Sea Kayaking Instruction

Ever wanted to check out sea kayaking but didn’t know how or where to begin?  Well come out with us!   Adventuress offers both certified and non-certified kayaking courses for beginners.   For those who want the structure of an organized sea kayaking program, try our full day Paddle Canada certified course for beginners.   For those who wish to learn a few basics and have a paddle around the bay or lake, try our 2.5 hour Discover Kayaking session. 

Our Seamanship Course is an extensive course in weather, navigation, chart reading, tides & currents and trip planning.  Check out the details below.  First class starts Tuesday evening, March 1 and runs for 5 weeks.  Next class in May 4-25th runs for 4 weeks (3 hours/evening).

New this year is a one day workshop on Trip Planning.  This course is for newbies or people who are kayakers and want to plan their own overnight trip. See below Trip Planning for Kayakers and Wannabes. 

Adventuress can come to you!  If you have a group who wishes to be instructed, call us and we would be happy to bring the boats and gear to your surroundings.

Padde Canada Certified Sea Kayaking Course for Beginners

Adventuress teaches the Paddle Canada flatwater program, a nationally accredited course for recreational paddlers.   This 8 hour course is taught by a certified Paddle Canada instructor. There are no kayaking prerequisites for this class.   Upon successful completion, the participant will receive a certificate from Paddle Canada.

This basic sea kayaking course is jam-packed full of information and time on the water.  It is perfect for beginners who wish to get a solid foundation in the art of sea kayaking.  For those who have some experience in kayaking, this is a way to enhance your skills, learn new techniques, and feel more confident.  

By the end of this course, you will have learned the following:

• Eight different paddling strokes
• How to enter and exit the kayak
• How to do a wet exit
• How to rescue yourself
• How to rescue someone ese
• How to edge, pivot, balance and raft up
• How to dress for kayaking
• All about safety equipment and the Canadian Coast Guard regulations
• How to find a boat that fits you
• What to do to prevent common injuries
• How to take care of your equipment and boat
• Names of kayaking resources and associations

Details:    

Length:        8 hours (8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.)

Cost:           $125 (includes course manual, instruction, and certificate)

Dates:        April 23, May 29, June 11, July 9, August 14, Sept. 4

* Kayaks and gear for the full day course can be rented for $20.00 per person. Just let us know and we'd be happy to assist you.

A thank you e-mail I received:

"Hi Jan:  I want to thank you for your patience and great guidance in our course yesterday.  I found your course very thorough.  Your guidance was solid and you made sure we all did our stokes properly and knew exactly what we need to practice to get the strokes right.  Your other information was well understood by me and examples made a definite point.  I feel I made the best choice in booking my flatwater course with you.   I am so happy that I took the course with you and I feel more confident on the water because of all your help.  Keep up the good work and I will be recommending others to your courses."  Laurie P.

Discover Kayaking

This lesson is perfect for those who want some basic instruction and then get out on the water and have some fun!   You will learn:

• Kayak and equipment orientation
• 4 paddling strokes
• Safety procedures
• Launching and exiting techniques

AND enjoy a guided kayaking tour.

Details:

Length:             2.5hours

Cost:                $49.00/person (includes instruction, tour, kayak and gear)

Dates:              This is a popular course and runs quite frequently.  See trip dates for specific dates and call 250.755.6702 to reserve.  Bring your family and friends and run your own private course for the same fee.

What to Bring for Your Adventure

Sunhat

Sunglasses with strap

Sunscreen

Swim suit under shorts and top to get wet in (for certified course)

Quick dry pants (no cottons or jeans please)

Light fleece sweater

Wind jacket

Extra dry clothing

Towel

Sandals with heel straps or old running shoes that can get wet (no flip flops)

Pen & paper to take notes (for certified course)

Water bottle filled with water

Filled water bottle

Lunch & snack (for certified course)

Immersion clothing (for certified course in spring and fall)

A sense of fun!!

Seamanship Course

If you have ever wanted to learn more about weather, navigation and tide & currents, this is the course for you! Especially geared for kayakers, this 15 hour course, taught over 5 weeks, will enable you to assess weather conditions, understand a marine radio broadcast, read your chart, figure out tides and currents, use a compass, take a bearing, and plan a paddling trip. Cost of $199 includes extensive manual.  Additional supplies required as well.

Dates:  March 1, 8,15, 22, 29 (this is a 5 week course) 

May 4,11, 18 & 25 (4 week course with a smaller group).

Since the range of experience and knowledge of the participants varies, it will include basic information for the beginner and deeper discussion and review for the more experienced paddler.  Participants are encouraged to participate and share their knowledge and thoughts.

The course will be part theory, discussion, exercises and homework.  The end goal is to be able to complete the trip planning exercise using all the information that we are studying.  This exercise asks you to plan a multi-day tour taking into consideration all the various components needed to plan and safety lead a kayak journey.  This is a fantastic exercise that makes you aware of everything that you need to look at (tides and currents, weather indicators, campsites and marine weather forecasts).  You will need to know your speed, how to measure distance, how to identify good spots to camp and land and how to time your  launch and when you need to arrive at your destination and lots more!

Some people find this trip planning exercise the best part of the course.   It does take work but it is simulating real life kayaking experiences that can happen to you on the water where you must make the decision to stay or go and where to go.

Call Jan to reserve your spot.

Comments from Seamanship Course participants:

"I feel much more knowledgeable, so more likely to do trip planning and increased confidence about reading charts and tables.  The trip planning made it all come together.  Jan checking on everyone to see people "get it" and to answer questions." Great course!   Joan W.

"The course presented me with a lot of information that I now know I should study and master.  While it's fun to learn it in a class, I wll continue to work at this on my own and with my partner.  And it is surprising how much I have retained from the class.  This will be a work in progress, and the course has given me a good grounding and a sense of where I want to continue studying.  I look at the clouds differently now.  I even have a different sense of space when I'm driving down the highway, imagining what islands are just off in the distance.  Good course and thank you."  Gordon M.

This course has given me some useful information.  Many thanks for all the work that has gone into creating and offering this course - a necessary and inspiring teaching tool."  Gerry P.

Really enjoyed the course; liked the way you presented the material, very thorough. You are an excellent teacher; you have excellent knowledge and present it in a fun and easy to understand manner.  Mary L.

Jan, your teaching skills and knowledge are impeccable!!  Keep up the good work!!  Jack B.

Trip Planning for Kayakers (or Wannabes)   NEW

Ever noticed the amount of kayaks on roof racks and on the water lately? Come join us for a day and find out what it’s all about. This course is for newbies or people who are kayakers and want to plan their own overnight trip.

By the end of the day, you will learn: the different types of kayaks and which one will suit you best, what to wear and gear to bring, ways to transport your kayak, how to pack your boat, how to select a launching location, paddling route and a campsite, the 10 things you need to do before you leave the shore, how to read a chart and predict tides and currents, what safety procedures to put in place, how to plan your meals with sample menus, all about green camping and paddling etiquette, and how wind, weather and sea state can impact your paddling plans. A classroom hands-on trip planning exercise around one of our local Gulf Islands with a resource guide and manual will complete the day.

To be announced.