Pizza Paddle Particulars



About once a month a group of us get together and paddle Newport Harbor after work. We launch from the beach at the Newport Aquatic Center and paddle out into the harbor to have dinner and beer and then paddle back to the cars. We do this all year round and in pretty much all conditions. Light, dark, rain, and the dead of SoCal winter where you're tempted to put a sweater on with your flip flops. Everyone is welcome and there's a fair sized group that comes depending on the night.

If you're interested email matthew.hengst@gmail.com  or join our Facebook Group Pizza Paddle Associates to hear about future paddles.

Weather: https://www.wunderground.com/us/ca/newport-beach
Tide: http://www.tides4fishing.com/us/california/newport-bay-entrance-corona-del-mar
Harbor Parking: http://nbgis.newportbeachca.gov/NewportHTML5Viewer/?viewer=parkingmap
Harbor Guide: http://www.newportbeachca.gov/home/showdocument?id=22940

Particulars!

We meet at

Newport Aquatics Center
1 Whitecliffs Dr
Newport Beach, CA 92660


There is a large dirt lot open for public use.  We park at the end as near to the water as we can to make carrying the boats easier.

Standard Pizza Paddle route.  Interactive map here
Approximate distances to the old Pizza Nova location were 2.5 miles out and 3 miles back.  Difficulty can vary due to the tides.

We meet at 6:30 pm on the beach (plan to arrive 10 minutes earlier if your borrowing an inflatable since there's additional setup) and generally get back to the beach around 10:30 or 11 pm depending on the speed of the group, tides, ect.

We pretty much go rain or shine.

What do I need to bring?
  • Clothing that can get wet.  Swim trunks and hiking shirts tend to be a popular choice
  • Something warm if you tend get cold.  Rain jackets work well.  Generally you'll be warmer than you think you'll be while paddling though.
  • A waterproof pouch or ziplock for your keys, wallet, and cellphone.  We also have hatches on some of the boats where we can store things for you but they aren't 100% dry.
  • Shoes of some sort.  Flipflops, sandals, or crocs work great.  Can't get into Pizza Nova without them
F.A.Q.

I want to come!  What do I need?

Some sort of a human driven floatable conveyance.  People generally have a kayak or SUP.  Other than that you just need to be fit enough to paddle with the group for a few hours.

What fitness level is required?

Depends! We'll be paddling for a few hours but not endlessly. Also the tandem is generally less work since there's two people paddling. So far we haven't had to tow anyone back into dock...

Having said that please be aware the inflatables do take a big extra effort vs the hard side boats. On the plus side they're more comfortable!

What if I don't have a boat?

We occasionally have loaner boats available.  The one caveat is the ones Jen, Kristen, and myself lend out are inflatable boats which are quite comfortable but are a little harder to paddle.  Sometimes people have hard sided boats to lend out but generally the challenge there is transportation.

We've found Sports Chalet offers rentals for $40.  It's for three days (so you can pick them up the day before even and drop them off the following day) and come with everything you need.  They offer singles or tandems.

Do I need a headlamp?

The bay is lit by the massive amount of houses, docks, and other buildings around the bay so seeing really isn't an issue.  Even on the darkest nights you can make out everything you need and a headlamp will probably just kill your night vision and blind the other paddlers.

However, being visible to other boats is an issue.  Kristen and I have Kayula Kayalite Kayak Light posts on the back of our boats so generally the entire group is visible but some sort of light on your boat is always a good idea.  We've found MPOWERED Luci Solar Lanterns are affordable and last for a while.  (Not to mention, colors!)  Battery powered christmas lights also work though the salt water generally ruins them after a few trips.


What's it like?

Write ups of past paddles can be found here.
A schedule and links to past paddle pictures can be found here.