Jaysea Devoe is back with another limit-testing, motivational paddle battle and a goal to inspire women to get out in the water. Jaysea, 22, just completed a 54-mile route circumnavigating one of California’s Channel Islands, Santa Cruz, with nothing more than a prone paddle board. But it was not her first awe-inspiring rodeo.
At the age of 12 Jaysea became the youngest certified yoga instructor in the U.S. Impressive and inspiring! Then, at 15 years old, Jaysea completed her first major paddle journey around Catalina Island with fellow sea sisters Natalie Foote and Emily Homolkee. That paddle ultimately led to paddles around Santa Barbara Island with a group of friends and Anacapa Island with her brother, Ryder. Santa Cruz Island, the biggest out of all the Channel Islands, was her first solo circumnavigation paddle.
Maybe her most impressive feat, when Jaysea turned 16 she founded SeaVibes, a youthful women’s activewear brand. But she didn’t stop there. She has since dabbled in the music industry as a tour manager at 17 (taking after her father, former manager of the band Blink 182), but after nearly five years on the road she has returned home to California, enrolled at the University of San Diego, is studying communications, and is returning to her long-distance paddling roots.
Go on board with Jaysea for a first-hand recap from the yoga teaching, business founding, open-water enthusiast for all the details from her recent 54-mile adventure. Complete with near shark encounters, dolphin interactions and even a broken-down support crew; join her on a mission to reconnect with the water.
Day 1, 54 miles to go:
My body naturally woke up before my alarm planned to go off. It was 4:50 am on August 7, in the heart of the Channel Islands Harbor. Nerves flooded over my body, I knew that day was the beginning of a three-day adventure. We loaded my board and pushed off the dock to start the crossing. The ride over was smooth. The air was foggy but crisp.
My twin brother Fisher, our captain, yelled, “San Pedro point, we made it, are you ready?” I suited up, did my stretching, and jumped in. There I was, the first mile of 54 to go. There was a solid south swell matched with light south wind which stayed with me for the first six miles. It took me a couple miles to find my rhythm despite the island making me feel at home. Just as I got to a good pace, eight miles in, my chase boat stopped. The engine had overheated. Stuck with a shredded impeller, we had to get towed back to the Harbor by Ventura Tow Boat. There was no way the boat was going to be fixed in time for our weather window. I felt defeated.
Still, there was no way I would let this stop me from completing the circumnavigation. After a few calls, our friend Jonah Glancy offered up a replacement and 12 hours later we were back on the water.
Day 2, 46 miles to go:
I was in a battle with my mind. Stuck between my comfort zone and knowing that I was not leaving this island again without first paddling around it. Beyond my own motivation, my crew put in so much effort to support me and my crazy idea. I had to do it for them, too.
The water was smooth like a sheet of glass for the first 11 miles approaching Gull Island. While paddling you are eye to eye with the ocean. The perspective from the board allows you to notice any slight ripple of wind that comes on or changes in current, which I could now see coming in from the southwest. This added a new resistance to my efforts. This fatigued my left shoulder as the swell was pushing my board in towards the island. The only way I can make it through paddles like this, is to surrender to the water and learn to flow with it. That connection with the sea is a feeling that I always want to chase in life.
At mile 20, Fornerys was in sight and West Point was just around the corner. The wind and current changed to a heavy northwest. It was four miles of paddling straight into choppy white caps. My eyes began to sting from the salt water constantly hitting my face. But my board could take it, I was cutting right through the swell. My muscles were locking up. My hands and feet were like sponges, so pruned. The ocean tested me and I definitely got humbled. The thought of giving up crossed my mind, but I was stronger than that, and paddled through doubt.
When I rounded the West Point, I could hear Fisher cheering from the boat. I got out of the water and laid on the deck, completely shot. We anchored up for the night, made some burritos, talked stories about the day, and fished for squid before we all passed out completely exhausted.
Day 3, 22 miles to go:
I woke up feeling every inch of the 24 miles paddle the day before. Fisher had four fishing rods casted out and baited with squid. We heard the sounds of the clicker from two rods going off at the same time! Fisher and I took action and began to yell to our friend, Estelle, who was still asleep, after a third rod was bit. By 7am we caught five halibut, and fresh adrenaline for the day ahead.
I jumped into the water and, better than any cup of coffee, I was wide awake. I got on my board and my ribs felt like I was laying on a bed of nails. My arms were rashed and my left shoulder was shot, but there I was 23 miles left. The mix of aches, pains, adrenaline and nerves coursed through me.
It took about five miles for me to get my muscles to warm up and find my rhythm. We stopped at Painted Cave, the heart of Santa Cruz Island. The energy was so rich and it was the perfect recharge that I needed to push through this leg of the paddle. I was in an awe of the beauty that this island encapsulates and felt myself enter a meditative state.
Once we started to get into deeper water, a pack of dolphins joined us. For thirty minutes I watched them swim under my board and jump beside me, it was surreal. I felt like part of their pod. Later that day we got word that there was a fourteen foot white shark spotted, cruising at the surface, just off the island where I was paddling. I thank the ocean for sending the dolphin to keep me safe through the deeper water.
The sea has a way of reminding you that you’re not in control, and because of situations like these I will always have a healthy fear of the water. I would be crazy if I said I was 100% comfortable in the ocean, because at any given moment your situation can change. However, with that fear comes respect and a feeling of being truly alive.
The last three miles were a blur. My body was shut down, but my mind had never been clearer. Once I arrived at San Pedro point, I felt so connected with the island and the sea, and a new sense of clarity. After three days, 54 miles, a broken-down boat, and the craziest adventure; I had completed the circumnavigation of Santa Cruz Island.
This odyssey was not only just a piece of my dream to circumnavigate all the Channel Islands, it had a greater meaning to me. I wanted it to inspire women to get out in the water. I want to support women doing rad stuff by throwing myself into voyages like this. With each island I paddle, I learn more about myself and take on new perspectives to navigate life. Disconnecting from the digital world we have created and reconnecting with the water and nature is so important to me, and I think it should be for us all. You can always find beauty in the sea’s vastness, a velvet abyss. It has an effect of pulling you into the moment and the rest of the thoughts in your mind go to a quiet state.
Until the next island,
Jaysea
Stay connected with Jaysea for more behind-the-scenes content by following her IG @JAYSEADEVOE