Why should I Choose Liquid Fusion Kayaking?

From mild to wild, Liquid Fusion Kayaking has a kayak adventure for everyone.  We love paddling and know that you will love paddling with us.  Our tour and class sizes are small and each event is customized to fit the interests and abilities of the group.  All Liquid Fusion Kayaking events are run by Jeff or Cate who are professionally trained kayak instructors, knowledgeable about the local wildlife and history, and love sharing the waters of the Mendocino Coast with others. 

We paddle the Noyo River, Noyo Bay, and Mendocino Coastline so much that we know where all the wildlife hang out and have named many of the rocks and coastal features.  Come paddle with us and find out their names and how they were named.

If you are interested in learning to kayak or improving your skills, Liquid Fusion Kayaking will get you on the way to paddling perfection.  Jeff is a BCU Level 3  Sea Coach and ACA Level 5 Whitewater Instructor and a truelly gifted paddler who will inspire and challenge you.  Cate is newer to the paddling world and has a fresh perspective on teaching and learning basic skills.  She is an expert teacher and knows the tricks to skill mastery.  As a teaching team,  Jeff and Cate combine their skills to make a dynamic learning environment for their students that involves guided practice, immediate feedback, individualized instruction, and video analysis.

Where are you located?

We are often on the water - give us a call and you may catch us at our home office or our shop which is on the southside of the Noyo River at Dolphin Isle Marina.  All of our kayak adventures are by reservation.  For more about our location, check out our location page.

Do you rent kayaks?

YES!!!  We now rent kayaks for paddling on the quiet waters of Fort Bragg's Noyo River Estuary.  Pick the kayak that is right for you - singles, doubles, large cockpits, kids seats, doggie vests.

Our rentals are for the Noyo River Estuary only.  If you are interested in paddling into the Noyo Harbor and/or in the ocean, check out our guided tours.

Where are the sea caves on the river?

Question: Where are the sea caves on the Noyo River?

Answer:  Well, we do not have sea caves here on the Noyo River.  But we do have tree caves which are fun to manouver and slalom amongst them.

Do I need to be experienced?

We have adventures for those with no experience. These are all guided adventures that are designed to be comfortable for people of all ages and abilities.  We provide all the equipment that you need and have several options so that you can choose from our mild to wild continuum.  We also teach kayaking.  Check out our classes if you are interested in learning to kayak.

If you are an experienced paddler, check out the variety of tours and classes that we offer.  We offer a discounted rate if you use your own gear but have kayaks and gear available for all of our adventures.

Can kids participate?

Kids love kayaking and we love sharing the outdoors via kayak with them.  Kids are engaged with the special activities that we have for them.  We recommend our Sunset Bird Paddle or Noyo Meander for anyone ages 3 and up.  We use stable and comfortable tandem sea kayaks for our tours that are great for kids and adults.  3 and 4 year old children will sit in the lap of a parent in the front of one of our tandem sea kayaks.  5 years and up enjoy the front row seat of a tandem.

What about adventurous children?  From mild to wild, we have options for everyone.  Ages 9 and up will enjoy our cruising the wild -coastal exploration.  And for those that like a lot of adventure, 12 years and up will be thrilled by our Wet & Wild - Whitewater of the Sea Adventure.

Check out our pages for kids.  These contain educational materials on the wildlife and wonders of the Noyo River and Pacific Ocean as well as information for kids on kayaking.

Our master teacher Cate is working on a new "Kayaking Kids" adventure.  Be sure to check back.

What do I wear?

Wear your street clothes on our Noyo Harbor, Sunset Bird Paddle, or Mild Coastal Exploration Tours.  We provide waterproof splashwear that you will put on over your clothes.  Lightweight tennis shoes tend to work best for footwear on these tours.  We recommend that you leave all valuable jewelry behind and have a retainer strap for your glasses or sunglasses.

For our rock gardening adventure, classes, enthusiast, and advanced tours; please refer to each page for a description of attire and call or email with any questions.

What type of kayaks do you use?

We use all types of kayaks dependent upon the adventure.  Typically we use our tandem sea kayaks for beginner and recreational tours because the are stable, comfortable, warm, dry, and efficient.  We use single kayaks for our rock gardening, enthusiast, and advanced level tours and classes.

On our Kayaking ROCKS!!! adventure we use sit-on-top whitewater kayaks because it is a wet and wild adventure.  Whitewater kayaks(sit inside) are also available with prior proper training.

For our other tours, we use the type of kayaks that you "sit inside."  We use these because they are warmer, faster, drier, and more efficient.  These boats are more stable than most sit-on-top kayaks and a capsize on our recreational level adventures is highly unlikely.  In the event of a capsize, paddlers come out of the boat just like they would if they capsized a sit-on-top kayak.

Paddlers enrolling in our enthusiast level adventures need to have self-rescue and buddy rescue skills, and paddlers participating in performance level adventures need to have a reliable eskimo roll.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Should I bring my camera?

It is up to you.  Many people bring their camera and find that they are so engaged in the tour that they forget to take photos.  For the shutterbug, we have an amazing tour with scenery and wildlife that you will enjoy capturing on film.  We don't assume responsibility for your camera so we recommend that you bring a waterproof type or waterproof housing, and/or a dry bag.  Contact us prior to your tour if you need to rent a dry bag from us.

Or let us take the photos for you.  We typically carry a camera with us during events and take photos and video.  At the end of the day, we upload our photos into our photo gallery so that you can see photos and videos from your adventure.  You can share the photos and videos with your friends and can purchase prints, downloads, or merchandise from the gallery.

Check out our photo gallery.

Can I bring my dog?

Dogs can join their companions on our rentals.

We allow dogs on private tours.  Contact us if you are interested in a tour and want to bring your dog along.

What if the weather is bad?

What if it rains or is foggy?

We run our trips rain or shine.  Waterproof paddling gear makes paddling in the rain and fog magical. 

What if the ocean is rough, has big swells, or fog?

If ocean conditions are not going to be favorable for our scheduled adventure, we will modify the adventure.

The Noyo River is protected and is accessible most of the time.  Storms with gale force winds and producing several inches of rain are pretty much the only condition that will make us cancel a trip.  If we cancel a trip for any reason, you will receive a full refund.