Laura Zulliger

Nigel Foster Talks Paddling in Taiwan

At almost every step in planning our journey, Nigel Foster has provided incredible support. He helped us plan our itinerary, introduced us to Point 65 (our boat sponsor) and the Formosa Kayaking School (the school we're collaborating with for classes and logistics during our entire trip). Simply put: this expedition wouldn't be a reality without his guidance. On top of all that he's already done for us, he even answered some of our questions about paddling in Taiwan. We wanted to share his answers for inspiration. 

About Nigel Foster

Nigel Foster is a masterful sea kayaker, kayak instructor, boat designer, and author. He was the first paddler to circumnavigate Iceland and has taken on many amazing adventures, collected top certifications, and introduced thousands of people to the world of sea kayaking. He's now based in Seattle and has visited Taiwan to teach and explore several times. 

Q: What initially brought you to Taiwan? 

I met Jahfong in Sweden on a Point65 international dealers’ event where everyone paddled and camped together for a couple of days in the archipelago. As the owner of a kayak business he came with the Taiwan Point65 importer primarily to translate. That was in 2008. Jahfong liked my paddling and teaching style and approached me a couple of years later to invite me to instruct in Taiwan.

Q: What was your impression of paddling in Asia and Taiwan before going? 

The only paddling I had done in Asia up until then had been around Shanghai and Ningbo in China, and of course you can’t get any perspective on a continent from paddling just one or two locations. I really had no idea what to expect of Taiwan and went with an open mind.  

Q: What most surprised you when you first went and paddled there?

I suppose I imagined Taiwan to be more industrial and built up than it is. True there are areas like that, but the south, east and north coast are certainly not. The warm Kuroshio Current that flows along the east colors the sea a startling clear blue while the mountains climb steeply and green up from the coast. Add the fishing villages and offshore islands and you have a magical area to explore.

Q: What do you enjoy most about paddling in Taiwan (that makes it unlike other paddling destinations)?

When the light shines through the water in a cave on the Washington coast, it glows green. In Taiwan it is a wonderful blue. Look down into the water around the rocks and you can see the flashes of neon blue and orange from the tropical fish and you can see the coral heads through the clear warm water. On land, the tropical and subtropical vegetation, the fruits, the colorful temples and the fishing harbors with restaurants serving the best fresh fish…

Q: How would you explain sea kayaking's growth in Taiwan? 

Until recently access to the sea for recreation was restricted, so kayaking was limited to lakes and rivers. With a more open attitude now the authorities are trying to promote safe use of the sea to a population that has largely grown up unfamiliar with it. Sea kayaking is growing as a result, and the safety in learning is something that Jahfong with his training is very attuned to and he has done a lot to promote it, working closely with the authorities.

Q: How are you excited to see the local kayaking community evolve and grow?

I really enjoy watching kayaking communities develop, seeing skill levels rise, and paddlers awareness increasing. It’s wonderful when people are hungry to learn, and eager to put time into it. Seeing some of the same people year after year and watching their skills and abilities grow is exciting to me.

Q: What are your favorite spots to paddle there?

I really enjoy islands, and some of the islands off Taiwan are very intriguing. I love Green Island for its people, Orchid Island for its rock formations, native culture and tropical conditions and Pengue for its corals. 

The vibrant blue waters surrounding Turtle Island -- one of Nigel's favorite spots

The vibrant blue waters surrounding Turtle Island -- one of Nigel's favorite spots

Q: Can you describe your favorite day ever paddling in Taiwan?

No, I can’t. Picking favorites was never my strong point, and I have had many very special paddling days there, and all favorites for different reasons.

Q: What keeps you coming back to the island?

More than anything, the wonderful people I have met. I love the kayaking but I would want to revisit even if I couldn’t paddle. Of course there are plenty of places too I’d love to paddle again, and more that I have yet to see. There is a lot to explore on land and sea.

 

We <3 the American Canoe Association (in many ways)!

Two amazing developments happened this month: 

  1. Kelly was named instructor of the month by the American Canoe Association, like a boss (read her profile here in the ACA’s Paddler Magazine
  2. The ACA became an official Fearless Formosa Dragon Sponsor, our highest sponsorship level!

