Calvert Cliffs and kayaking?

[ToothNoob]

Hi All! I'm camping in the Chesapeake area of Southern Maryland and am trying to plan out a little Calvert Cliffs trip. It seems like COVID has closed off almost all the access points to the Cliffs except for Matoaka and Calvert Cliffs State Park--a bummer, but I'm new to this so it will take very little to make me happy...

 

Should I take my kayak? I've never been to either location but saw that the hike from parking to the beach area at the state park is 1.8 miles, so I'd hate to get the kayak all the way down there and find out I didn't need it after all. Any general advice would be most welcome too. Thanks!

[Clint08]

I haven't visited the state park, but I have been to the cabins. I've seen a couple people bring kayaks there, the walk to the beach is much shorter but there is quite a steep hill with stairs to walk down so if you had a shoulder sling for the kayak or someone to help you carry it it would be manageable. However, the beach at the cabins extends pretty far north and you can walk all the way to Western Shores without having to wade in the water at all as there is usually enough beach.

[ToothNoob]

Thank you, @Clint08! I’ll have my husband and our inflatable kayak is really light (but surprisingly sturdy). If the walk to the beach is a lot shorter at Matoaka, maybe we’ll try it on foot first... 

[Clint08]

2 hours ago, ToothNoob said:

Thank you, @Clint08! I’ll have my husband and our inflatable kayak is really light (but surprisingly sturdy). If the walk to the beach is a lot shorter at Matoaka, maybe we’ll try it on foot first... 

You're welcome  Walk to the beach at Matoaka is super short, less than 5min. Inflatable kayak would make it much easier for sure, hopefully the water isn't to choppy for you guys! Goodluck on your hunt!

[Searcher78]

Are you looking just to enjoy the beach and water or are you also looking to collect shells and shark teeth?  You can find shark teeth walking along the shoreline, but you might have better luck using a sifter to find shark teeth.  I don't know how it is right now, but about a month ago the water was loaded with jellyfish.

[bthemoose]

If you’re looking for shark teeth at Matoaka, a kayak definitely isn’t necessary (though could of course be fun!). There is a lot of beach available and I find the best approach there for me is to cover a lot of ground, slowly walking along the water’s edge and/or at the high tide line, but everyone has their own style! It can be helpful to get there early too, if the morning tides are cooperative. I often go long stretches without finding anything, but if I put in the time, I don’t leave empty handed.

 

As @Searcher78 noted, there have been some pretty dense jellyfish recently both in the water and washed up on the beach. I was there on Friday and it was much better than the weeks before so hopefully that persists during your visit!

[RuMert]

I'd like to try kayaking in a different but similar location (relatively calm sea shore). Could you share your experience? Is it hard with waves, what are the pitfalls and what is the average speed - what time and effort does it take to move for example 10 km along the shore (1 person kayak) ? I'm totally new with this kind of activity

[AndrewBorn]

I have a 14.5 foot polyethylene touring kayak, which is a good beat around kayak, but not one of the sleek fiberglass types.  I am fit and able to maintain about 4 mph sustained, though wind and tide affect that.

 

Kayaking on the bay is not like a lake or river.  You will encounter wind and currents, which a rudder or skeg helps to track straight, but paddling into a headwind can be very tiring.  You can save yourself some effort by paying attention to the tides and planning your paddle with them.  Most good days, waves on the bay will be a foot or less.  Make sure you know the weather before you go.  I was out last year and got caught when the weather turned bad and I was dealing with constant waves/whitecaps that were 3 foot+.  I made it a few miles and was almost home before my luck ran out/fatigue got me.  A large wave, I am guessing over 4 foot, flipped me and there was no way I was going to get back in with the frequency and size of the waves.  I pointed the stern to the incoming waves and was battered all the way to shore.  A rec kayak would have sank.

 

Wear your PFD and make sure somebody knows where you will be.  Stick close to the shore, which also will keep you out of the way of boats.  I don't know how a large orange kayak surprises anybody, but I have had a few boaters seem to be paying less attention than they should.  If the weather starts to look bad, be safe.

