Lake Superior Sea Caves

Earlier this summer, in late July, I ventured up to one of my favorite locations on Lake Superior…the Apostle Islands Sea Caves.

We scoped out the weather conditions the night before (great website for up to date Sea Cave wave conditions), and noticed we would be getting some storms in the late morning. So up early at 6am, and in the water by 8am…our goal was an out and back quick photoshoot.

We have our own kayaks, skirts, and are experienced kayakers–I would not recommend something like this for first timers. There are plenty of local outfitters in the Bayfield area, who will guide you through the caves and also show you where are the best best spots on the outskirts where you could go fishing. We did come across a few fishers and as I used to go fishing as I child, I could see them equipped with the best fishing rod for bass. Now that’s one such fishing rod which can even catch the most massive fishes without any difficulty.

Lake Superior is big, and very cold, and as short as 10 minutes in the deep water can lead to hypothermia. Really, truly…don’t mess around. Wear a wetsuit or drysuit, skirt, and let others know when you’re going out. OR just go with an outfitter and you’ll be in good hands.

That being said…even the Coast Guard and Park Service gave us crazy looks as we paddled off towards the caves. We kept a close eye on the sky to our west and timed our turnaround JUST right.

The sea caves are made of sandstone which have been formed and shaped over thousands of years with the wave action. There are nooks and crannies that even kayaks can squeeze into, and in the winter it turns into ICE sea caves. Another item on my bucket list to photograph.

And to truly document the cave and the storm blowing in, I captured some video…

Don’t worry, we made it to shore just in time. Carried the kayak up to the trailer, loaded it up, and then the downpour came. It was nice to see the Coast Guard and Park Service waiting on shore looking out for us, though.