That moment when you find out you can go kayaking in Lagos and decide to go for it even though;
You have no idea how to Kayak
It’s Lagos and you’re not sure how safe it is.
I saw an advert on ‘Nothing To Do in Lagos‘ and after convincing myself and my brother we decided to go for it. I mean what was the worst that could happen right?
Early one fine Saturday Morning, my brother, my friend (who was too chicken to get on a kayak) and I headed to the meeting point in Ikoyi for 4 hours of nothing but the lagoon and our strength.
We explained to the good people of ‘Nothing To Do in Lagos’ about this being our first time and they assured us that it would be fine and alot of first timers participated. Our kayaks were handed to us and after a couple of instructions, we were left to our devices.
My brother and I paddled away and after a while, it was obvious who the champion was. My brother sped off while I battled being carried away by the wind. At some point, I was well on my way to Apapa which was not a good sign.
No way I was going to get lost on the high seas. After a bit of maneuvering, I got myself closer to the dock and just remained in my kayak enjoying the fresh air and watching fishes bob in and out of the lagoon, besides my arms had started to ache from paddling. It was surprising how peaceful it was to be smack in the middle of noisy Lagos but hear nothing expect for a couple of fishermen or water taxis moving past us.
I found kayaking to be a refreshing and different way to spend my time in Lagos despite the dirty and smelly water. I believe there’s a huge market for it especially as Lagos is an island and so there are alot of options on where to go kayaking.
When we both got tired, we rowed back to shore and decided to call it a day. We were also glad that we made it without any mishaps as we had no clue about kayaking prior to this.
Things to note –
Dress comfortably and maybe bring a change of clothes as you’ll get wet
To participate send an email to Nothing To Do in Lagos
If you get sea sick or have a phobia for water, don’t try it
After initial instructions, you’re left on your own (which I thought was a bit odd. What if something happened? They was literally no one there but my group and I)
It costs N6,000 ($30) for 4 hours (Initially, this was their set and only price. We didn’t spend 4 hours and after we commented on this, we heard they’ve now put different prices for different timings).
Keep calm and just have fun. You only live once.
Ever been kayaking in Lagos? What was your experience?
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
*please note that review and prices are based on the time of visitation.
Comments