If you're new to kayaking and preparing for your maiden voyage, the Coastal Bend offers endless opportunities to explore, enjoy, and learn from the experts.
Kayaking is a rewarding pastime. It’s fun and relatively inexpensive, burns calories, and gives you access to parts of the Coastal Bend you can't reach any other way. You can fish from a kayak or just absorb the natural beauty of the Texas Gulf Coast.
Below is a list of places that offer kayak rentals, excursions, and lessons in the Coastal Bend:
CORPUS CHRISTI
Glow Row
702-720-4569
The nighttime, guided tours take kayaking to a new level with LED-lighted, transparent watercraft that let you view marine life. Rockport and Port Aransas departures are also available. All trips begin with a short lesson.
Nature Trails Kayaking
4401 Gulf Breeze Blvd., 361-442-0628
Sign up for a lesson, rent a kayak or paddleboard, or book a guided tour of Nueces Bay, the Mustang Island wetlands, and more. (NOTE: Nature Trails Kayaking will be closed for vacation Aug. 12-Oct 17, 2023.)
Nauticool Adventures
13317 South Padre Island Drive, 361-423-0523
Rent several types of kayaks (and other watercraft) at Marker 37 near Snoopy’s Pier. Rentals last two to eight hours and include a brief instruction session before launch.
Wind & Wave Watersports
10721 South Padre Island Drive, 361-937-9283
Rent a fishing kayak or a recreational model to explore coastal waters. Call ahead to arrange test demonstrations. Rent by the day or week.
PORT ARANSAS
Island Surf Rentals and Golf Carts
130 E. Avenue G, 361-749-0822
Rent kayaks, golf carts, surfboards, and beach bikes at this one-stop shop.
ROCKPORT
Kraken Kayak Outfitters
361-219-0680
Release your Coastal Bend adventurer with kayak classes for different experience levels, guided historic and ecological tours, or a kayak rental for self-guided exploration.
Rockport Kayak
361-727-9966
Take a lesson or traverse Coastal Bend waterways on an eco-tour led by a certified wildlife guide.
Texas Coast Kayaking
361-480-3202
Rent a kayak all day or half a day and chart your own course. Texas Coast Kayaking delivers and picks up at your home or short-term rental. It also serves Corpus Christi, Ingleside, Aransas Pass, and Portland.
If you get hooked on kayaking, you won’t be alone. More than 13 million kayakers take to the water each year, navigating watercraft that originated some 4,000 years ago.
Here are several suggestions on where to kayak in the Coastal Bend. Happy paddling!
chuck@thepicayune.com
