Kayaks and Bird Photography
Kayaks are a significant upgrade for bird photography
A kayak can be a game changer for bird photography - birds typically consider threats as coming from air or land, not water. This means you can get much closer to species in the wild using a boat. Kayaks in particular are rather stealthy and are worth several hundred mm’s of lens. However, a person must give forethought to safety, the water environment, and camera risk management. This page will share my experiences and advice.
Safety
The PFD (Personal Flotation Device) shown on the seat is essential gear to protect your life. It needs to be worn securely and not just kept on the boat. I recommend ones designed for kayaking with a high back for comfort. The one I have has nice size front pockets which are great for holding spare batteries, lens cleaning wipes, phones, etc.
I recommend sit-on-top kayaks. In my opinion, no person should use a sit-inside kayak unless they are certain they can extract or right themselves in the event of a roll-over - and do so under real conditions on the water.
The issue is stability. Stability takes the form of primary stability and secondary stability. Primary stability is how stable the boat feels at rest on flat stable water. Secondary stability is how the boat feels when leaned up to its limits. Ironically, a boat can have good primary stability but poor secondary stability. Consider these scenarios…
You shift your weight as you turn to grab a storage item behind your seat. As you do this the boat tips to the side you shifted your weight to, startling you, and you quickly shift your weight back to the other side - in the process you have “rocked” the boat and could tip over.
For photography - particularly with a large lens… You are tracking a bird in flight and shift weight and turn with the lens to follow the bird. Put enough weight to the side especially extended and this can cause a tip over.
So - every kayak I have used for photography has used side pontoons for added stability. Using these effectively prevents a tip over. Properly mounted, they will barely kiss the water when the boat is loaded with gear and person. (Too low/more deep in the water and it will sap speed from the boat making it more difficult to propel as well as place more stress on the pontoon mounts) I would not put an expensive camera and lens in a kayak without equipping it with pontoons. About $250 but worth it.
Kayaks designed to be paddled often have an advantage when it comes to camera storage - perhaps a center console or an open space between your legs. The picture shows my Native Watercraft Slayer 14.5 kayak. A waterproof Pelican case (Model im2306) fits perfect. Not only will the camera and lens rest there, but if necessary, the hood can be reversed and the camera and lens can be placed in the case. It works very well - if the camera slips to either side, it will hit your leg rather than go into the water. The downside for the paddle kayaks is the fact that you need your hands to paddle and cannot use the camera at the same time - you stop paddling and pickup the camera. In current, this can have challenges and it can also spook the subjects. Despite the downside, this kind of kayak is a formidable tool for bird photography. In my opinion, the Native Slayer 14.5 while unfortunately discontinued is the top choice for a paddle kayak on the Ohio River.
Pedal kayaks offer propulsion by recumbent pedaling. These boats will cost more than regular kayaks designed to be paddled. Many use a propeller like the one shown while others use flippers. There are some advantages and disadvantages. The main disadvantages are cost and the fact that you cannot have a center console to set the camera. The advantages include the ability to pedal closing distance to your subject (or backing up) while having both hands free to use the camera. On my kayak, I can steer with one hand while keeping my other hand on the camera. Pedaling motion doesn’t spook subjects and makes less noise than paddling, This means the pedal boats can get closer many times. That’s a big advantage. If you go this route and decide to get a pedal kayak, I recommend sticking with a brand like Old Town or other well-known maker to get the most reliable pedal unit you can get. Note: the picture shows the pedal unit in the raised position to show the propeller. It swings forwards and drops to fill the opening in the bottom of the boat.
Sony A7RIV and 200-600 G lens on ProMediaGear quick connect with 6” ARCA plate and Black Rapid strap. (Camera risk management for use on the kayak)
The lack of a console on the pedal kayaks in my experience as a concern has been practically eliminated by technique. I use the ProMediaGear quick connect shown on the tips page along with the strap and I slide the lens foot through my PFD vest strap. This gives redundant protection from dropping the camera in the water and works quite well. In fact, I have found that I can set the camera across my PFD while on the strap and have quick access. 95% of the time the camera and lens just rests on my PFD. If it were to fall, it could not fall very far due to the strap - certainly not into the water. I go through 3’ -4’ wake troughs with the camera in this position with no issues. I like the ProMediaGear accessories like plates and quick connects. RRS (Really Right Stuff) as I understand it makes similar components. Neither brand is cheap, but they are worth it in my opinion.
200-600 Sony lens with the ProMediaGear foot slipped into the strap of my PFD. Note that my arm is raised above the camera to do the selfie with my phone. Otherwise, it would be below the lens.
I can tuck the lens foot with the 6” ProMediaGear plate into my strap on the PFD. This is very redundant protection - the strap prevents loss of the camera/lens. Generally, I only do this when I am getting out of the kayak.
It is possible to fit a small tripod in front of the seat in paddle kayaks. However, I don’t recommend it for several reasons -
It places the weight of the camera and lens high - this can be a problem is the kayak starts to tip.
The camera is too far forward to comfortably use. Getting my eye to the eyepiece would mean leaning pretty far forward.
Unless the tripod is secured to the boat, it can tip over and potentially send your camera into the water.
I will say that some people do use tripods in a kayak with success. However, this works best combined with static conditions rather than movement.
The water environment must be considered as well relating to the kayak choice. My water environment is the Ohio River. There is current, wakes from barges as well as recreational traffic, and distance to cover. I favor larger boats like this Old Town Sportsman Bigwater 132 PDL for this environment. Why? This pedal boat is fast - up to 2x as fast as a paddle kayak, it can handle wakes with ease, and has a comfortable elevated seat. For more sedate water like a lake, a smaller boat might be a good choice.