Open Water Training Camp

(two-days plus overnight kayak camping in the San Juan Islands -- no ferry boat ride...we paddle to our camping destination)

Get experience paddling in open water while learning to navigation from the deck of a sea kayak

Take the guesswork out of navigating and the fear out of paddling through waves and eddy lines. This course is like two lessons combined into one spectacular trip in the beautiful San Juan Islands. It bridges the gaps between theory and practical experience for both your paddling technique and trip planning/leadership skills. Many students find this course so interesting and valuable they take it twice! No-one is too experienced to benefit from this course -- even if you've done lot of trips in the San Juan Islands before (instructors, guides, and kayakers with ten or more years of experience are consistently blown away by how much they learned from George on this over night camping trip). If you own a sea kayak or are about to buy one, you owe it to yourself to take this course; once you've completed our "Paddle Strokes and Rescue Techniques" course you'll be ready.

For both the mental and physical skills, this is a hands-on, learn-by-doing course with the water as your classroom. Each student is provided with their own chart, compass, and tide tables.* With these tools in hand and the water in front of you, you'll not only learn to predict tides and currents - you'll learn to: check your predictions by observing the rise or fall of the tide, read the water so as to see the current and eddies with your own eyes, interpret marine weather forecasts and observe the weather and understand the significance of it's trends, take compass bearings to fix your position and determine ferry angles, read charts to avoid hazards, decide when to go ahead and when to wait for ships to pass, and that's literally just the beginning! Even at camp the learning continues as you'll practice using techniques for night navigation, vessel and light identification and more ... it's non-stop learning.

On the water, each student takes turns navigating and leading the group during island crossings in current and taking part in the decision making along the way. You'll also be given opportunities to test your paddling skills in rough water with George Gronseth there to coach and watch over you. Paddle through waves, surf in tide rips, cross eddy lines ... take advantage of this opportunity to push your limits with George by your side. This course puts it all together on a fun trip full of learning, decision making practice, and self-selected physical challenges.

Even if leading trips isn't your main goal, this course will give you the ability to anticipate, evaluate, and avoid trouble which will lower your anxiety while paddling with others and make you a safer more self-sufficient member of any group.

Although whale and bird watching aren't the focus of these trips, it's not uncommon to see porpoise, seals, bald eagles, oyster catchers, and sometimes orca and other whales on this trip. There are hundreds of islands in the San Juan archipelago, and they are well-known for their natural beauty and wildlife. Few people know these islands and the winds and tidal currents around them as well as George. Most of the challenges sea kayakers face are found in the San Juan Islands. This is bad news for the clueless paddlers, but it's great for those prepared to test and advance their skills -- let George show you how.

We guarantee that you will find this course worthwhile or your money back.

Open Water Training Camps are offered as camping trips in conjunction with the Thur. - Fri. part of our 5-Day Training Camps and occasionally we offer the "Open Water Training Camps" on their own on weekends.

* Handouts include the Kayak Academy's exclusive unpublished 66 page, "Trip Planning & Leadership Guide", by George Gronseth. You also get to keep a set of Washington tide and current tables, and the Kayak Academy's waterproof log book with guides to making useful logbook entries and float plans.

Prerequisites: our Paddling Strokes & Rescue Techniques course
Location: San Juan Islands, near Anacortes, Washington
Tuition: $446 (includes use of wet suit), nine students maximum in the group with 5/1 student/instructor ratio
Instructor: George Gronseth (plus staff for groups over five)

"I thought I knew how to navigate, but compared to what you taught us my former navigation skill was the technical equivalent of rubbing sticks together to make a fire." K.K. Edmonds, WA

"We were talking on the way back home about how you pushed our envelope but not anyone's safety. It really built my confidence." M.H. Mercer I., WA

"Eddy lines used to terrify me, and I avoided them as much as possible. Thanks to your Training Trip I now know I can handle them." J.A. Seattle, WA

"As beginners, we were a little nervous at first, but by the end of the weekend we had confidence were able to relax and enjoy being out there in our kayaks." M. & D. W. Seattle, WA

Call us to make a reservation or E-Mail us for more information:
Phone/Voice mail (206) 527-1825

View the Course Schedule

© George Gronseth 2003, all rights reserved.