CHALLENGING, EXCITING AND FUN

This course is designed for Beginner to Intermediate paddlers, we can even put an expert through their paces. Our courses are often described as challenging, exciting and heaps of fun!

Our popular two day course is designed to give you the fundamental skills necessary to start sea kayaking safely on protected waters and to attain your Paddle Australia Basic Skills Award.

With its mix of paddle skills, half day guided paddle* and theoretical knowledge it is a great weekend's experience. Our Instructor/Student ratio is a maximum of 1:6, so you are assured of first class tuition and service. 

*Weather dependant

Unable to spend a full weekend or want one-on-one tuition? This course is also available as one full day Private Tuition, one-on-one instruction - this will usually be midweek but some weekend days possible earlier or later in the season.

Click on Calendar dates for availability. This will take you to our Fareharbour booking page - rates per person will be visible there.

The Sea Starter course highlights and outcomes:

Sea Starter Courses are held monthly at our Training & Hire Centre at Sandringham over two days: Saturday and Sunday. 

You also have the opportunity to qualify for your Paddle Australia Basic Skills Award

what does it include?

• Includes sea kayak and accessories, safety gear, paddling jacket and/or wetsuit (depending on weather). You will usually be in a single kayak but if two people are booking together and wish to be in a double, let us know.

• Opportunity to qualify for your Paddle Australia (PA) Basic Skills Award

Children aged 7-14 years - must paddle a double sea kayak with an adult (children at adult price)

Children under 7 years old - we request that you contact is to book Private Tuition for your family adventure

Program Details 

The April Sea Starter Course is a special course with extra emphasis on Expeditioning.

Contact us to discuss your preferred dates.

WHAT TO WEAR TO YOUR COURSE / TRAINING SESSION:

One of the aspects of learning to kayak that we will discuss in your session will be what to wear.

6 Reasons to ENROL

1. Fun, fun, fun. Good skills means you can have more fun on the water.

2. Become a better paddler faster! Good instruction means you can gain skills in 2 days that would take a lot longer to gain on your own.

3. Increase your confidence with the ability to competently perform basic sea kayaking rescues.

4. Start with good habits and avoid having to get rid of bad habits later on.

5. Learning to paddle within a group is a supportive and fun environment in which to learn.

6. Kayaking must be taught practically - you can’t learn by reading a book.

Sea Starter Course Testimonials

Inspirational, loved it

Having done some river paddling and a little coast hugging exploration, I decided it was time to do the sensible thing and get some quality instruction. After doing some research, East Coast Kayaks Sea Starter course came up top of the list and Rohan and instructor Pete didn’t disappoint.  
The course takes you through the fundamentals of paddling and perhaps more importantly, introduces all aspects of safety and trip planning necessary for a protected waters paddle. The information is comprehensive, but well-paced and the two day format allows you time to take in what’s presented on day one and raise any questions or queries the next day as you head back to the water to put it into practice. Pete and Rohan’s knowledge, experience and practical tips were inspirational and in addition to the structured course, a whole lot can be learnt just watching these guys on the water.
If you’re considering taking your paddling and more importantly your understanding of the ocean and our local conditions to the next level, or you just want to have a very cool weekend, I’d highly recommend taking the course. I’ll be back for the Beyond Basics course too. 

Peter Wilson  

 

Awesome! Sea Starter Course 

We travelled down from Gippsland lakes to attend the sea starter course and it was well worth the journey! The instructors were friendly and helpful and had no issues giving our son the initial, on land, one-to-one instruction he needed to settle him into the course. Additionally, I felt the mix of instruction vs practical application was spot on! Resulting in a well organised and resourced program that was enjoyed by both our fourteen year old and our more seasoned selves. 
The weather on our October course weekend presented us with strong offshore winds on the second day, however, the team had planned for the changed conditions and I really felt it did not detract from our overall enjoyment of the weekend. We had one very intense and fun filled day on the water, followed by a morning of instruction, inside the relaxed atmosphere of the cafe'. 
Thank you EastCoast Kayaking for a wonderful weekend adventure! We look forward to returning  

Lisa

Fantastic Confidence Booster

Just a quick email to again say thanks heaps for last weekend's Sea Starter Course - it was great fun and a fantastic confidence booster. I have no constructive or otherwise criticisms to give, keep doing what you're doing - it was very well done.

 James

I learned so much

I really enjoyed the course on the weekend, it was very well organised and I learned so much. I really appreciated the encouragement I received from both of you during the weekend, and felt a lot more confident by Sunday afternoon, thanks to your expertise and support, even though it was a challenge with the strong winds. Thanks so much.

 Sarah

Brilliant weekend

Hi Rohan just a quick note to say thanks to you guys for a brilliant weekend, went for a paddle (sit on top) last night on the Barwon River and will get out again today I hope. Once agin we love courses like you run as you get an idea of where the ‘fit’ is in terms of the bigger picture

Adam