Kayak Foundations
A four-week course designed to give you the skills and knowledge for a lifetime of paddle adventures!

Our Kayak Foundations Course is designed to give you all the skills and knowledge you need to make kayaking a part of your life, whether it’s adventuring out to that coastal island, or planning a fun trip for your friends or family!

Developing your kayaking skills allows you to take your adventure beyond.

The more you can do, the more you can do…

Each session will consist of a dryland discussion where we introduce the skill or technique, easy to understand cues to check progress, as well as when and how to apply the skill. Paddlers will have ample time to practice and explore each skill while receiving personalized feedback from the instructors. We will also complete point to point paddles that will allow us to string together the different strokes and maneuvers learned during the skills practice. In addition to focusing on the individual skills and how to apply them while en route, we’ll also have the chance to gradually increase our paddling speed, endurance, and fitness.

For each course, paddlers can choose to register with equipment rental, or bring your own kayak.

Skills Covered in the Course Include:

Efficient forward paddling
Sweep Strokes
Edging
Kayak T-rescue
Towing
Stern Rudder
Draw strokes

Learn from the best

Kayak Foundations lays the groundwork for a lifetime of fun and adventure on the water! Our experienced instructors offer personalized instruction with a focus on foundational skills that will serve as a basis for all future learning and development. During this four-week course we’ll introduce a variety of paddle strokes and skills designed to help you have the most control of (and fun in!!) your kayak.

During our time on and off the water, you’ll learn:

  • Proper forward paddling technique and why it matters.

  • Directional control, learning to turn the kayak when desired, or keep it tracking straight when that is the goal.

  • How to perform a deep water rescue in the event of a capsize.

  • Navigation and weather: we’ll look at how wind and tide combine to determine the current paddling conditions, and how to alter planned routes when possible, or utilize coastal topography to minimize exposure.

Dates for 2024

Monday Evenings, June 25th - July 15th (6-8pm)

Launching from Independence Park, Beverly, MA