This Is The Sea 4 is the latest release from Justine Curgenven. A 2 DVD set, This Is The Sea 4 contains almost 2.5 hours of Sea Kayaking footage from around the globe showcasing superb paddling destinations and a mixture of well known and less well known paddlers.

Following Justine’s previous DVD’s (This Is The Sea 1-3) and Bryan Smith’s Pacific Horizons, the standard for Sea Kayaking DVD’s has been set very high. Can This Is The Sea 4 deliver?

Well, in my humble opinion, yes it can. TITS 4 is one of the best value Sea Kayaking DVD’s on offer with 2.5 hours of material spread across 2 DVD’s.

The first DVD is similar in format to the previous DVD’s with a variety of material on destinations, trips and personalities. The second DVD contains 2 expedition films – the circumnavigation of Haida Gwai and the circumnavigation of New Zealands South Island.

Disc 1 begins with some excellent Rock Hopping footage in Baja, Mexico where a fleet of plastic Sea Kayaks (thank goodness given the seal launches!) are put through their paces among the rock gardens and sea caves of the coastline. A fantastic start to the DVD, this segment really wets your appetite and sets up the action to follow.

‘Dubside’ (those of you who have seen ‘Pacific Horizons will be familiar with this name) is the subject of the second segment. ‘Dubside’ is an american paddler who specialises in ‘commando kayaking’ and the art of greenland rolling. Armed with a greenland paddle, packable sea kayak (which can be set up in 12 minutes) a length of rope and enough change for the bus, ‘Dubside’ practises a different approach to sea kayaking and his rolling skills have to be seen. (Learn More about Dubside here)

Kayak fishing using sit on top kayaks is growing in popularity and I have seen a few craft out and about along the Solent Coast so in some respects it is no suprise to see it appear in a Sea Paddling DVD. However, this is one segment I am happy to skip past – you may feel differently.

Disc 1 continues with some superb footage of paddling in the Dead Sea, Lake Superior and the Ottawa River. The camera work and characters involved continue to delight and provide inspirational viewing on a cold winters night. In particular the stunning scenery of Norways Fjordland had me searching google for maps and ferry details.

However, despite it’s range of material, Disc 1 would not be my main reason for purchasing this DVD. Disc 2 would be. It contains 2 expedition films which I feel are up there with the best. Circumnavigating Haida Gwai (Queen Charlotte Islands) and Circumnavigating New Zealand’s South Island. As recently muted by Simon Willis, the South Island film is surely award winning material and provides a true insight into the highs and lows of a trip like this. Justine and Barry Shaw manage to keep the camera rolling at times where most of us would forget to press play and this provides a fantastic ‘fly on the wall’ look at the physical and mental demands of undertaking a major expedition.

To be honest, I would have been pretty happy parting with my hard earned cash just for Disc 2 however, as a package, This Is The Sea 4 delights, inspires and more than surpases the bar set by its forerunners. This DVD should be on all Sea Paddlers Christmas lists.

UPDATE: As predicted, Justine has won an award for the New Zealand Expedition film! Congratulations

Available from Cackle TV – Justine Curgenven’s website, Pacific Horizons is a Sea Kayaking DVD with a format based loosely on the “This is the Sea” series.

It has individual chapters about places, people or tidal races but the DVD is based entirely in the Pacific North West region of America & Canada.

Prior to watching this DVD, I had seen Ocean Paddlers review which recommends viewing with the directors commentary to get the best experience due to the lack of narrative within the DVD. However, I found this lack of commentary refreshing and the DVD as a whole is immensely enjoyable.

It has a good mix of ‘tiderace’ play, expeditions and big sea paddling as well as some more unusual sections such as a look at ‘Dubside’ the ‘commando’ greenland-style kayaker who accompanied by his collapsible sea kayak will only use public transport to reach his paddling destinations.

Some stunning locations, good paddling and a smattering of mouth watering equipment make this an inspirational watch. The soundtrack is enjoyable and adds to the atmosphere – possibly better than some of the ‘This Is The Sea’ series.

Here’s the official blurb…

Showcasing some of the world’s most sought after sea kayaking destinations, Pacific Horizons captures the essence of the Ocean and inspires everyone to get out on the water and go kayaking! Blending wildlife, people, places and action-packed kayaking,

Bryan Smith takes us on an unforgettable journey documenting impressive tidal race surfing, the Orca whales of the San Juan Islands, the Bunsby islands off the remote coast of Vancouver island, “commando kayaking” with Greenland rolling and ropes gymnastics champion Dubside, the wind and waves of the Oregon coast, and to top it all off, a special appearance of Justine Curgenven’s work depicting her journey around the Queen Charlotte Islands with Shawna Franklin and Leon Somme. Pacific Horizons is an entertaining, breath-taking and inspirational adventure film.

Priced at £19.99, the DVD is on the expensive side, although comparable to other Sea Kayak (and Ski-ing/extreme sport) DVD’s. I enjoy this type of movie, having grown up on the Warren Miller Ski-ing DVD’s and more recently some of the “This Is The Sea’ series so Pacific Horizon’s was worth every penny and will keep me motivated in my ‘off the water’ periods!