Offshore wind, the paddler's hidden hazard

An offshore wind blows from the land out over the water. From the beach or ramp it looks harmless. The water near shore is flat because the land shelters it, and the wind at your back makes the first stretch easy.

The trouble starts on the way back. You are now paddling into the wind, the waves have had more distance to build, and if you tire, capsize or drop a paddle, the wind carries you farther from shore instead of toward it. Inflatable paddleboards and sit-on-top kayaks catch a lot of wind and are especially easy to blow away.

How to plan around it

• Check the wind direction before you launch, not just the speed.
• If the wind blows from your launch toward open water, stay inside the sheltered strip close to shore.
• Paddle into the wind first, so the wind helps bring you home when you are tired.
• Kneel or sit on a paddleboard in gusts to cut your windage.
• Wear a leash on a paddleboard and a life jacket on everything.

Onshore and cross-shore wind

An onshore wind blows toward the land. It brings waves into the beach but pushes you back toward safety. A cross-shore wind blows along the shoreline and will drift you sideways, which is manageable if you watch your position.

Lakeglance’s direction arrows point where the wind is blowing to. If the arrow points from your launch out across the lake, treat the day as one notch worse than the speed suggests.