In Seaside Heights, there’s a private little hideaway beach that runs along the Barnegat Bay near the Route 37 bridge. It might not be that private, but I call it private because it’s never difficult to find parking (which is rare for Seaside in the summer.)
On the north end of the beach is a Stewart’s Drive-In eatery, and on the opposite end is a kayak rental agency called Pedals and Paddles. Though I’ve rented from them numerous times, my first experience was by far the most noteworthy.
The attendant warned me of two things as he prepared my kayak: to avoid the 37 bridge and to avoid any jet skiers. There was a jet ski rental business a few miles down the road, and my attendant said, “Most people who rent from there don’t even have a boating license. They have no idea what the hell they’re doing, so just steer clear of them.”
I said, “Roger that.”
He launched me right out from the beach. The paddle onward was quite scenic, passing by a series of small wooded islands that all had tiny beaches. At least it was very scenic until an out-of-control jet skier flew past me and created a wake that almost flipped my kayak. And there were signs everywhere that said ‘NO WAKE.’
Once you got past the islands, the jet skiers, and all the yachts with flags on them, you were brought into the heart of the Barnegat Bay. The water here became a tad more choppy than I was comfortable with, but not bad enough to justify turning around. I considered if I should “stay local” or if I should disregard the attendant’s advice and give the bridge a closer look.
Of course, I went for a closer look. Otherwise, I’d have nothing to write about.
The water got choppier and choppier the closer I got to the bridge. Second thoughts began rising in my head faster than the rising tide of the bay. Finally, I reached the bridge, which left me at a crossroads. If I headed back north in the direction I came from, it would lead me into Mantoloking; but heading further south past the bridge would eventually bring me into LBI.
I chose LBI and stuck to it until I paddled under the bridge and got about ten feet further out. At this point, the water was so rough that I felt like George Clooney in The Perfect Storm. I immediately turned around and luckily made it back under and past the bridge without further incident.
My next move was to get back to the islands near the rental agency. I rented my kayak for two hours and had time to kill after the botched LBI mission. Laying down and sunbathing on one of those island beaches would be a perfect way to accomplish that.
What happened on my way to the islands from the bridge would inspire me to write this piece. I might have been halfway there, a little more, a little less, I don’t remember. All I know is that something big slammed against the bottom of my kayak from below.
BA-BOOM!
Whatever it was hit me from directly underneath and my whole kayak was practically airborne for a split second. If it hit me from the left or the right, I would have capsized. When I landed back onto the water and regained my balance, I waited and hoped for a giant piece of wood or debris to float up to the surface. Maybe I just had a run-in with an object lost at sea.
But nothing ever came up. I started paddling a lot faster upon realizing what could have hit me. I made it to one of the islands after what felt like an eternity and laid out in the sand. Then I attempted to sunbathe and got eaten alive by greenheads in less than ten minutes.
After running full speed to my kayak and fleeing the island, I decided I’d rather deal with idiotic jet skiers than deal with horseflies and a great white. So I paddled over to Stewart’s and got lunch there with my remaining time.
Believe it or not, I’ve returned to Pedals and Paddles to rent another kayak on several occasions. I don’t have the storage space to buy one so I try to get down there once or twice a summer. The Route 37 bridge is now off-limits to me, however. These days when I’m out in the bay, I take the other way into Mantoloking.
My long-finned friend from beneath the surface hasn’t followed me there yet.