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Improver Sea Kayaking Course

2 days Arisaig Your choice Group size up to 6

What To Expect This sea kayaking course is designed to help those who have some kayaking experience and want to really start to develop their skill and knowledge or just want to spend a bit more time in a sea kayak - building confidence and experience and having a good time exploring. The Arisaig coastline offers some classic day trips that we can tackle or we have plenty of scope to introduce you to more dynamic water. We will offer sea kayak coaching on an individual basis to help you build sea kayaking confidence and skill.

Trip Highlights   A 2 day improver sea kayaking course, based on 2 consecutive day trips based in Arisaig.

  • Explore the coast on varied journeys.
  • Choose accommodation that suits you - hotel, B&B, hostel or camp.
  • Build on your existing skills and develop your sea kayaking knowledge. 

Grade:

Dates and Prices

Scroll down or click to see the trip story or the detailed trip information

Course Content

Strong foundations -

To start this course - we'd jump in the kayaks, go for a short paddle and then aim to get to grips with the basic strokes we use to control our sea kayaks and how to make them more powerful and effective.

We'll help you develop your basic stroke set so that you have an understanding of power transfer and blade awareness.

Nothing overly complicated - we'll just aim to provide you with a template for an effective paddle stroke.

Developing Kayaking Confidence -

We'll aim to work on developing confidence throughout the 2 days.

Remaining calm and confident is one of the most important things for succesful paddling in rougher water and more challenging situations - but it's much easier said than done.

It's important that we take a very progressive approach - we'll aim to set challenges that give you choice over how you engage with them.

We'll also choose our paddling locations carefully so that the demands of the environment don't exceed the groups skill and fitness.

If you do want to push yourself or try something new then we'll be on hand with gentle encouragment and coaching to help you feel safe and ready.

Journeying and Exploring -

We'll complete a full day journey on each day of the course - Arisaig has lots of excellent coastline within easy reach.

As we explore the coastline we'll encounter different situations and conditions that enable you to use your skill and knowledge in a variety of contexts. You'll gain more experience and see some stunning coastline at the same time.

We'll always be on hand to offer encouragement and coaching tips and you'll have plenty of opportunity to ask questions and to learn more about the aspects of paddling a sea kayak that you are interested in.

 

Progression -

By the end of this course you should feel more confident in a sea kayak. This may help you start to take on more demanding journeys or join an expedition, or you may just want to feel safer and more in control of your sea kayak on any journey.

This course forms an excellent option if you'd like a bit more time in a kayak before taking on an expedition, or if you are a bit out of practice and want a warm up weekend before a bigger trip.

The course could also form an Introduction to sea kayaking if you have plenty of experience with another paddlesport such as SUP, white water kayaking or canoeing.

Trip Information

Accommodation No accommodation is included.

Food No food is included.

Start and Finish Meet at 09.30, Finish at 16.30. Meet in Arisaig.

Group Up to 6 people with one guide.

Kit List Our Day trip kit list applies to this trip. All specialist kayaking equipment can be provided.

Trip Grade This is trip is ideally suited to those who have some experience and confidence in a sea kayak and are keen to explore more challenging day trips or develop their skills. The days we complete as part of this trip may feature some rougher water to help develop your skill and experience. This trip is useful for those who want to complete a more challenging trip or expedition but feel they need some more coaching or experience first.

Location

Frequently Asked Questions 

Individuals, couples or small groups of friends.

The weather on the West coast of Scotland can vary through the course of the season and from area to area - Scottish islands and coastline can see dramatically better weather and more sunshine than more mountainous areas inland. The wind speed and sea state are the primary factors that affect the trip - if the conditions are difficult then we will seek out a more sheltered section of coast to run the trip. You should note that it is very rare that we have to stay off the water on multi-day trips and the vast majority of trips run as planned. For full terms and conditions see the link below. You can read more about the weather/cancellation/booking on our FAQ page.

A 25% deposit is required at the time of booking, the balance is due 6 weeks prior to the trip, for cancellation policy please see our full terms and conditions.

We have a much larger FAQ page that covers all aspects of sea kayak trips with us.

Other Trips to Consider

Full list - Sea kayak courses