 

2 weeks ago, the bay was full of jellyfish, and the painful sea nettle variety at that.  It was incredible how thick they were.  Tens of thousands.  Going into the water would have been a potentially life threatening event due to the number of stings.

 

I am not out to alarm you, because kayaking there is fun and not terribly dangerous, but do use common sense and plan ahead.

 

Check the Marine Weather forecast:

https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/Forecasts/FZUS51.KLWX.html

[ToothNoob]

19 hours ago, Clint08 said:

You're welcome  Walk to the beach at Matoaka is super short, less than 5min. Inflatable kayak would make it much easier for sure, hopefully the water isn't to choppy for you guys! Goodluck on your hunt!

We had some extra time yesterday and figured we'd head over to Matoaka just to scope things out... You were right--the walk down was short (and very cool) but steep. I'm glad we walked it first because going down would have been one thing but going back up was something else all together. There are some places that the steps aren't very even, and we actually watched a family struggle to get back up (with a standard sea kayak) as we were leaving. Granted, they had a lot more stuff, but still. For about two hours after low tide (which was around 2 yesterday), we were able to walk very, very far on the beach, so--yeah--my preliminary verdict is that a kayak at Matoaka doesn't really add a whole lot and might be a huge pain. Again, very much appreciate your guidance!

 

P.S. Matoaka is one of the coolest places I've ever seen. We weren't out long and were out later in the afternoon--not an ideal time to try to find teeth and fossils on a picked-over beach, I'm assuming--so we only found a few small teeth, ray plates, and a pretty decent sized (but damaged) Ecphora gardnerae/Md state fossil shell (at least that's what I think it is--need to research a bit). Regardless, I was blown away by the geography and the whole "feel" of the place. It reminded me a little of the California beaches along Route 1 (south of San Francisco) but with a more tropical feel (like the rainforests in Puerto Rico). I'd be happy wandering around there every day! 

[ToothNoob]

18 hours ago, Searcher78 said:

Are you looking just to enjoy the beach and water or are you also looking to collect shells and shark teeth?  You can find shark teeth walking along the shoreline, but you might have better luck using a sifter to find shark teeth.  I don't know how it is right now, but about a month ago the water was loaded with jellyfish.

Both, but having beach to enjoy is a plus for hubs who gets a little antsy when I'm searching. We went to scope things out yesterday (later in the day, so bad timing, I know) and only stayed for a bit, and I found a few small teeth sifting. Do you mainly sift in the water? Or up on the beach at the shell line? Sorry, I'm really new to this! 

 

And, you were totally right about the jellyfish. I've lived in MD my whole life, and my in-laws have a place in Cambridge, MD, so unfortunately I'm all-too-familiar with August Chesapeake Bay jellyfish/sea nettle swarms... We always take those roll-up refillable squirt bottle/bag things and baking soda in case of stings when we're out in the Bay in late summer. And I'm glad we did because, despite all my "I'm all-too-familiar with these boogers," I got stung yesterday. Figures, right? LOL

[ToothNoob]

16 hours ago, bthemoose said:

If you’re looking for shark teeth at Matoaka, a kayak definitely isn’t necessary (though could of course be fun!). There is a lot of beach available and I find the best approach there for me is to cover a lot of ground, slowly walking along the water’s edge and/or at the high tide line, but everyone has their own style! It can be helpful to get there early too, if the morning tides are cooperative. I often go long stretches without finding anything, but if I put in the time, I don’t leave empty handed.

 

As @Searcher78 noted, there have been some pretty dense jellyfish recently both in the water and washed up on the beach. I was there on Friday and it was much better than the weeks before so hopefully that persists during your visit!

Thank you, @Searcher78! We went for a quick scoping-things-out trip yesterday, and the nettles weren't terrible, but they were definitely there. They're actually worse down in Point Lookout where we're camping. And we live by the bay water + baking soda remedy, which works great as long as the sting isn't terrible. Low tide there yesterday was around 2, so things were already picked over by the time we got there, but I'm totally okay with that because we knew we were going at the wrong time and the beach/cliffs/whole atmosphere there was amazing! We wanted to scope things out on foot first, so we didn't take the kayak and--yeah, I agree with you that it's probably not necessary there. There's so much glorious beach to access by foot! Can't wait to go back there for a for-real hunt! Thanks for your help!

