Fall has been off to an exciting start for NAC Avalon Ocean Club. With Catalina’s endless summer weather continuing into October, our young ocean athletes have been making the most of every opportunity on the water.
On Saturday, Oct. 3, the club celebrated another major milestone with its second-ever Paddle Palooza. Twenty young paddlers, ages 8-16, completed a relay-style paddle aboard a six-person outrigger canoe from Avalon to Two Harbors—a 13-mile journey and the farthest distance our youth have paddled to date.
The crew worked together throughout the crossing, rotating paddlers and putting their endurance, teamwork, and ocean skills to the test. Among the group, Ailenne Hernandez, 12, Avalon Simmons, 16, and Penny Little, 13, were standout paddlers, logging some of the most miles during the journey.
With beautiful ocean conditions and a strong crew, the team reached Two Harbors in an impressive 3 hours and 3 minutes.
A special thank-you goes to Newport Aquatic Center and The Lobster Trap for providing escort boats and helping support the athletes throughout the day with food, snacks, water, safety support, and plenty of good energy.
After arriving in Two Harbors and enjoying a well-earned lunch, the adventure continued on the boat ride home. The group stopped to snorkel in different coves, swim through the caves at Blue Cavern, jump from the boats, and, of course, enjoy one of the crew’s favorite activities—tubing.
The day even included an unexpected ocean-to-table lesson. While trolling on the way home, the crew caught a yellowtail, giving Captain Caleb the perfect opportunity to teach the kids about the process of catching, filleting, preparing, and respecting the fish they harvest. He turned the fresh catch into sashimi with soy sauce and wasabi, and for some of our young ocean warriors, it was their very first taste of sushi! It was a memorable hands-on lesson connecting ocean knowledge, sustainable harvest, food preparation, and a little culinary adventure.
As NAC Avalon Ocean Club approaches its two-year anniversary and the completion of its fifth season, Paddle Palooza represents much more than a 13-mile journey. It is a reflection of how much these young athletes have grown in their confidence, endurance, teamwork, water safety skills, and connection to the ocean.
Most importantly, days like this are a reminder of what is possible when a community comes together to support its youth.
It truly takes a village, and NAC Avalon Ocean Club is incredibly grateful to the families, volunteers, donors, local businesses, and Newport Aquatic Center for continuing to make opportunities like this possible for Avalon’s next generation of ocean athletes.