Kayak School FAQ
- Can a beginner take your Five-Day Training Camp?
- Is your Paddling Technique and Rescues Course worthwhile for intermediates?
- On the Five-Day Training Camp, do we camp out all four nights?
- Does the lesson fee include the use of a kayak?
- How do I make a reservation?
- What equipment do I need?
- How fit do I need to be?
- What about accommodations?
- Will I need a car?
- Can I rent a kayak from you?
Can a beginner take your Five-Day Training Camp?
Yes, provided you are in good shape and comfortable in water. In fact, beginners generally learn more quickly because they don't have to overcome a bunch of bad habits. If you have never been in a kayak, there are things we recommend you do to give yourself a head start - call us for more information.
Is your Paddling Technique and Rescues Course worthwhile for intermediates?
Yes! We've never had a student who was too advanced for this or our Five-Day Training Camp. Due to our maximum of three to five students in a class, we are able to push the limits of experienced kayakers without neglecting the needs of the beginners. Further, we don't divide the paddling strokes into beginning and advanced techniques -- we teach all the strokes in our most basic courses and spend lots of time practicing them.
On the Five-Day Training Camp, do we camp out all four nights?
No. The first three days we practice from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM in the greater Seattle area. It's on the last two days that we load up the kayaks with camping gear and take an overnight Training Trip. You can, however, camp on the third evening (Wednesday night) at the park where we will meet Thursday morning for the overnight trip. The night before the lesson (Sunday) and the first two nights (Monday and Tuesday) of the lesson you will need accommodations in the greater Seattle area (We will meet at a state park in Issaquah, which is 20 minutes east of Seattle). More information on hotels and camping for those nights in, What about accommodations?
Does the lesson fee include the use of a kayak?
No (with the exception of surf kayak lessons). But you can rent a kayak package from the Academy for only $25/day during lessons. The lesson fee does, however, include free use of a wet suit and/or dry suit.
First contact us by phone, or e-mail and let us know which course and dates you are interested in. If space is available, you will need to make a 50% non-refundable deposit with the balance due four weeks before the course.
Phone:(206) 527-1825
E-Mail: info@kayakacademy.com
A detailed equipment list for the specific course you are taking will be sent to you upon registration. As a minimum, you are responsible for bringing your own food (on some guided tours you can arrange for us to bring food at an added cost), water, and outdoor clothing including rain gear, water shoes or booties, shirts and pants made from synthetic fabrics, and extra layers of warm clothes to wear on shore at lunch etc. By synthetic fabrics we mean materials such as polypropylene, Polartec, Capylene, pile fleece, etc. designed to insulate even when wet. Wearing cotton is not allowed because it does not insulate when wet! Wool may be worn instead of synthetics, but it gets heavy when wet and is slow to dry -- so we strongly recommend synthetic fabrics made for outdoor recreation. We have a selection of top-of-the-line outdoor clothing and accessory items in our Retail/Mail Order catalog, and you may arrange to have equipment shipped to you or delivered at the start of your lesson (which saves you shipping fees, but adds sales tax). Unless you arrange in advance to rent it from us, on camping trips you need to provide your own backpacking style: tent, sleeping bag (if it has duck on it and/or is made of cotton it probably won't fit in a kayak), pad, stove (except for those flying in for whom we will provide a stove at no charge since stoves are a no-no on airplanes). Rental kayaks and kayak equipment are available.
You don't need to be a competitive athlete, but learning to kayak is strenuous. Learning is often more strenuous than paddling on an actual kayaking trip. The better shape you are in, the more you will get out of your lesson and the more fun it will be. As a minimum, you should be able to swim a few laps without any buoyancy aid (even though PFD's will be worn while on the water in our courses), and most importantly you must be able to lunge out of a pool without the aid of a ladder; this requirement is critical because it is very similar to what one does to re-enter their kayak after a capsize; without this ability any form of kayaking is dangerous, and we will not be able to allow you to continue with your lesson (we do not offer a refund for those who fail this exercise...if you are in doubt, go to a swimming pool or lake with a low dock or raft and test yourself before signing up). If you are reasonably fit, it is not necessary to do any special exercises prior to the lesson/trip. However, swimming laps is beneficial. If you lack the upper body strength to do a push-up, consider doing some pushing type exercises (i.e., bench presses or simulate push-ups while leaning against a wall. In kayaking, flexibility is at least as important as strength. If you have poor flexibility (can't touch your toes without bending your knees, etc.), consider doing Yoga or other gentle stretching (i.e., toe touches, slow trunk twisters, and bending to the sides). Stretch slowly, don't bounce. Start off slowly and build your routine slowly. Don't overdo any exercise or stretch.
