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Instruction scheduled programs & custom programs

Sea Kayak Georgia offers a complete range of sea kayak instruction and certification based on the schools of the American Canoe Association (ACA) and the British Canoe Union (BCU) , and our own brand of instructing and coaching that has served us well over the years.

Taking a day of instruction increases your skill level quickly and dramatically. Learn how to kayak correctly from the beginning and your years of enjoyment will only be more fun, safe and efficient.

Our facility has two classrooms where we can discuss weather, tides, currents and their effects on sea kayakers. Our showroom is the perfect place to discuss gear and boat design. Following classroom activities and orientation, we get on the water for a bit of practical training, fun and games, and on water demonstrations.

Our online schedule listed dates for the below planned courses. Custom programs can be scheduled to match your available dates if our schedule doesn't.

Sea Kayak Georgia Programs
Level 1 Intro to Sea Kayaking is the place to start. Kayaking is about having fun and doing it safely and efficiently. You will learn how to dress, what to take with you, simple rescues combined with the paddling skills to maneuver comfortably on still water.
Paddling environment: Flat calm water

Level 2 Basics & Foundation is the next class to attend after you have been introduced to kayaking. There is more emphasis on practicing a simple rescue sequence and understanding the basics of tides and currents. You will learn good posture and how the body works as one unit while increasing your paddling skills. You will also begin to understand how the boat responds to edging and leaning.
Paddling environment: Flat calm water

Level 3 Strokes Beyond the Basics puts levels 1 & 2 together and enables you to maneuver and position your kayak in a controlled and accurate manner. Use edging and support strokes together for total boat control. Good technique is emphasized to promote accuracy with grace and style.
Paddling environment: Flat calm water

Level 4 Intermediate Strokes and Safety takes paddling skills out in mild conditions. Flatwater skills will be challenged and further refined to increase confidence and boat control. Along with maneuvering and bracing in conditions, we will learn to control and paddle in the wind.
Paddling environment: mild conditions, 1-2 foot seas

Level 5 Open Water Paddling explores navigation, paddling in surf, beach landings, rescues in rough water, towing, leadership skills , total awareness. All this will be taught and practiced while on a sea kayak journey.
Paddling environment: moderate conditions, 2-4 foot seas

Rescues and Towing covers assisted rescues, self rescues, paddling with a flooded boat, towing in calm water and in mild conditions.

Navigation & Tides for Local Paddling I the first part of the day is classroom work. This is a perfect course for those who live in the local area or plan to paddle regularly on the coast. Here we will learn to read and interpret a nautical chart and tide log, how to use a compass, plot a course, heading and bearing and how to determine speed and distance. After lunch we take a journey and put our navigation skills to use. This class is geared to the beginner and intermediate paddler.

Navigation, Tide, Current and Trip Planning II take Nav 1 and add open water, wind, waves, tides and current.
The course is for intermediate to advanced paddlers and goes well with Rough Water Training. A great course to get immersed in the diversity this area has to offer.

Bracing, Skulling and Rolling build skills development by spending a day working on support strokes. Bracing, balance bracing, rolling and rescue techniques will figure into this day on the water. Bring your nose clips and plan to be wet all day.

Rolling Clinic is a skills building class focusing on students learning how to recover from capsizing. You should plan on spending the day in the water, dress accordingly. Bring your nose clips, they will add to your comfort level. Learning to roll will give you confidence in developing all other skills and venturing into varying conditions. It is also incredibly fun.

Rolling Clinic Pool Session
During the cooler months of November through March indoor pool rolling sessions will be offered.
These sessions are a great way to continue your roll practice throughout the winter.

Rough Water Intro introduces skills beyond flat calm water, combine tidal influence with current and swell. Learn to manuever in conditions. Work on strokes, rescues and towing.

Rough Water Intermediate refine intro skills, add bigger swell and more breaking waves. Manuever and navigate in conditions. Refine strokes, rescues and navigate through areas of rough water.

