. March 2-March 9 TEXT DISPATCH—March 7, 2002 click here Smiles reach from ear to ear…
Pelung, Tibet We have made it to Pelung. Two days of hiking, two cable crossings, and two bridges after leaving Tsachu, we are at a road. There are vehicles, houses, and people. The small shops carry beer, candy, biscuits, and Coke. The guys are sinking beer like it has…
After a decade of failed attempts and fatal rebuffs, an 窪蹋勛圖厙-sponsored expedition runs Tibet's Upper Tsanpgo Gorge—and lives to tell about it.
Tsachu, Po Tsangpo River Today is a reunion day. We kayakers had been impatiently awaiting a scheduled sat-phone voicemail message from Ken Storm and the crew that trekked to Hidden and Rainbow Falls after the hellish portage. Likely due to the weather and depth of the inner gorge, they…
Apex of the Tsangpo Gorge We have just finished a two-day paddle down the Po Tsangpo to the confluence and around to the northernmost point of the Great Bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the apex of the Tsangpo Gorge. Scott Lingdren, Tsangpo River In his element: expedition…
Bayi, Tibet – Today was the first day of movement towards the gorge since arriving in Lhasa. Extreme weather conditions have delayed the arrival of the last and crucial team member, Rob Hind for five days, resulting in us having an interesting seven days exploring the monasteries and narrow…
Tsachu, Po Tsangpo River We have made it to Tsachu, a small village that overlooks the apex of the Great Bend of the Tsangpo, sacred Mount Abu Lashu, and both the Yarlung and Po Tsangpo Rivers. Tsangpo River Willy Kern, Allan Ellard and Scott Lindgren watch the rest of…
Via satellite phone the team reports that scouting the river upstream of the village of Luku is proving extremely challenging as a monstrous flood two years ago scoured the walls of this incredibly steep section of the lower gorge. There are now a number of new rapids that did not…
On February 4, a team comprising explorers and kayakers from seven nations began a planned two-month-long expedition through the Tsangpo Gorge in southeastern Tibet. Their goal is to chart some of the still unvisited parts of the gorge and to complete the first-ever whitewater descent of the world’s deepest river…
October, 2001 Santa Fe, New Mexico Scott Lindgren: One of the things that we really wanted to express now that we are doing this with 窪蹋勛圖厙 Television and 窪蹋勛圖厙 Magazine and GM, is that the story will be told as it is. Granted,…
How exactly do you go about getting 80 people, 14 boats, and several thousand pounds of equipment from one end of the deepest river canyon in the world to the other? You view it like a king-sized, 150-mile-long obstacle course fiendish enough to confound even the most talented river runners,…
It's the cradle of Shangri-la, and one of the deepest river gorges on earth. It's a fortress guarding sacred waterfalls, and a cauldron of savage whitewater and unrunnable rapids. In the chill of the Himalayan winter, seven world-class kayakers led a massive expedition into the shadowy realm of Tibet's Tsangpo River , and launched their boats down its roaring t
I’m planning a nine-day, 24-mile canoeing expedition to the Boundary Waters in early July. As for footwear, would it be better to purchase a pair of hiking boots or a pair of Salomon phibian water shoes? We'll mostly be in the canoe, with about five miles of portaging at most. Which option would be better? Jonathan La Grange, Illinois
Is time traveler Tim Severin the greatest living explorer? Probably—but you'll never get him to admit it.
Q: Do you know of any great alpine backpacking destinations in Baja? Advice from the Experts For more wisdom from the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Adviser, and the chance to ask your own questions, CLICK HERE.travel questions answered Cory Whitney, Bar Harbor, Maine 窪蹋勛圖厙 Adviser: A: A four-day backpacking trip up Baja’s…
An innovative platform brings Spanish shipwrech spoils to intrepid divers in the Florida Keys
Travel Guide, Winter 1995-1996 Islands You’ve Never Heard Of By Jonathan Runge Culebra Just 17 miles off the coast of Puerto Rico, Culebra has been bypassed by the tourists crowding its parent island. This 11-square-mile, wishbone-shaped islet is defined as much by what…
窪蹋勛圖厙 magazine, May 1998 Access & Resources Montserrat, minus the lava By Katie Arnold Another Day Under the Black Volcano Once you get over the fact that two-thirds of Montserrat is now buried under a thick…
Travel Guide, Winter 1995-1996 Dominica By David Noland Dominica is for people who need sweat and grit in their tropical vacation: The island’s few beaches are mostly of black volcanic sand, and none rates even fair by Caribbean standards. What Dominica…
窪蹋勛圖厙 magazine, October 1995 Jamaica By Jonathan Runge From the 7,402-foot Blue Mountain Peak, one of the Caribbean’s loftiest vantage points, you can survey all of Jamaica’s undulating coast. And on a clear day, you’d swear you can just make out…
窪蹋勛圖厙 magazine, October 1995 St. Lucia By Trish Reynales Sure, St. Lucia’s twin peaks make for great postcards. “Pitons soar a half-mile into the sky. Mist dripping from the vines. Parrots mocking me from the palms. Mud up to my knees.
Travel Guide, Winter 1995-1996 St. Vincent/Grenadines By Jonathan Runge If the British Virgin Islands are the junior college of Caribbean sailing, the Grenadines are graduate school: Relatively long stretches of open water between the 30-odd islands south of St. Vincent make…
For decades, no one has dared to run the treacherous lengths of the waters that helped launch the modern age of exploration. Civil war, freelance rebels, capricious bandits, irascible hippos, surly crocs, billions of malarial mosquitoes, and scores of rapids so deadly they're rated a suicidal Class VIall have conspired…
An innovative dive outfitter lays plans to build a futuristic platform resort—right next to the reef
THE FANTASY DIVE-TRIP COCKTAIL...Take 1,190 coral outposts in the Indian Ocean, add one deluxe catamaran, one dive dhoni, a large splash of sapphire-blue water, and stir.
You'll hit more surf than pavement on this 250-mile pleasure drive around the Big Island
World Champion surfer Andy Irons—our May coverboy—has a pre-season workout that proves pro-surfing's not for slackers. See if you can keep up.
Can a monster swell be tracked down and hunted like some great beast? That's the mad mission of the $3 million Billabong Odyssey, surfing's rapid-response quest to find and ride the biggest wave in history?