Main courses

FK 101: Beginning Family Kayaking and Safety Skills

Learn how to kayak safely and have fun while your doing it with the whole family! You and your group will be taught fundamental kayak safety skills and how to paddle effectively. Must know how to swim.

SK 101: Beginning Sea Kayak Safety Skills

Get off to a great start! Learn basic kayak safety skills and paddling strokes. No prior experienced required; if you can swim, you can take this course.

SK 102: Sea Kayak Boat Handling Intro

Learn to edge, balance and brace while moving sideways, backwards, and forwards. These skills will enhance your kayaking control and safety. SK101 or equivalent required.

SK 103: Beginning Level Kayak Roll Training

This beginning rolling lesson is for both river and sea kayakers. If your other kayak lessons didn't include rolling, or you used to be able to roll but lost it, this is the kayak roll training for you.

SK 110: Saltwater Day-Trip - Not offered for 2024 season

A kayaking trip for those that want to learn about navigation, tides, and paddling in Puget Sound.

SK 113: Open Water Training Camp

...in the San Juan Islands!

Paddle through waves, cross eddy lines, and get hands-on experience at kayaking leadership and navigation, reading water, weather observations, predicting tides and currents, and kayak trip planning. If you own a sea kayak, you need this course.

SK 115: Five-Day Kayak Training Camp

Our most comprehensive sea kayaking course. Start with an expanded three-day version of our SK 101 Paddle Strokes and Rescue Techniques course on Lake Sammamish (E. of Seattle), and cap it off with a two-day overnight camping SK 113, Open Water Training Camp course in the San Juan Islands.

SK 203: Intermediate Level Kayak Roll Training - Not offered for 2024 season

This rolling lesson is for both river and sea kayakers. You must already have a roughly 50% success rate on your roll.

SK 213: Tidal Rapids Kayak Training

...in Deception Pass!

Learn to play with, instead of fearing, tide rips and rough water! One full day in the amazing tidal rapids at Deception Pass.

SK 223: Ocean Surf Kayaking

Ride waves, carve turns, and learn to surf in a kayak. The best bracing practice there is, and an outrageously fun time!

SK 303: Combat Rolling - Not offered for 2024 season

Get your roll working when it really counts - when it's not just practice.

SK 311: High Wind Training

Wind happens. Are you prepared? Test your skills in the high winds and steep waves that make the Gorge on the Columbia River a world famous destination for expert sail boarders. This is a challenging two-day course. You must be an experienced paddler with training and a good roll under your belt to qualify.

SK 401: Exposed Coast Expedition Training - Sitka, Alaska - Not offered for 2024 season

The ultimate advanced sea kayak adventure ... two days exploring Sitka, AK and eight days paddling in the SE Alaska wilderness. Join George and
Barb Gronseth to kayak and wilderness camp on the exposed open coast of Alaska, right on the Pacific Ocean. Discover what it's like to leave the sheltered waters (and crowds) behind and paddle out into the open ocean. Along the way you'll learn to plan and lead your very own future wilderness kayak expeditions and get to spend over a week exploring the beautiful Alaskan wilderness coastline, which is teeming with wildlife, and the historic Russian outpost town of Sitka!

Other Kayak Courses Of Interest For Sea Kayakers

SK 116: Greenland Boat Handling Intro - Not offered for 2024 season

Want to learn how to kayak like the Greenlanders do? We will show you how. This class will teach you the history of the Greenland kayak and paddle along with Greenland style boat handing and paddling techniques.

SK 117: Greenland Rolling Intro - Not offered for 2024 season

Start learning the traditional rolling and bracing techniques with a Greenland "stick" paddle.

Events & Special Kayak Training Courses

The following are kayak courses that don't neatly fit into the above progressions. Click the course name links in blue for more details on each course's schedule and specifics on what's included, prerequisites, and tuition fees.

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Sea Kayaking Course List & Short Descriptions