Sea Kayak Surfing Intro An introduction to the skills needed to play safely in the surf, followed by a practice session in small waves. Included in this class, we cover how to take advantage of a following sea, setting up to land, riding the wave and the foam pile. Leaving the beach, stroke timing and basic tactics for dealing with on-coming waves are covered.
You need a helmet, and must be able to self rescue

Sea Kayak Surfing Intermediate Join this class if you have some rough water experience, but not much in the sea or breaking waves. Go beyond the basics and have your strokes, boat control and timing fine tuned.
You need a helmet, and must be able to roll

Sea Kayak Surfing Advanced Step it up a bit in this class and go sea kayaking in Tybee Island's famous Triangle. If you have good bracing skills with a combat roll and are looking for something a bit more challenging this is the class for you. Join instructors who spend a lot of time surfing sea kayaks and are willing to pass along some knowledge.
You need a helmet, and must be able to roll

Canoe Instruction through CanoeCanoe Outfitters we have a whole team of canoes and two instructors to introduce you to canoeing in the estuaries locally or on the inland rivers.

Expedition Training Camping and Overnight trips are one of our favorite activities. Expeditioning on the Georgia coast is both rewarding and challenging.

Private Instruction consists of custom programs that are created to accommodate the needs of your group or family. We can offer customized programs for groups or families of any skill level. We can customize guide training programs for other outfitters at our site or yours.

Scheduled courses run throughout the year. Our courses include lifevest, kayak, paddle and any other gear needed for educational purposes on the water such as: paddlefloats, pumps, helmets, paddlejackets, and wetsuits.

Symposium
Every October we host our spectacular Sea Kayak Georgia Skills Symposium and BCU Week. Coaches and students from all reaches join together for a wonderful networking of education, self discovery, and meeting new friends and seeing old friends again. Five days of trainings, assessments, fun classes fill the day light hours. In the evenings we get together for two group dinners and presentations about paddling destinations around the world. Please join us for all five days or a day or two on the weekend.


ACA Programs American Canoe Association
Level 1 Kayaking Introduction
Introduction to Kayaking is a six-hour course focusing on skills needed for any type of kayak including but not limited to sit on tops, recreational, folding and inflatable. Presentations include dressing to paddle safely and potential paddling hazards. Simple rescues are demonstrated by the instructor combined with the paddling skills practiced by students to maneuver safely and comfortably on still water. Designed as a stand-alone course, students desiring more intensive skills would proceed to Level 2 or 3 courses to continue the learning and refinement process, as one progresses forward, the track to follows depends on interest and kayak type.

Level 2 Coastal Kayak
Essentials of Kayak Touring is an eight-hour course focused on helping the student learn to travel safely and efficiently by kayak of the types designated as sit on top, folding, inflatable and "recreational." There is more emphasis on practicing a simple rescue sequence, understanding the very basics of tides and currents, use of a compass (safety bearing), rules for paddling in channels with and without boat traffic, use of VHF radio and weather radio and other emergency equipment. The graduates should stay within swimming distance of shore in areas with no conditions such as wind, waves, or current.

Level 3 Coastal Kayak
Coastal Kayak Basic Strokes & Rescues is an eight-hour course focused on helping the student learn to travel safely and efficiently by kayak of the type designated as a sea kayak with bulkheads or flotation. There is more emphasis on self-rescue and assisted-rescue techniques and the stability strokes are introduced. Also, Rules of the Navigable Road, tides and currents, wind and waves, emergency equipment, use of VHF radios and weather radios, understanding charts and basic use of a compass are covered in more depth. Graduates should be capable of paddling up to half mile off shore with mild conditions such as light and variable winds, up to one foot of wind chop, and current speeds up to 1 knot.

Kayak Rolling is a 2-6-hour course that is designed to by used with river and sea kayak hard shell, closed-deck designs. Students will learn the fundamental components of the roll and improve their bracing skills.