The answer depends which lessons you are coming for.
Five-day Training Camp accommodations (starts near Issaquah, WA which is about 20 miles east of Seattle).
For the first three days (Mon. - Wen.) of the Five-day Training Camp and the whole weekend of the Paddle Strokes & Rescue Techniques, there are three hotels in Issaquah. All are within walking distance (1/2-1.5 mile) of the park where we meet for the first three days (Lake Sammamish State Park) of the 5-Day Training Camp, and the furthest two have free local shuttles that will take you to and from the park. The closest of the three hotels the Motel 6: Motel 6 (425) 392-8405 www.motel6.com (about $60/night, rooms with microwave and fridge are $3 extra). The furthest hotel is Hilton Gardens but it is also the newest and nicest: (425) 837-3600, 1800 NW Gilman Blvd. Holiday Inn is only a few blocks further away than the Motel 6 and they are next to a Tully's Coffee and a great food co-op (PCC). We've arranged special discount rates for our students at the Issaquah Holiday Inn: (425) 392-6421 (15% off their "Best Flexible Rate"), but you have to ask for this deal, $120/night. None of these hotels has their own airport shuttle, but you can get from SeaTac airport (the only Seattle area commercial airport) to these hotels via Shuttle Express van service for about $24/person each way, and it costs less to rent a car in Issaquah than at the airport. If using Shuttle Express, make a reservation with them at least a day prior to your ride. Shuttle Express: 1-800-487-RIDE or 1-800-487-7433. Enterprise has a rental car office nearby in Issaquah and they provide free shuttles from the hotels in Issaquah to their office. If you don't mind walking a bit, you can put off renting a car until Wednesday evening (and by then you may be able to arrange to share a ride with other students staying at these hotels). We sell a custom rucksack that is perfect for carrying your clothes and booties if you plan to walk from the hotel to the park. There is a supermarket sized food co-op (PCC) within walking distance (1/2 mile or less) of these hotels, and variety of restaurants near the co-op as well as a deli in the co-op. Campgrounds (commercial) are farther away: the nearest is: Vasa Park Resort (425) 746-3260 (on L. Sammamish, but only has 16 tent sites and 5 RV sites so make a reservation early), another RV park (with tent camping). For RV's there is also Issaquah Highlands Camping Club (10610 Renton-Issaquah Rd. SE, Issaquah, WA 98027 drive out and sign-up to become a member ... no phone for reservations -- S of I90 off exit 15 on SR900) about 5 miles away from the lake, and farther away is Snoqualmie River Campground which has both tent and RV spaces at (425) 222-5545 in Fall City (about a 30 minute drive east of Issaquah).
On weekend overnight Open Water Training Camp courses and the Thursday night of our Five-day Training Camps you'll load your camping gear in the kayak and paddle to an island where we will all camp out, so no hotel is needed that night. On the Wednesday night of our Five-day Training Camps you may car-camp at the park where we meet on Thursday morning (the park has hot showers for $0.25), or stay in Anacortes -- the new Anaco Bay Inn 1-877-299-3320, or Old Brook Inn which is on the way to Anacortes and small but very nice 1-800-503-4768 www.oldbrookinn.com) or stay in Seattle/Issaquah area and drive up on Thursday morning (about a two hour drive).
For the two-day River Kayak Cross Training course, there is a nearby commercial campground, contact Snoqualmie River Campground at (206) 222-5545 in Fall City, WA to make a reservation. For hotels, see the notes above for hotels in Issaquah.
