Sunday will be the first time Tom Banks hits the waters at Deception Pass with racing in mind. Usually it’s just play.

“I’m definitely not a racer,” the Anacortes resident said. “Half (the participants) are hard-core and the others are there for the pageantry of it.”

Banks will join about 100 other kayakers taking on the challenging currents of Deception Pass in the third annual Deception Pass Dash sponsored by Outdoor Adventure Center of Redmond.

The 6-mile race starts at Bowman Bay at 10 a.m., giving racers 25 minutes to catch slack water before the ebb starts pushing them out of the pass.

That’s a little more time than last year, when about a quarter of the participants were unable to finish the race, Banks said.

Kayakers race around Deception Island and come through Deception Pass from the west. They circle around Strawberry Island and come through Canoe Pass from the east on their way back to the finish at Bowman Bay.

Kayakers must go fast enough to get through Deception Pass before the outgoing tide starts pushing against them as the water flows back out to sea.

“So it’s definitely dependent on the current,” said Banks who added that it’s the most fun with the current is at its fastest.

Sunday will be Banks’ first time in the race though his wife Marianne participated last year when the weather was a bit cold and nasty with low temperatures and drizzling rain.

This year may turn out to be the same, but like last year, the kayakers will still come from all over Puget Sound.

Banks’ kayaking experience began in 2004 with a class at Skagit Valley College. He’s been kayaking ever since, going out about once a month to Deception Pass, where about 30 kayakers were in the water a couple weekends ago, he said.

“The pass is our playground so to speak,” he said.

For the race, Banks will be in a Sterling’s Illusion, a light touring kayak made in Bellingham.

All race participants are required to wear a life jacket and carry a whistle, be dressed for immersion, have proven self-rescue skills and be confident in their rough water paddling abilities.

For more information, go to http://www.outdooradventurecenter.com.

Deception Pass Dash

Friday is the last day to sign up for the challenging 6-mile race course that takes kayakers through the swirling waters of Deception Pass.

The race starts at 10 a.m. Sunday at Bowman Bay. The entry fee is $40. No registrations will be accepted after 5 p.m. Friday — or the day of the race.

Paddler sign-in begins at 8:15 a.m. with a mandatory safety meeting at 9:15 a.m. Slack time before the ebb is 10:25, so paddlers have 25 minutes until the current starts pushing against them in the pass.

To register, send an e-mail to , including name, hometown, boat make and model, Sound Rowers Classification, phone, e-mail and T-shirt size. Participants will be contacted for entry fee.

For more information, go to http://www.outdooradventurecenter.com.