Coastal Kayak Strokes & Maneuvers Refinement is a 7-8-hour course to assist students at all levels in refining their strokes and maneuvers in a sea kayak with bulk heads or flotation. Graduates of this course may desire to re-take the course at any time to further refine techniques such as style, bracing, low/high brace turns, bow rudder, side slips and stern rudder.

Level 4 Coastal Kayak
Coastal Kayak Open Water Skills is an eight-hour course focused on helping the student learn to travel safely and efficiently by kayak of the type designated as a sea kayak with bulkheads or flotation, including some introductory navigation, boat lean and edging, introduction to kayak maneuvers and open water rescues. Graduates of this course should be capable of paddling up to one mile off shore with some moderate conditions but not white caps or current speeds beyond 2 knots. (prerequisite required)

Coastal Kayak Surf Zone is a 7-8-hour course designed to help students learn to launch and land safely through waves up to 3 feet high in sea kayaks with bulk heads or flotation. Graduates of this course will be introduced to the nomenclature and personal experience of the surf zone, timing, and side-surfing techniques. (prerequisite required)

Coastal Kayak Tidal Currents is a 7-8-hour course that focuses on estimating, reading, and maneuvering in currents up to 4 knots caused by tidal exchange around coastal contours in sea kayaks with bulk heads or flotation. Students will be introduced to the process of reading tide prediction charts, studying the water, and controlling the kayak in strong flow. (prerequisite required)

Level 5 Coastal Kayak
Coastal Kayak Rough Water Maneuvering & Towing is an eight-hour course focused on helping the student learn to handle a kayak of the type designated as a sea kayak with bulkheads or flotation in challenging conditions. Skills will include but not be limited to a variety of rescue techniques and towing, maneuvering the sea kayak in the wind. Graduates of this class may be capable of handling sea conditions including white caps, waves to three feet, and currents to 5 knots. (prerequisite required)

Coastal Kayak Advanced Surf Zone is a 7-8-hour course designed to introduce the concepts of reading and surfing waves up to 4 feet high in sea kayaks with bulk heads or flotation or kayaks of the kind called whitewater or surf kayaks or even sit on tops with thigh straps. Students will be introduced to surf etiquette, wave selection, positioning and maneuvers in the surf. (Prerequisite required)

Trip Leader
Coastal Kayaking Day-Trip Leading Assessment is intended to provide the minimum skills and training necessary for an adult leader possessing basic paddling skills (see prerequisite below) to lead a trip for participants with beginner level paddling skills, in gentle conditions, with apparent wind not exceeding 10 knots, waves not exceeding 1 foot and currents to 2 knots. The emphasis of this course is trip leading, safety education and rescue, not paddling instruction. The content is relevant for clubs, camps, scouts and other entities providing trips. This is an Assessment Course with a written Examination, administered by a CK Instructor Trainer. Those desiring certification to teach kayak paddling should get ACA Instructor Certifications.

ACA Instructor Development and Certification

ACA Instructor Coastal Kayaking Certifications are awarded at five levels:
Level 1: Introduction to Kayaking (not discipline specific)
Level 2: Essentials of Kayak Touring
Level 3: Coastal Kayaking
Level 4: Open Water Coastal Kayaking
Level 5: Advanced Open Water Coastal Kayaking

Each level requires a more advanced understanding of:
safety awareness
general technical knowledge
paddling skills
teaching skills

Each level requires:
Completion of a course of instruction at the same skill level or higher
Successful completion of an Instructor Development Workshop (IDW)
Successful completion of an Instructor Certification Exam (ICE)
The purpose of the IDW is to help instructor candidates learn how to teach.
The purpose of the ICE is to evaluate the candidate in each of the above areas.
Please call us for more details regarding instructor development and certification.

BCU Programs British Canoe Union
1 Star
2 Star
3 Star Sea
4 Star Sea Leader