HOSTELS and CAMPING
There aren't any convenient campgrounds in Seattle; the nearest RV parks are: Vasa Park Resort (425) 746-3260 (in Issaquah) only 16 tent sites and 5 RV sites so make a reservation and a KOA in Kent, 1-800-562-1892.
There is a highly rated hostel downtown Seattle, Seattle International Youth Hostel, 84 Union St. Seattle, WA 98101 Phone: 206/622-5443 ($21 - 26)
Transportation to and from the lesson is your responsibility. If you are renting a kayak from us, we will transport the kayak for you for the duration of your lesson(s). So if you rent a kayak from us you don't need to worry about having a car with a kayak rack. Most students who fly in prefer to rent a car, or share one with another student ... let us know if you are interested in sharing car expenses, and we will give your phone number and/or email address to other students so they can contact you to work out arrangements. For the first three days of the Five-Day Training Camp it is reasonably easy to get along without a car (see comments above in the "What About Accommodations" section, and skip the rest of the following comments).
For the weekend Paddle Strokes and Rescue Techniques course, it is possible to get around without a car, if you are determined enough. There are several options to get from SeaTac (the Seattle international airport) to your hotel, the best option may depend on which location your lesson is at and where you are staying.
- If you are staying at a friend or relative's house or one of the Seattle area economy hotels we list here or at a hotel in Issaquah (for the first three days of the 5-day Training Camp), the best way to get to and from the airport is an airport shuttle van service called Shuttle Express. They charge about $24/person each way, but it is only a little slower than driving yourself or taking a taxi (which is much more expensive), and they will drop you off and pick you up at any area house, hotel, etc. You need to make a reservation with them at least a day prior to your ride. Shuttle Express: 1-800-487-RIDE or 1-800-487-7433.
- If you are staying at a hotel or Youth Hostel in the downtown part of Seattle, there are several even cheaper alternatives to the above mentioned Shuttle Express vans or taxi:
- Some big hotels have their own free airport shuttle vans for people staying at their hotel, ask your hotel and set up a ride reservation with them (none of the hotels we list here offer free shuttles).
- Seattle's public buses are called "Metro". Metro bus routes #174 and #194 (These Metro buses leave SeaTac airport from the extreme south end of the airport baggage claim area) will take you to and from the airport and downtown Seattle bus terminals for about $2. From there you can transfer to other Metro busses to get around the greater Seattle area (Youth Hostel, economy hotels, etc.) ... there are Metro buses between downtown Seattle and Issaquah, but they end about 1.5 miles from any hotels in Issaquah, so Shuttle Express is a better way to go there. You don't need a reservation to ride the Metro busses, but use the Metro Web site listed below for directions and print the details - the Web site has a great trip planner that works out all the schedules and bus route numbers).
- If your not going to Issaquah, there is also a Gray Line bus from the airport to downtown Seattle for about $9 each way (Airport Express by Gray Line of Seattle). This bus only picks up and drops off at big name hotels in the downtown Seattle area only (not the Youth Hostel or any of the economy hotels we list here). If you are staying at one of the big hotels in downtown Seattle but your hotel doesn't provide a free airport shuttle service, this would only be a few dollars more than taking the Metro bus and it would be much simpler assuming it does go directly to your hotel. The Gray Line Airport Express bus leaves from the north end of the airport baggage claim area. Make a reservation with them at: Airport Express by Gray Line of Seattle, 1-800-426-7505 or 206 626-6088 or www.graylineofseattle.com
For the 5-Day Training Camp, once you get to any of the hotels in Issaquah, you can get by on foot for the first three days (see notes above on accommodations), and after that you can rent a car in Issaquah (Enterprise will pick you up at any of the hotels in Issaquah and take you to their car rental office in Issaquah) or share a ride with other students.
Can I rent a kayak from you for my lesson?
Yes, and we will even bring the kayak to and from the lesson for you. If you rent a kayak from us, we will pick a kayak that fits you well and will make learning easy. For multi-day lessons you may even be able to try out more than one kayak.