[ToothNoob]

16 hours ago, RuMert said:

I'd like to try kayaking in a different but similar location (relatively calm sea shore). Could you share your experience? Is it hard with waves, what are the pitfalls and what is the average speed - what time and effort does it take to move for example 10 km along the shore (1 person kayak) ? I'm totally new with this kind of activity

Yay, another newbie! I have to say that you sound like a much more experienced kayaker than I am, so I hope I don't disappoint you too much...

 

Hubs and I went to Matoaka yesterday to walk down and see if it was worth taking the kayak down (and later back up) the relatively short but steep walk from parking to the beach, and I don't think it is. The beach there is really accessible (and long, oh my goodness), and at low tide + a few hours after, almost everything was still accessible.

 

The waves yesterday were relatively small (small whitecaps far out, but I wouldn't even call it "choppy" close to shore), but there was a pretty decent wind coming in from the southeast. I watched a family send various (older) kids out on their sea kayak, and they'd make it a few hundred feet into the wind before giving up and letting the wind push them back to where they started. Granted, these were kids and not fossil/tooth hunters on a mission, but still. I don't know about you, but I find solo kayaking a lot easier than with another person. My 19 year old son is my usual partner, and he weighs a lot more than me, so he gets to be in the back (not a good place for his inexperience but we've tried him in the front, and that was a whole other level of disaster and frustration, LOL).

 

We're headed to check out Calvert Cliffs today (late and with our kids--19 and 7). Given the long hike to the beach, I don't think we'll take the kayaks, but I'll keep my eyes peeled for any kayakers out there and let you know what it looks like. If it seems like it's worth dragging the kayak down, I'm hoping to try it (solo, ideally) later this week (weather permitting).

 

Where are you thinking of going, by the way? Ooops, I probably should have asked that first!

Edited August 11, 2020 by ToothNoob
spelling

[ToothNoob]

8 hours ago, AndrewBorn said:

I have a 14.5 foot polyethylene touring kayak, which is a good beat around kayak, but not one of the sleek fiberglass types.  I am fit and able to maintain about 4 mph sustained, though wind and tide affect that.

 

Kayaking on the bay is not like a lake or river.  You will encounter wind and currents, which a rudder or skeg helps to track straight, but paddling into a headwind can be very tiring.  You can save yourself some effort by paying attention to the tides and planning your paddle with them.  Most good days, waves on the bay will be a foot or less.  Make sure you know the weather before you go.  I was out last year and got caught when the weather turned bad and I was dealing with constant waves/whitecaps that were 3 foot+.  I made it a few miles and was almost home before my luck ran out/fatigue got me.  A large wave, I am guessing over 4 foot, flipped me and there was no way I was going to get back in with the frequency and size of the waves.  I pointed the stern to the incoming waves and was battered all the way to shore.  A rec kayak would have sank.

 

Wear your PFD and make sure somebody knows where you will be.  Stick close to the shore, which also will keep you out of the way of boats.  I don't know how a large orange kayak surprises anybody, but I have had a few boaters seem to be paying less attention than they should.  If the weather starts to look bad, be safe.

 

2 weeks ago, the bay was full of jellyfish, and the painful sea nettle variety at that.  It was incredible how thick they were.  Tens of thousands.  Going into the water would have been a potentially life threatening event due to the number of stings.

 

I am not out to alarm you, because kayaking there is fun and not terribly dangerous, but do use common sense and plan ahead.

 

Check the Marine Weather forecast:

https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/Forecasts/FZUS51.KLWX.html

@AndrewBorn Thank you so much! No worries about alarming me--I always appreciate safety advice (and actually follow it now that I'm no longer a teenager getting a thrill out of ignoring my poor mother, lol). My in-laws have a place in Cambridge on the Choptank that's close enough to the Bay that I know *exactly* what you're talking about and have been on the edge of fatigue in several situations--all slightly different but none that I care to repeat ever again. So, again, I very much appreciate your advice and for you looking out for other kayakers  

 

The nettles yesterday weren't awful but they were definitely there at Matoaka. I don't usually have a terrible reaction to them and always have my trusty bay-water + baking soda mix, but, you're right, being capsized out in it would have been BAD.