For both of these developments, we are incredibly humbled and grateful. In fact, we wanted to take some time to share how the ACA (not to be confused with the Affordable Care Act) has played a pivotal role in shaping us as paddlers and people (too cheesy already? Bear with us!). 

What is the American Canoe Association?

While a lot of Fearless Formosa followers are ACA instructors or students themselves, many of you likely aren’t familiar with the ACA. The ACA was founded in 1880 to organize and standardize paddlesports (including sea kayaking, whitewater kayaking, canoeing, stand up paddleboarding, surfski, and adaptive paddling). Put another way, the ACA:

  • Trains and certifies paddling instructors by standardizing the best teaching theory and techniques
  • Protects and defends access to waterways, coasts, and rivers
  • Increases safety and awareness as more paddlers join the community
  • Hosts key events and competitions that further cultivate the paddling community

It’s kind of like a combination of the Legal Bar Association and the Sierra Club, but for paddlers. Both Kelly and I have taught and taken many many ACA courses as well as instructor trainings. In fact -- Fearless Formosa would never have happened if Kelly and I hadn’t become friends in our 2013 Level 4 Open Water Coastal Kayaking instructor development workshop!

We want to take a moment to share our stories with the ACA and how this organization has enriched our paddling practice and beyond. 

Laura’s story with the ACA

Since becoming an ACA member back in high school, I’ve taken two coastal kayaking instructor courses (Instructor Development Workshop and Instructor Development Certification Evaluations), two whitewater kayaking instructor courses, a rolling instructor course, and a whitewater canoeing instructor course all through the ACA. I’ve competed in three ACA races, taking gold in Women’s Collegiate Downriver Solo Canoe (disclaimer: I was one of only two women in that race’s event). I’ve been an ACA member for 13 years now with no plans of stopping. 

Laura’s early instructing days on Georgia’s Bull River

Laura’s early instructing days on Georgia’s Bull River

Girls Scouts and Sharks: My first kayak teaching experience

I wasn’t always the amazingly flawless instructor you know today. It may surprise you, but, the first sea kayaking trip I ever guided devolved into an all-out shipwreck. Flashback to summer 2004 when I was a junior in high school. I had just returned to my native waters of Tybee Island, Georgia after spending a month on a self-supported sea kayaking trip in Southeast Alaska through my high school (Seattle Academy). It was a life-changing trip that started my sea kayaking addiction. And I went into the rest of that summer thinking I knew everything about kayaking. I worked that summer with Sea Kayak Georgia, an outfitter that taught me so much and really invested in me as a young instructor. One of my first trips was a 6-hour paddle with a large Girl Scout troop. 

Everything that could go wrong happened: I couldn’t keep their attention for the safety talk, none of them retained my mumbled and confusing paddle stroke intro, half of them never learned to hold the paddle correctly for the entire 6 hours, three boats had to be towed due to crying and exhaustion. And, worst of all, they particularly asked me if there would be sharks. Of course, there are a ton of small black tip sharks in the mouth of the river where we paddled, but I told them, “no, no sharks here.” They saw two sharks in the first hour. Crying ensued. Let’s just say, they got more than just their watersports badge that day...

I learned that first summer of teaching that I needed a lot more experience and some professional help. 

Laura paddling the Falls rapid on the French Broad River, NC

Laura paddling the Falls rapid on the French Broad River, NC

Davidson Outdoors and the ACA

My college’s outdoor program had a huge mark on my life. With Davidson Outdoors (DO), I learned how to effectively co-lead with different personality types, accurately assess risks, teach to different learnings styles, navigate shuttling logistics, communicate effectively, teach for retention, embrace discovery learning, and lead with confidence. Underpinning so much of what I learned with DO was ACA pedagogy. The heads of Davidson Outdoors, Ed Daugherty and Mike Goode, are both seasoned paddlers and ACA-certified instructor trainers. Through ACA courses with DO, I learned not just a framework for becoming a better instructor, but a framework for assessing my own progress as a paddler and an instructor. That’s what I think is remarkable about the ACA, how the pedagogy not only makes you more aware of your teaching but also more aware of your own learning style, strengths, and weaknesses so you can grow independently as an instructor. 

