Kayak Lessons
From beginning to advanced lessons, the Kayak Academy features fun, practical courses with small class sizes and experienced instructors. Our unique teaching methods speed up the learning curve so you become a better, safer paddler in less time. For training you can't get anywhere else, come to the Kayak Academy
Kayak & Gear Store
We look at kayak gear differently than most on-line stores. We're a kayaking school first, and we make our gear recommendations in order to help our students and other kayakers find what's best for them. Buying the right gear the first time saves money and time - that's value! That's the K.A. Store
Dry Suits
We have the largest selection of IN STOCK watersport dry suit sizes and models starting at only $479, and we guarantee the fit (even on custom sized drysuits). And if you need a custom drysuit, we'll loan you one while you wait. For the best value on a drysut, buy it from the Kayak Academy. See Our Dry Suit Information
News
No More Detour
May Valley Road is open! You can now visit our shop via Hwy 900 again.
Our demo Tiderace Kayaks are back!
We used the Tiderace Xplore and Xplore S on this year's Exposed Coast Expedition Training in Alaska, and they worked great! Now the kayaks are back at the Academy and will be available at this week's KA demo night.
Introducing the new Grand Illusion kayak by SKF
The Grand Illusion by SKF is now complete, and we have the first and only production model demo anywhere! The Grand's hull design was finished last spring, but the cockpit wasn't right. Thanks to input from George Gronseth, the Grand now has an ergonomic keyhole cockpit that lets the paddler get the full potential out of the kayak. The Grand Illusion is 2" wider than the original Illusion, making it a high performance yet stable sea kayak for big and tall guys. The Grand will be available at this week's KA demo night.
Barb and I are back from our 2010 Exposed Coast Expedition Training out of Sitka, AK. This trip gets better every year. We saw our first whale within fifteen minutes of launching on day one! Day one also includes relaxing in the world's largest hammock (made of fishing nets that wash ashore), and then the helmets go on for some rock gardening at the Big Easy rocks off Cape Burunof. The day ended with dinner of fresh salmon and a 1.5 gal. keg of "Burunof Illusion Pilsner" brewed special for the trip by repeat student, David Desertspring. And that was just the beginning... See our Facebook page for some photos of the trip and a YouTube link to a short video Barb made. -- George
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Programs Updates
Free Thursday Night Sea Kayak Demos, will resume Aug. 18th - Sept. Thursday night 6pm - 7:30pm at Tibbetts Beach, L Sammamish S.P (see map on our "About Us"/"Contact Information" page). Call ahead to make a free reservation and let us know what kayaks you want to test. The Kayak Academy is your one-stop kayak shop for all the newest and best sea kayaks from around the world -- it's like a kayak symposium every Thursday.
Demo A Kayak Any Day
If you have experience and a roof rack, you may pick up a demo kayak at our shop and test it out on L. Sammamish. Call us to make arrangements.
It's not too late to schedule an Adventurous Journey in the San Juan's. To get started, click the "Kayak Lessons" tab above.
TIDERACE Kayaks
Kayak Academy is proud to announce that we are now the authorized dealer for Tiderace kayaks in Washington state. Tiderace's goal is to build the world's best sea kayaks. The Kayak Academy's goal is to be the world's best kayak school and store; so Tiderace kayaks are a perfect fit. Tiderace kayaks are basically British kayaks Version 4.0 With two models and five sizes to choose from, if you're still paddling Version 2.0, it's time to upgrade! Call or email us for a demo. More Information
Announcements
Wednesday Eve Skills Night 6pm- 7:30pm- with Dubside
Dubside will be helping us every Wednesday night through September 16th. All Kayak Academy alumni are welcome to join us every Wed. evening -- meet at 6pm, launch at 6:30. Work on skills near the shore or go for an exercise paddle. The exercise paddle is typically a 50 minute paddle at a steady 3.5 -4.2 knots (depending on the group). If you want help, we'll give some pointers to work on to improve your forward stroke. Meet at Tibbitts Beach in Lake Sammamish State Park. Look for the KA/IPS kayak shed (IPS is a subsidiary of KA). See "About Us/Contact Information" tab for map.
Greenland Week & Competition 2010 Oct. 30th - Nov. 7th
(You can now register on-line for the Greenland Week Competition and the Greenland Kayak Clinics on the prior weekend.)
2nd annual Greenland Week & Competition hosted at the Kayak Academy. What is Greenland Week? It's a celebration of traditional Greenland style kayaking and rope gymnastic skills, and it's a social gathering for all of us who live outside of Greenland and want to meet and paddle with others who are enthused about learning more of these skills. There will be a week of Greenland style rolling and paddle technique lessons taught by the masters followed by the biggest such competition ever held outside of Greenland -- a 3-Day event Nov 5-7 2010.
More Information and On-line Registration
Alumni Discounts
We offer all of our KA alumni half off on all refresher courses. Are you a 5-Day Training Camp graduate? Take the class again for only $475. Or repeat the Tidal Rapids Training at Deception Pass for $117. This is a great deal to help you become a more confident kayaker.
The Kayak Academy Alumni Google Group
Alumni only: you can now stay connected other students, share photos and keep informed of kayak events around the Puget Sound. We use this group to make announcements and setup informal paddles. To sign up, go to the Kayak Academy Alumni Google Group.
Kayak Academy and Facebook
The Kayak Academy is on Facebook. Stay in touch with other paddlers, hear about events before they happen, and share your own experience.