If you’re interested in viewing nature up close like I am, then kayaking is a great way to visit wildlife in a relatively non-threatening way in their own habitat. I am always amazed that you can get so close to very skittish birds when you approach them at their own level.

Naturally, this is a wildlife photographer’s dream. But the idea of kayaking with thousands of dollars of photography equipment hasn’t been all that appealing to me. How do you protect the gear from water, damage, etc.? After searching the internet and consulting a few friends, I discovered that the most feasible option is to use a dry bag along with a few towels for padding and protection.

When choosing your dry bag, any one should work, but make sure your dry bag is long and wide enough to accommodate your camera and lens plus a few towels. Other options for camera protection include Camera Armor or even waterproof covers by companies like AquaPac. While these can be good solutions, they may make it more difficult to operate your camera and ultimately may be more hassle than they are worth.

Choosing your gear
When you have your dry bag and towels ready, it’s time to consider what gear you want to bring. I can’t stress this enough — bring only what you really need. One camera and lens is your safest bet. I’ve thought about bringing a telephoto and wide angle lens on my trips, but realized that switching lenses is what could cause major problems. As far as other accessories, I would leave them at home too.

Out on the water
I have found that leaving the dry bag in an open compartment of the kayak is the best way to travel to the area where you will be photographing. It keeps it out of the way and protected. However, once you see wildlife you want to shoot, I recommend moving the dry bag to the main compartment and keeping it between your legs. This way you can take the shots you want and quickly put the camera back in the dry bag and close it.

After a lot of thought and preparation, I can say that kayaking and photography can mix — and with very good results. The key to success is the right gear, careful use and good technique (we’ll discuss that in an upcoming post).