The fate of the early sea otter and Aleut populations are intrinsically linked. Before contact with Europeans it is estimated that there were 25,000 Aleuts, today there are about 2,000. Similarly the sea otter population is believed to have undergone a decline exceeding 50% over the past 30 years.

Kokatat ambassador Keirron Tastagh, and his long-term student and paddling partner George Shaw have embarked on a 1,500 mile expedition through the Aleutian Islands to investigate the current status of the sea otter population in the area.

“Our expedition is inspired by the Aleutians rich culture and kayaking heritage,” said Tastagh. “The journey will not only paint a picture of the current sea otter population, but will also provide a better understanding of ‘The Aleut Story’.”

Working with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Tastagh and Shaw will be recording the presence or absence of sea otters in bays, and noting killer whale position as well as taking photographs for identification for marine biologists’ live projects. Killer whale attacks are suspected to be leading cause for the decline of the Northern Sea Otter in the Aleutians, which is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Setting out from Unalaska, Tastagh and Shaw, who both train and live on the Isle of Man, UK, will paddle unsupported. They will carry all their kit and freeze dried meals on-board and will supplement their diet with fresh fish. Along the way they will encounter challenges such as katabatic winds, large tidal ranges, open crossings, sea fog, landing zones and the unpredictable and stormy Bering Sea.

Tastagh and Shaw plan to “explore as far as necessary to reach the conclusions we require” which could be as far as the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula.

Kokatat has supplied both paddlers with various gear for their Expedition Kit:

• GORE-TEX® Expedition Dry Suit
• Ronin Pro PFD plus Tributary Hydration System
• TROPOS Light Storm Cag
• GORE-TEX® Anorak

For additional information on the Sea Otter project visit their website and follow the expedition on their blog.

For more information on this and other Kokatat sponsored expeditions visit kokatat.com/expeditions.

About Kokatat Watersports Wear:
Celebrating over 40 years of innovation, Kokatat is an independently operated, US manufacturer of technical apparel and accessories for water sports. Handcrafted in Arcata, California, Kokatat employees are focused on building the finest functional product for people who work and play on water. Our gear is designed for paddlers, by paddlers, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience on the water all year long and in all weather conditions. Into the water with Kokatat! Please visit www.kokatat.com and follow Kokatat on Facebook and Twitter “@kokatat”.

Kokatat announces that Charlie “C-Mac” MacArthur has joined its group of elite paddlesports ambassadors. MacArthur, founder of the Aspen Kayak and SUP Academy, pioneered stand up paddleboarding (SUP) on rivers and spearheads the Whitewater SUP Championships. MacArthur will exclusively wear Kokatat PFD’s and technical apparel and promote the brand at various events.

“It’s amazing what Charlie can do on a SUP in raging rapids,” said Lisa Kincaid, Kokatat Promotional Marketing Manager. “SUP is one of the fastest growing segments in the paddlesports market, and Charlie’s easy going demeanor paired with his SUP skills makes him an ideal ambassador for us as we look to increase our visibility in the sport.”

Watersports has always been a part of MacArthur’s life. He grew up surfing in Hawaii and Southern California before moving to Colorado in 1978 where he became one of the regions best known whitewater kayakers. In 2003 MacArthur tried SUP for the first time while vacationing in Fiji. The sport quickly took hold and within the next year MacArthur was paddleboarding on rivers and making numerous SUP first descents.

“I’ve been in paddlesports for a long time and have always had the upmost respect and appreciation for Kokatat as a company and for the quality of its gear,” said MacArthur. “I’m excited to help with their SUP specific gear and spread the Kokatat word.”

Along with running one of the top SUP and kayak schools in the country, MacArthur is credited with co-designing the world’s first whitewater specific standup paddleboard, the CMAC ATB made by the foremost SUP manufacturer C-4 Waterman.

Since the sport’s inception, standup paddleboarders have relied on Kokatat gear to keep them dry, comfortable and safe on the water. Kokatat’s low profile Orbit Tour PFD and GORE-TEX® Lightweight Paddling Suit have been adopted by numerous SUP paddlers as their go to pieces as they both provide freedom of motion for optimal paddle strokes and superior breathability for the aerobic nature of the sport.

