Bay Area Sea Kayakers (BASK) is a non-profit 501(c7) sports club of several hundred sea kayakers who live throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our interests include flat-water paddling, kayak-surfing, expeditions, and playing amongst the rocks, in conditions that range from mild to wild. Our club exists to bring paddlers together for companionship, safety, education, exploration, learning, and great food and drink! We're committed to safety both on and off the water, and our club holds insurance through Paddlesports Risk Management. We offer an inexpensive annual Skills Clinic to members, as well as numerous free clinics on skills, rescue, and safety throughout the year. We welcome as members all individuals interested in kayaking. We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive paddling club and to sharing our enthusiasm, skills, and knowledge to increase equity and access to our sport.
BASK trips range from local to international, and are all member-initiated with shared responsibilities for safety. BASK does not supply boats or equipment, although some members are willing to share their equipment. You have to be a member or a guest of a member to participate in on-the-water BASK events and a signed activity waiver is required. Follow the links to learn more about the benefits of membership and to join BASK.
We invite you to attend one of our monthly meetings, either online or in person. They are free and open to the public; in-person meetings include food (suggested donation $8-10). The format of each meeting may vary a bit month to month, but they tend to include members sharing stories, featured speakers, club news, and information about upcoming events. It’s a great way to meet club members and learn about paddling opportunities. For more information see the Events page!
Would you like to speak at a BASK meeting or have an idea for a speaker? Contact the Speaker Seekers. Interested in what type of speakers we’ve had in the past? See a representative list of previous general meeting topics.
BASK Health Guidelines
For the safety of participants at all BASK paddles and other in-person activities, please stay home and join us another time if:
- You're experiencing symptoms of any communicable respiratory illness
- You're testing positive for COVID-19, even if you're feeling well
- In the past week, you've been exposed to someone with COVID-19 via shared air
If you develop COVID-19 symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 within a week of attending an in-person BASK activity, please let the event initiator know. This will allow the initiator to inform other participants, who can then choose to self-test or take other precautions such as obtaining pharmaceutical COVID-19 treatments if they develop symptoms.
Next BASK General Meeting: Wednesday, August 27 (Virtual)
Time: 7-9 pm
Location: Zoom Meeting (invitation will be posted on the BASK calendar on the day of the meeting).
About: In addition to our usual club business, we'll have featured speakers Jenny Zhang and Justin Smith, who will describe their self-supported kayaking trip down the Grand Canyon: "Ten Days, 220 Miles: Self-Supported Kayaking in the Grand Canyon."Stay tuned to Currents and the BASK Calendar for more details. (Log in to BASK website before clicking these links.)
In May 2025, Jenny, Justin, and four other kayakers completed a 10-day self-supported trip down the Grand Canyon—without any raft support. In this talk, Jenny and Justin will share highlights from the journey, including everything from trip planning (boat selection, packing lists, and itinerary) to life on the river (campsites, rapids, side hikes, and the wildlife they encountered). This was an intense and unforgettable adventure. Packed into just 10 days were moments of physical and mental challenge, breathtaking beauty, and the quiet magic of canyon nights that were punctuated only by the calls of frogs under the stars.
Jenny Zhang is a passionate kayaker who began sea kayaking in 2019 in China. Since then, she has explored a wide range of waters, including the Southern California coastline, the Channel Islands, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Kern River, and the American Rivers. Jenny enjoys all forms of kayaking—from sea kayaking and kayak surfing to whitewater kayaking and kayak polo. In 2025, she competed in the Santa Cruz Paddlefest and took first place in the intermediate women’s surf kayak category. She enjoys sharing her paddling adventures on BASK Currents, Facebook, and her YouTube channel. With a background in web development, she developed surf-tracker.com, a tool for tracking and analyzing surf sessions. Jenny just moved to North Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada in July 2025, and now she is exploring a new paddling environment and looking for new paddling friends.
Justin Smith is a lifelong kayaker based in Pacifica, with experience in sea kayaking, whitewater, and multi-day expeditions. He has completed four Grand Canyon trips—two self-supported and two with raft support—and led the May 2025 self-supported trip, planning the itinerary and guiding the group through the canyon. With a background in genetics and entrepreneurship, Justin is currently on a career break and spends his time exploring the coast, rivers, and rock gardens.
Be sure to look for all the details and latest updates on Currents and the BASK Calendar. We look forward to seeing you on Zoom!The Zoom link for the meeting will be posted in the calendar at least a half hour before start time. Please do not post or forward the link. Login to Zoom with your full name so the moderators know who you are. If we don’t recognize you we might not let you in.
Have a question or something you would like to add to the agenda? Email Brad at Brad.Findlay@bask.org.
