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Sea Kayaking Basic Course - Seattle - 2018

Sea Kayaking Course

Basic Sea Kayaking Course

Sea Kayaking Basic Course - Seattle

Contacts

Placeholder Contact Profile
Dennis Egan
Leader

If you’ve ever wondered what it must feel like to glide over the water in a small but seaworthy craft; if seeing marine life from a new perspective, or landing/camping on remote beaches “floats your boat”, then this comprehensive and highly-acclaimed Basic Sea Kayaking Course could be your ticket.  Offered annually by the Seattle Branch, this training is designed to prepare you for moderate fresh or salt water outings.  All of this training is conducted in single-seat kayaks with approved safety features.  For everyone’s safety, we require that you be able to swim 50 yards, and be able to re-enter a kayak from the water.  Did we mention that kayaking is best practiced as a team sport, and you’ll meet an amazingly supportive and sociable group of paddlers?

You will be introduced to the following:

1.      Equipment including kayaks, paddles, clothing, and minimum gear for safe trips

2.      Cold water environments, hypothermia and survival

3.      Rescues and the importance of team work

4.      Sea conditions including weather, waves, tides and currents

5.      Basic navigation, trip planning and seamanship

6.      Paddling skills and countering the effects of wind and waves on boat behavior

7.      Safety, conservation practices and followership

8.      Just how much FUN sea kayaking can be!

The course consists of an all-day classroom session, a three-hour pool session, an all-day open water session, and two qualifying student paddles. 

The course consists of an all-day classroom session, a three-hour pool session, an all-day open water session, and two qualifying student paddles.  Dates, locations and times for these are:

  • Classroom Session – Saturday, April 21, 2018 at the Mountaineers’ Seattle Program Center at 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm
  • Pool Sessions (Register for only one session) – Sunday, April 22, 2018 at the Juanita Aquatic Center in Kirkland
    • Session 1 – 9:00 am to noon
    • Session 2 – noon to 3:00 pm
    • Session 3 – 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
  • Open Water Session – Saturday, April 28, 2018 at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
  • Student Paddles – Four student paddles, exclusively scheduled for students of the Seattle Basic Sea Kayaking Course, are listed below as optional.  Each will accommodate 16 students.  Registration for these paddles will open on April 14th.  (Register for no more than two paddles per student).

 Attendance at the classroom session, successful completion of the pool and open water sessions, and successful completion of two qualifying student paddles (subsequent to the open water session) are required to graduate.

Additional Costs:  Students are required to provide or rent sea kayaks and equipment for the Open Water session and student paddles.  Dry suits are also required for the Open Water Session and student paddles.  Kayaks and dry suits can be rented from the Kayak Academy for $70 and $45 respectively.  Click on the “Required Equipment” tab below for more information on rentals.

Badges you will earn:

Course Requirements

This course has no scheduled activities.

Roster
Required Equipment

 

Equipment Requirements and Costs:

You must have access to a dry suit, sea kayak, and paddling accessories (paddle, PFD, spray skirt, pump, and paddle float) for the Open Water session and the two student paddles.

If you don’t have the equipment now, do not buy it before the class!  Wait to learn what you need.

This equipment can be rented.  You are not required to own a dry suit, kayak, and accessories prior to taking the course.  The course fee includes equipment for the pool session.  Rental or purchase of equipment for the open water session and student paddles is additional.  We have coordinated with Kayak Academy for kayak, and dry suit rentals for the open water session and student paddles.  The links for Kayak Academy’s Seattle BSKC students are:

Costs for kayak and dry suits rentals are $70 and $45, respectively, per day.

If you are providing a dry suit for the Open Water session, you must bring it to the class on Saturday, April 21st, to verify that it meets the club’s requirements.

If you are providing a sea kayak for the Open Water session, it must have perimeter deck lines and have floatation in both the bow and stern (either airbags or bulkheads).  You may be asked to bring it to class on Saturday, April 21st, to verify that it meets the club’s requirements.

Course Materials

You must register for this course to see course materials.