MacArthur will be wearing and providing feedback on various Kokatat products including the new NeoCore shorts and tops. NeoCore, with its paddler specific designs and lightweight fabric, is great for SUP paddlers who often fend off splash, but do not need a heavy insulation. NeoCore is a wet insulation layer in a lightweight 0.5mm neoprene fabric with a plush polyester inner lining that is comfortable against the skin while retaining little water. Additionally, its permanent Durable Water Resistant (DWR) coating on the outer surface helps NeoCore regulate body temperature by reducing the effect of evaporative heat loss.

MacArthur joins Kokatat’s distinguished group of paddlesport athletes and ambassadors that includes such luminaries in the sport as Dane and Eric Jackson, Jon Bowermaster, Jesse Coombs, Anna Levesque, and Bryan Smith among others. For the full roster of Kokatat athletes visithttp://www.kokatat.com/team.

About Kokatat Watersports Wear: 
Celebrating over 40 years of innovation, Kokatat is an independently operated, US manufacturer of technical apparel and accessories for water sports. Handcrafted in Arcata, California, Kokatat employees are focused on building the finest functional product for people who work and play on water. Our gear is designed for paddlers, by paddlers, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience on the water all year long and in all weather conditions. Into the water with Kokatat! Please visit www.kokatat.com and follow Kokatat on Facebook and Twitter “@kokatat”.

In 1895, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen abandoned his plan to reach the North Pole by ship and headed for the pole by dog sled.  Nansen didn’t make it to the pole, but his journey and safe return became one of the poles most epic tales.

Nansen’s plan had he reached the North Pole was to head for Spitsbergen, the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway.  Arctic adventures Audun Tholfsen and Timo Palo just embarked on attempting this return route using Kokatat GORE-TEX® Expedition dry suits while navigating sections of open water and treacherous ice flows.

After being air dropped at the geographical North Pole, Tholfsen and Palo will use skis and kayaks to cross the drifting ice floes and open water on their way to Spitsbergen. They will then continue across the fjords and mountains towards the south of the island until they reach Longyearbyen, the largest settlement in Spitsbergen.  The expedition team hopes to complete the expedition, unsupported and without resupplies, in 50 to 60 days.

Throughout the way the team will take in-situ measurements and will carry out scientific observations.  With a light set of instruments they will regularly measure the snow and ice thickness and surface layer air temperature data and drift speed of local ice floes.

In 1893, Nansen embarked on a daring plan of sailing his ship, the Fram, into the Arctic icepack and using the natural drift of the polar ice to reach the North Pole.  After several months in the icepack, Nansen calculated that it might take over five years for the Fram to reach the Pole and Nansen devised a new plan.

On the 14th of March 1895, Nansen and dog sled expert and ship stoker Hjalmar Johansen left the icebound Fram and set out on skis and sleds with kayaks and 28 dogs for the North Pole.  After reaching a record mark of latitude 86°14 ′ North on April 7th, they abandoned the attempt and retreated southwards, eventually reaching the island Franz Josef Land later that year.

With some good fortune in June of 1896 they met up with an English expedition team and were reunited with the Fram that had emerged from the ice pack north-west of Spitsbergen, as Nansen had predicted.  However, the ship never made it beyond 85° 57' North.

Norwegian Tholfsen and Estonian Palo have skied across Greenland and completed several mountain ski expeditions in Svalbard and Norway.  The team spent ten months as crewmembers on Tara, a French sailing vessel that, similar to the Fram, froze into the Arctic pack ice and drifted across the entire Arctic Ocean.  Currently, Tholfsen works to provide logistic solutions and field support in Arctic regions.  Palo has been working in Spitsbergen providing logistics and field support, and currently works as a PhD student and field technician at the University of Tartu, studying polar meteorology.

To learn more about Tholfsen and Palo and their expedition visit www.arcticreturntour.com.

For details on this and additional expeditions Kokatat supports visit http://www.kokatat.com/expeditions.

About Kokatat Watersports Wear: 

Celebrating over 40 years of innovation, Kokatat is an independently operated, US manufacturer of technical apparel and accessories for water sports. Handcrafted in Arcata, California, Kokatat employees are focused on building the finest functional product for people who work and play on water. Our gear is designed for paddlers, by paddlers, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience on the water all year long and in all weather conditions. Into the water with Kokatat! Please visit www.kokatat.com and follow Kokatat on Facebook and Twitter “@kokatat”. 