 

Btw, I'm relieved you're okay after such an experience! Where were you when this happened? And YES to how boaters miss an orange kayak! My kayak is gray/yellow and inflatable, but at my in-laws they are bright yellow and red, and it still happens. My husband calls it "I'm-the-only-person-in-the-world Syndrome," which is so not cool on the water.  Yikes.

 

Thanks again for looking out for your fellow human beings!

[Searcher78]

1 hour ago, ToothNoob said:

Both, but having beach to enjoy is a plus for hubs who gets a little antsy when I'm searching. We went to scope things out yesterday (later in the day, so bad timing, I know) and only stayed for a bit, and I found a few small teeth sifting. Do you mainly sift in the water? Or up on the beach at the shell line? Sorry, I'm really new to this! 

 

And, you were totally right about the jellyfish. I've lived in MD my whole life, and my in-laws have a place in Cambridge, MD, so unfortunately I'm all-too-familiar with August Chesapeake Bay jellyfish/sea nettle swarms... We always take those roll-up refillable squirt bottle/bag things and baking soda in case of stings when we're out in the Bay in late summer. And I'm glad we did because, despite all my "I'm all-too-familiar with these boogers," I got stung yesterday. Figures, right? LOL

I will sift the shell line.  The low-tide shell line will be deeper in the water when the tide rises.  Most people are looking for the huge teeth, but many small teeth can be found also if you use a sifter with small holes.

[AndrewBorn]

I was near Breezy the day when I was flipped.  About the worst places to get caught by weather would be near the Naval Research Laboratory or the Nuclear Power Plant, because you have to give them a wide berth from shore (they get upset with you if you are too close), and those are stretches without a safe landing beach.  There are rocks along the shoreline at both of those locations that would be terrible to be pushed into by waves.  Dares and south of Dares to around Parker's Creek is also a spot with choppy water and limited landing spots.

 

Any thickness clothing should prevent a sea nettle sting, btw.  I use thin running tights to cover my legs in the summer if the nettles are bad.  I don't go wading through jellyfish, but haven't ever been stung through my running tights.

[Clint08]

3 hours ago, ToothNoob said:

We had some extra time yesterday and figured we'd head over to Matoaka just to scope things out... You were right--the walk down was short (and very cool) but steep. I'm glad we walked it first because going down would have been one thing but going back up was something else all together. There are some places that the steps aren't very even, and we actually watched a family struggle to get back up (with a standard sea kayak) as we were leaving. Granted, they had a lot more stuff, but still. For about two hours after low tide (which was around 2 yesterday), we were able to walk very, very far on the beach, so--yeah--my preliminary verdict is that a kayak at Matoaka doesn't really add a whole lot and might be a huge pain. Again, very much appreciate your guidance!

 

P.S. Matoaka is one of the coolest places I've ever seen. We weren't out long and were out later in the afternoon--not an ideal time to try to find teeth and fossils on a picked-over beach, I'm assuming--so we only found a few small teeth, ray plates, and a pretty decent sized (but damaged) Ecphora gardnerae/Md state fossil shell (at least that's what I think it is--need to research a bit). Regardless, I was blown away by the geography and the whole "feel" of the place. It reminded me a little of the California beaches along Route 1 (south of San Francisco) but with a more tropical feel (like the rainforests in Puerto Rico). I'd be happy wandering around there every day! 

Glad to hear you guys could make it out and had fun in doing so! Depending on time of the day at Matoaka I will eaither just surface collect along the high tide line and the low tide shell beds. Occasionally I will try sifting but since the beach is so long there I like to try and cover as much ground as I can and usually walk away with a decent amount of teeth. Congrats on the Ecphora too!

 

The cliffs do have a spectacualr feel to them, I have driven Rt 1 before and I can see some of the similarities you would see between the two!