Bay Area Sea Kayakers (BASK) is a non-profit 501(c)(7) sports club of several hundred sea kayakers who live throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our interests include flat-water paddling, kayak-surfing, expeditions, and playing amongst the rocks, in conditions that range from mild to wild. Our club exists to bring paddlers together for companionship, safety, education, exploration, learning, and great food and drink! We're committed to safety both on and off the water, and our club holds insurance through Paddlesports Risk Management. We offer an inexpensive annual Skills Clinic to members, as well as numerous free clinics on skills, rescue, and safety throughout the year. We welcome as members all individuals interested in kayaking. We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive paddling club and to sharing our enthusiasm, skills, and knowledge to increase equity and access to our sport.
BASK trips range from local to international, and are all member-initiated with shared responsibilities for safety. BASK does not supply boats or equipment, although some members are willing to share their equipment. You have to be a member or a guest of a member to participate in on-the-water BASK events and a signed activity waiver is required. Follow the links to learn more about the benefits of membership and to join BASK.
We invite you to attend one of our monthly meetings, either online or in person. They are free and open to the public; in-person meetings include food (suggested donation $15). The format of each meeting may vary a bit month to month, but they tend to include members sharing stories, featured speakers, club news, and information about upcoming events. It’s a great way to meet club members and learn about paddling opportunities. For more information see the Events page!
Would you like to speak at a BASK meeting or have an idea for a speaker? Contact the Speaker Seekers. Interested in what type of speakers we’ve had in the past? See a representative list of previous general meeting topics.
BASK Health Guidelines
For the safety of participants at all BASK paddles and other in-person activities, please stay home and join us another time if you're experiencing symptoms of or testing positive for any respiratory or other easily communicable illness.
Next BASK General Meeting: Wednesday, February 25 (Virtual)
Time
7-9 pm
Location
Virtual by Zoom (invitation will be posted on the BASK calendar on the day of the meeting). Please sign in with your full name so you will be recognized by the host.
About
Join our virtual monthly meeting to catch up on the latest club news, hear about upcoming paddles, and hear from our featured guest speaker. Steve Dobbs will be speaking on "The Geology of the Bay Area's Coastline." Steve is a Lecturer in Earth and Planetary Sciences at Stanford University. He received his Ph.D. in Geology from Stanford in 2022, where his research focused on submarine geology and the evolution of the seafloor, with particular emphasis on submarine canyons and the processes that shape them. At Stanford he teaches courses in geomorphology, sedimentology, and field methods, and is passionate about connecting fundamental Earth-science concepts to the landscapes people experience directly.
Steve's talk will explore the geology of the San Francisco Bay and adjacent coastline through the lens of a sea kayaker. He'll describe how the Bay Area’s landscape was built by plate tectonics along the San Andreas Fault system, how fragments of ancient ocean crust and deep-sea sediments were scraped off and welded onto the continent, and how these processes assembled California over tens of millions of years. Along the way, we'll connect these large-scale tectonic stories to the rocks and landforms kayakers can actually see from the water and show how each records a chapter in the growth of the California margin, from subduction and faulting to uplift and erosion.
Dr. Steve Dobbs of Stanford University, BASK Featured Speaker for FebruaryBe sure to look for all the details and latest updates on Currents and the BASK Calendar. We look forward to seeing you on Zoom! (Log in to BASK website before clicking these links.)
The Zoom link for the meeting will be posted in the calendar at least a half hour before start time. Please do not post or forward the link. Login to Zoom with your full name so the moderators know who you are. If we don’t recognize you we might not let you in.
Have a question or something you would like to add to the agenda? Email Brad at Brad.Findlay@bask.org.