The GB360 Midlifekayak expedition sets off to circumnavigate mainland Britain by kayak on April 29th from the Cornwall coast in the South West of England.  English paddlers Andy Mullins, Geoff Cater and Mike Greenslade will be equipped with Kokatat GORE-TEX® dry suits, PFDs (personal flotation devices) and accessories to help keep them dry, safe and comfortable on their 2,500-mile journey.

The team is aiming to complete the trip in approximately one hundred days by covering rougly twenty-five miles each day.   A total of 23 people have previously completed the route with the first successful attempt in 1980.

The paddlers of GB360 Midlifekayak met on the Isles of Scilly in April 2010 and found that they all harboured ambitions for a large scale kayaking expedition.  Along with a goal of completing the expedition, GB360 Midlifekayak hopes to raise $15,000 USD for their favorite causes including:

On April 8th Matthew White and Skye Marchesi will depart on a sail assisted kayak expedition from Olympia, WA, to Glacier Bay, Alaska through the Inside Passage, with hopes to raise $100,000 for the Seattle area YMCA Camp Orkila.

“Summer camps are where many children have their first paddlesports experience,” said Lisa Kincaid, Kokatat Promotional Marketing Manager. “We wish Matthew and Skye the best of luck on their trip and hope that their expedition will give many more Orkila campers the opportunity to fall in love with paddlesports.”

White, a former Orkila camper and counselor, has long wanted to give back to the camp and provide more children with the opportunity to attend the camp where one in six campers receive scholarship assistance. After discussing the topic with Marchesi, his girlfriend and a successful fundraiser, they spawned the idea of an expedition that fused their love of the outdoors with the mission to raise a substantial endowment for the camp.

“Orkila has a special place in my heart and it’s from my experiences there that lead to my love for the outdoors and paddlesports,” said White.

YMCA Camp Orkila, founded in 1906, is located on the north side of Orcas Island in the Washington San Juan Islands. YMCA Camp Orkila provides summer camp opportunities including day and overnight camping for boys and girls where they can explore nature, learn new skills, make new friends and gain respect for the environment.

White and Marchesi will be relying on a full kit of Kokatat paddling gear to keep them dry, safe, and comfortable. Included in the kit are Kokatat’s GORE-TEX® TecTour anoraks, GORE-TEX® Whirlpool bibs, personal floatation devices (PFDs), Nomad Boots, and additional accessories. To assist White and Marchesi on their trip they will be using Triak trimaran sailing kayaks.

To learn more about the expedition and follow their progress at http://triakfororkila.com.

About Kokatat Watersports Wear:
Celebrating over 40 years of innovation, Kokatat is an independently operated, US manufacturer of technical apparel and accessories for water sports. Handcrafted in Arcata, California, Kokatat employees are focused on building the finest functional product for people who work and play on water. Our gear is designed for paddlers, by paddlers, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience on the water all year long and in all weather conditions. Into the water with Kokatat! Please visit www.kokatat.com and follow Kokatat on Facebook and Twitter “@kokatat”.

Kokatat, the leading US manufacturer of technical apparel and accessories for water sports, donated over $20,000 in product to the local Arcata, CA organization Disabled Adventure Outfitters (DAO), for use in its watersports programs for people with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders.

“DAO does amazing work empowering and challenging people with bleeding disorders in and around our community and we’re proud to support a local organization that shares our passion for paddlesports,” said Kit Mann, Kokatat Special Projects Manager. 

DAO will use the personal floatation devices, dry suits, paddle jackets, and additional gear provided by Kokatat for its programs that range from one-day trips to weeklong camps.  DOA’s programs primarily consist of rafting and inflatable kayaking on the Trinity River, with longer camps also including advanced river skill challenges, as well as rock climbing, hiking, gold panning, or ropes course sessions.

“Kokatat’s generosity will ensure that people of all ages with bleeding disorders in our community and beyond will have the opportunity to experience the freedom, excitement, and fun of paddlesports,” said Todd Smith president of DAO.

In addition to using the donated gear for its own programming, DAO will distribute a portion of the product to other non-profit organizations around the country with outdoor programs.  Recently, DAO representatives attended the North American Camping Conference of Hemophilia Organizations, where they identified and distributed some of the Kokatat gear.

DAO was founded in 1996 by Bret Leach and Bill Wing.  Leach, who had hemophilia -- a hereditary disease that prevents normal blood clotting, resulting in sometimes uncontrolled bleeding- personally understood the positive therapeutic effects of being out on the water.  DAO became a nonprofit organization in 1998 and has since grown to provide services to disabled people through out Northern California.