Laura and her first 7th grade class in Yunnan Province, China

Laura and her first 7th grade class in Yunnan Province, China

After college I taught middle school in rural China for two years. During some of the most trying moments, I called upon my ACA training to become a better teacher off the water. I remember noticing incredible similarities between Teach for America’s pedagogical training (which comprised most of our formal teacher training as Teach for China fellows) and the ACA’s learning theory. ACA pedagogy uses a proven framework designed to help students truly retain what they learn, and it works on and off the water, across different cultures, languages, and continents.

Laura paddling in Alaska’s Thomas Bay on her first-ever multi-day kayaking trip

Laura paddling in Alaska’s Thomas Bay on her first-ever multi-day kayaking trip

Next Strokes

With every class I teach or shadow, I’m still learning and growing. There’s so much more I’d like to do with the ACA. In the next few years, I want to become a certified level 5 sea kayaking instructor and eventually an instructor trainer. Ultimately, for me, furthering ACA certifications isn’t just about becoming a better instructor or gaining more advanced skills, it’s also about growing my self-awareness and ability to connect more profoundly with a larger, diverse group of people. That’s why I’m incredibly grateful for the ACA’s leadership in paddlesports and thorough support of Fearless Formosa. 

Kelly and Laura teaching recently in the San Francisco Bay with Cali Collective (Melissa DeMarie)

Kelly and Laura teaching recently in the San Francisco Bay with Cali Collective (Melissa DeMarie)

Ready to get involved?

If you’re ready to dive deeper into paddlesports or even just test the waters, we highly recommend becoming an ACA member and taking courses to match your skill level. 

Or if you’ve ever thought about becoming an instructor, there’s no better place to start than with an instructor development workshop -- it’s one part skills development, one part learning how to teach better, and another part therapy. 

  • Instructor training courses listed here

Big thank you’s to all the amazing ACA instructors we’ve learned from!

From Laura:

Ed Daugherty, Mike Goode, Susan Bean, Steve Braden, Keith Miller, Bryant Burkhardt, Ben Lawry, Bill Vonnegut, Dale Williams, Marsha Henson, Ronnie Kemp, Mike Robinson, Wayne Dickert, Sean Morley, Kristen Podolak, Melissa DeMarie, Preston Orr, Zach Smith, Nick Scoville, Benton Carroll, Sami Hawkins, Lori Turbes and many more :) 

We're Finalists for a Hobkey Adventure Grant!

The idea for this expedition began with a simple text. 

Me: "Hey Kelly, want to circumnavigate Taiwan next year? 

Kelly: "Yes, yes I do." 

Honestly, when I asked Kelly, I didn't really expect her to be up for it. After all, Taiwan is far, expeditions take a lot of time and planning, plus we both have/had full-time jobs that gave us little time to paddle even on our own beloved California coastline. But, within three hours, Kelly had found two contacts for coaches who taught and paddled in Taiwan plus a call for applications for a Hobkey Adventure Grant. "Dang," I thought, "Kelly's getting serious." 

And then we both dove into seriously planning head first without looking back! 

Fast forward one month, and we've planned the blueprint for our Taiwan expedition, which we've lovingly dubbed Fearless Formosa. Applying for the Hobkey Adventure Grant gave us the initial motivation to really get our plans in order and we're grateful to be among five other amazing adventures in the final round. 

About the Hobkey Grant

Hobkey is a European company started by the incredibly skilled Slovenian paddler and entrepreneur, Marin Medak. Hobkey makes paddling inspired keychains that also serve as great teaching props (several coaches at California Canoe and Kayak use them when teaching surfing and open coast -- Kelly included).

10 percent of all keychain sales go to fund the grant, which this year equaled 4,500 Euros split across Sea Kayak, Canoe, SUP, and Whitewater Kayak. The first and second place finalists in each category gets 500 Euro, which helps a lot (anything helps!) while the third and fourth place gets some swanky gear. Throughout the process for applying, Marin has emailed all the applicants and finalists personally. It's fun and humanizing to get emails from a world-class paddler :) 

The first round of the grant competition comprises as shortlist of 50 top applications being selected from an initial screening. The second round goes to a panel of judges to whittle down the top five. The Judging Committee for Sea Kayak included some of sea kayaking's rock star coaches. I kinda get the feels just knowing that they read my application.

So that leads us to now, the final round of open, public vote and where we need your help! 

To vote go to the Hobkey Grant Website and select "Expanding Taiwain's Sea Kayaking Community." You won't regret it.