Sea Kayaking Dominica’s Waitukubuli Sea Trail
3-minute read + 12-minute video
Join Ken Whiting, Aqua Bound Ambassador, as he sea kayaks for the first time along the coastline of the beautiful island country of Dominica.
Dominica’s Waitukubuli Sea Trail is the first official water trail in the Caribbean region, established in early 2023. In this video, Ken kayaks Segment 2 of the 40-mile marine trail with Soufriere Outdoor Centre’s co-owners, Wes and Kerry:
The Trail’s scenery is a combination of dramatic cliffs, sandy beaches and tropical vegetation, along with the gorgeous green-blue waters of the surrounding Caribbean Sea.
As part of their day trip, the kayakers stop to snorkel in a popular area known for its underwater hot steam fissures that cause champagne-like bubbles to rise from the sea floor.
Ken quickly learns the island’s weather changes dramatically and quickly. They start with blue skies that highlight the gorgeous color of the water. Then after their snorkeling break, they face a storm with rain, strong wind and chop.
Thankfully they had planned on another stop at a beach on the way back for a cookout. The Soufriere team was there with food ready—a nice way to wait out the storm!
Ken’s Gear in Dominica
In this video, Ken uses the portable Trak 2.0 16-foot sea kayak. It packs up into a bag that’s small enough to carry on your back and check on a plane. It’s constructed with an ultra-light but tough aluminum frame along with a flexible expedition-grade polyurethane skin. (You can learn more Trak kayaks in his video review.)
Ken’s paddle is Aqua Bound’s Manta Ray Hybrid with its carbon shaft, Posi-LokTM ferrule and molded fiberglass blades. It’s available in both a 2-piece and 4-piece model, with the 4-piece being optimal for plane travel. It’s also available as a 4-piece with our length-adjustable Versa-LokTM ferrule.
About the Waitukukbuli Sea Trail
Soufriere Outdoor Center’s two business partners, Wes and Kerry, joined forces with Dominica’s tourism industry to establish this new sea trail and help Dominica become a sea kayaking destination.
“We conceptualized having an outdoor center in Soufriere that could make money off the tourists but be accessible to the locals as well. Dominica is uniquely positioned. We have the calm Caribbean side for beginners and we have the Atlantic side for the intermediate and advanced paddlers,” says co-owner Wes.
The Waitukubuli Sea Trail (WST) follows the Caribbean side of the island country from south to north. There are accommodations for overnight stays along the way, along with options to experience local culture and on-land activities.
Soufriere Outdoor Center and Trak Kayaks have teamed up to offer 7-day tours along the entire WST that includes gear, accommodations and many of the meals. Learn more here.
More Outdoor Adventures in Dominica
If you prefer a day trip over a week-long adventure, Soufriere Outdoor Centre offers several short sea kayaking eco-tours as well. They also serve as an outfitter for experienced sea kayakers for gear rentals.
Dominica is home to the only through-hiking trail in the Caribbean Islands, the 114-mile Waitukubuli National Trail. With its lush rainforest, dramatic mountain landscape, rugged and beautiful coastline and friendly people, Dominica is definitely worth considering for a future trip.
It’s quite a small island, just 29 miles from north to south and 16 miles wide, located along the eastern rim of the West Indies:
Dominica is well on its way to positioning itself as a world-class outdoor adventure destination, including sea kayaking!
All photos courtesy of Ken Whiting and Paddle TV.
Do you have paddle questions our friendly Customer Service Team can help you with today? Contact them: 715-755-3405 • [email protected]
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