About Kokatat Watersports Wear: 

Eight women, led by Kokatat athlete and former Australian Adventurer of the Year Tanya Faux, are set to embark on a 30-day unsupported river expedition through an uncharted section of the Kimberley region in North Western Australia. The Kimberley Whitewater Women Rafting Expedition aims to raise awareness for the Save the Kimberley campaign (www.savethekimberley.com) whose goal is to protect the cultural, historical, and environmental significance of the region.

“Tanya is a fantastic ambassador for our sport and the environment, and we’re proud to support her and her team on this historic and important expedition,” said Lisa Kincaid, Kokatat Promotional Marketing Manager.

The expedition was inspired by Faux’s previous kayak expeditions in the region and the dispute over a proposed gas hub in the area.  While the controversial industrialization in the Kimberley region has been narrowly resisted thus far, the Save the Kimberley campaign is petitioning to gain World Heritage Status for over 20 hectares of what has been deemed “one of the last true wilderness areas on Earth”.

The self-titled Kimberley Whitewater Women, depart from Melbourne to Broome on January 14^th and will proceed into the Kimberley via helicopter to begin the first rafting leg of the journey down the Isdell River.  Over the course of the expedition, the team will encounter class 5 rapids on the Isdell and Charnley rivers and will complete a 150km off-track hike in between.  The team’s daily progress will be posted on their website www.kimberleywhitewaterwomen.com.

The eight women on the team are all current or past employees of the Outdoor Education Group in Eildon, Victoria, (www.oeg.net.au) and as outdoor educators, enthusiasts, and adventure seekers, all support and advocate for the protection of wilderness regions.

Kokatat has provided each member of the team with Ronin Pro PFDs and a selection of its Destination technical apparel. The Destination apparel which features UV protection in paddling specific designs will help protect them from the sun throughout the journey as they endure extreme tropical temperatures in a territory teeming with saltwater crocodiles in the midst of the mating season. 

To date, the team has raised over $2000 for both Save the Kimberley and the Wananami Remote Community School at Mount Barnett Station. Donations can be made online at www.kimberleywhitewaterwomen.com.

About Kokatat Watersports Wear: 


Celebrating over 40 years of innovation, Kokatat is an independently operated, US manufacturer of technical apparel and accessories for water sports. Handcrafted in Arcata, California, Kokatat employees are focused on building the finest functional product for people who work and play on water. Our gear is designed for paddlers, by paddlers, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience on the water all year long and in all weather conditions. Into the water with Kokatat! Please visit www.kokatat.com and follow Kokatat on Facebook and Twitter “@kokatat”.

I recently saw photos of the new colours and design changes available for Kokatat’s new dry suits which will be available in Spring 2012. You will want to save your pennies over the winter as you will be able to order dry suits in lichen, azul, cedar, graphite, mango, radish and black. Of course they have been offering mango and radish for several years so this will be a nice change to help break up the sea of yellow suits that often show up at paddling symposiums.

Keen eye Joes out there will notice that several of the suits now come with contrasting dark pants which I have got to say is a nice improvement. You will also be able to custom order color combinations to get the exact suit of your dreams.

Sadly I will need to keep dreaming as I’m waiting for the day that the suits are available in any of these colours and patterns above so I can look dapper like these guys. Common Kokatat, get on it pronto as I think that would be dynomite!

For those who want to look awesome at the boat launch can order the limited edition Gore-Tex Meridian dry suit which is based on the Rogue dry top colour pattern. It is only available in cedar/black and it has reinforced cordura patches and extra reflective piping in the arms.

Finally, those poor souls who don’t get the pleasure of paddling in ice cold water but need just a bit of insulation, Kokatat is rolling out their new WoolCore line. It is a lightweight Polartec® Power Dry® polyester/wool blend fabric so you get the warmth of wool with the moisture wicking and dry time of polyester.

The WoolCore pants and tops are also designed to be as green as possible. The wool is chlorine-free and grown in the Rocky Mountains while the 100% recycled polyester is from New England and the whole thing is assembled in California keeping the carbon footprint as low as possible.

Look for all this stuff at your local paddling shop in Spring 2012.

Photo credits: All photos by kokatat.com except the cool kids which came from etsy.com.