Course List and Short Descriptions
Click on the links below for more information on each class. The course pages include a list of upcoming dates for that class.
101 Beginning Sea Kayak Safety Skills
Get off to a great start by learning the basic sea kayak safety skills and paddle strokes. No prior kayaking experienced required; if you can swim, you can take this course.
111 Paddling Strokes & Rescue Techniques
Learn sea kayaking's physical skills: strokes, rolls, and rescues. Open to fit beginners, but no kayaker is too experienced to benefit from this training. The more skill you bring into this class, the higher the level we'll take you to. This is the most thorough sea kayak paddling skills course in the world.
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.
115 Five-Day Kayak Training Camp
Our most comprehensive sea kayaking course. Start with an expanded three-day version of our Paddle Strokes and Rescue Techniques course on Lake Sammamish (E. of Seattle), and cap it off with a two-day overnight camping Open Water Training Camp course in the San Juan Islands.
202 Tidal Rapids Training ...in Deception Pass
Learn how to play with, instead of fear, tide rips and rough water! One full day in the amazing tidal rapids at Deception Pass.
204 Ocean Surf Kayaking
Ride waves, carve turns, and learn to launch and land in surf. The best bracing practice there is, and an outrageously fun time!
206 River Kayak Cross Training for Sea Kayakers
Don't start over. Learn river kayaking as an extension of your sea kayaking skills. Advance your boat handling skills, and learn a new venue for fun! A two-day course for kayakers who already have a roll.
211 San Juan Island Circumnavigation Training Trip
Circumnavigate San Juan Island, WA on this Training Trip with fives days and four nights of camping and intermediate level sea kayak paddling with training.
302 High Wind Training
Are you prepared for getting caught in gale force conditions? 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 our most challenging one-day course. You must be an experienced paddler with training under your belt to qualify. This course is only offered once per year (June or July), start preparing now for next year's class by signing up for our Surfing, Tidal Rapids Training, and Cross Over River Training classes this year.
311 Cattle Pass Tide Rip Training
Big adventure on a one-day advanced level trip. Paddle the most challenging pass in the San Juan Islands on a day when the currents are strong. Yes, one day due to the tides.
401 Exposed Coast Training Expedition - Sitka, Alaska
The ultimate advanced sea kayak adventure ... ten days in SE Alaska. Spend eight days paddling and wilderness camping with George Gronseth and Barb Sherrill on the exposed open coast of the Pacific Ocean in Alaska. 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 own future wilderness kayak expeditions. All this while spending over a week exploring a beautiful Alaskan wilderness coastline teeming with wildlife and the historic Russian outpost town of Sitka!
Tues. Evening Wet Kayaking Skills & Drills
An informal weekly practice session for Kayak Academy alumni with Bob Burnett and/or other Kayak Academy staff.
Kids Kayak Day Camp
Five-day Kids Kayak Camp based at Lake Sammamish State Park Swim Beach, Issaquah, Washington. Have fun while learning kayak paddle strokes and safety skills. Some highlights of the week include building and racing cardboard kayaks, exploring Issaquah creek, and taking a day-long kayak trip on the final day. Sorry, the lesson is for kids only, ages 11 - 17.