For this season we have adjusted some of our kayak lessons to offer you the best range of lessons that we can. We have lessons for all, from complete novices to paddlers looking to develop their paddling skills.
If you are a new paddler come and try our Taste of kayaking lesson which will give you a one hour lesson on land before a 2 hr introductory paddle, perfect for people who want to see if sea kayaking is for them. Alternatively is you don’t think sea kayaking is for you then our Recreational kayak basics will give you an introduction to paddling the shorter recreational kayaks on sheltered waters, using the same format with a one hour on land lesson followed by a one and a half hour paddle on sheltered water.
The next step from there would be to take our Essential Kayaker. This comprises a 2 hour session covering wet exits, self rescues and assisted rescues, this section can be taken separately as our Rescue I lesson. Then we have a theory session looking at equipment, clothing, safety and trip planning. The final part of the lesson is a 3hr session covering the core paddlestrokes needed to confidently paddle your kayak efficiently.
Once you have the basics covered it is time to get out paddling and explore the fantastic area that we live. As you look to progress your skills and expand your paddling range we have a series of lessons designed to provide you with specific skills and knowledge.
We run some land based courses to give you the knowledge and understanding to deal with the changing marine environment. Our Current I course introduces you to reading and understanding tide and current tables to help with planning trips into new areas, and to develop an understanding of how water levels fluctuate during the day and night and what it means to us as kayakers. Our Current II lesson takes this a step further and introduces a set of easy to use rules and calculations to allow us to predict the water levels and current flows at any given time for any given spot on the coast. If you are interested in taking longer day trips or multiday trips then our Navigation I lesson will introduce the basics of navigating from a kayak using compass and chart. It will help you develop the ability to produce a realistic floatplan and to be able to navigate when weather conditions make visual navigation difficult or impossible. The final lessons in this series take what you have learnt on land out into the kayaking environment. Navigation II is a daylong lesson on the water putting the skills you have learnt into practice, fixing locations, estimating times and distances, travelling on a bearing in poor weather etc. Current III gives you the opportunity to find out what it feels like to paddle in areas affected by currents, what does paddling against a 4 knot current feel like, how can I safely cross a tidal current? This is also a day long on the water course.
To get the most out of the last 2 lessons you will need to have good paddling skills including the ability to edge and lean your boat and recover from moving water trying to tip you over. To learn these skills we provide a range of paddle skills lessons. Our Rescue II lesson is a 3 hour on water session covering an extended range of rescue techniques. It will give you the confidence to be able to get yourself back into your boat or assist someone else to get back into their boats in a wide range of conditions. We cover assisted rolls such as the bow roll and side by side paddleroll. The scoop and hand of god rescues to get an injured paddler back into their boat. We also look at a range of towing methods to assist paddlers back to shore. Our Developing Paddling skills lesson takes the basics strokes a step further by first refining and polishing the basics and making them as efficient as possible before moving on to look at more advanced strokes. We explore strokes useful in moving water such as the bow and stern rudders, high and low brace turns, sculling draw and sculling for support. We will also work on increasing your confidence to put your boat on edge to make these strokes more effective and efficient. Our Sculling and bracing course encourages you to really explore the limits of you and your boat, putting it on the maximum edge to be able to make your turns as tight as possible and to push your sculling and bracing strokes with the boat as far over as possible. Developing this confidence and ability leads perfectly into our last set of lessons that leads you into the ability to roll your boat back up from upside down, no more wet exits for you!
In our Rolling I course we begin with the theory and practice on dry land before moving to the water for a two hour rolling lesson. This lesson will give you the mechanics of the roll and a feeling for the process and from there on it is all about practise. Our Rolling II lesson takes this a step further and develops a roll using half of the spare paddle from your deck. This lesson works best if you have a pretty consistent roll on one side first. Our Introduction to Greenland rolling teaches you the Greenland sweep roll using your own Greenland style paddle which you will need to bring with you.
So lots of opportunities to learn with us, at all levels. You can find more information on these lessons in our brochures or on our website. If you have any questions about any of these lessons please don’t hesitate to contact us and ask for advice about which lesson is right for you.
Alberni Outpost: Go Play Outside 