Crosscurrents Kayak

We wrapped up our last scheduled Paddle Canada Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills course of the season on Sunday. We had a small, enthusiastic group and had the opportunity to dip our toes into a bit of wind, see the start of the California sea lion migration, and enjoy a lemon blueberry cake that survived re-entry practice in a hatch (!!), intermixed with strokes, re-entries and trip planning theory. Congratulations to our two successful students on their new skillsets. Look for us on the water next year, offering Paddle Canada Basic, Level 1 and Level 2 Skills courses, plus group and private clinics. 😎🌊
https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/

When one of your students brings a treat for the class, puts it in your front hatch while you're doing other things, and after the lesson you open the hatch to find a cardboard box with an entire lemon blueberry ring cake stashed in there!! And it survived wet exit/re-entry demonstrations and practice intact! Thank you, Gail, for the lovely surprise during our Canada Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills course, day 2 of 3! 😎

It was a hot one for our Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills course yesterday in Nanaimo -- which made it easy and fun to do wet exit and re-entry practice at the end of the day. 😎 Great work by all our students: such a big improvement in everyone's skillsets and confidence on the water. 👍👍
Our next Basic Kayak Skills course runs Wednesday August 21 in Nanaimo. Kayak/equipment rental available!
https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/paddle-canada-basic-kayak-skills/

Another fun, skill-building Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills wrapped up on Saturday! Our six students rocked the wet exit/re-entry procedures part of the course.... In fact, they all named it a highlight of their day, despite some nerves beforehand! This course is a real confidence booster, and it really showed with this group, as their boat control, paddling strokes and wet exits all improved by leaps and bounds during our day on the water. Congratulations, everyone!
Our next Basic Kayak Skills courses run July 19, July 20, August 17 and August 18 in Nanaimo. Kayak and gear rentals available. See you on the water! 😎
https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/paddle-canada-basic-kayak-skills/

Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills is a GO tomorrow! We have a full class and can’t wait for the learning to begin! We have more courses upcoming July 19, July 20, August 17 and August 18. Kayak and gear rental available. See you on the water! 😎
https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/paddle-canada-basic-kayak-skills/

Congratulations to our latest Paddle Canada Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills course graduates! Our four students persevered through some rainy weather as we packed a whole lot of learning, skill development and on-water practice into our two days and one evening together. Strokes, re-entry procedures, trip planning and more! It was a pleasure to see these students grow into more technically proficient, confident paddlers over the course of the weekend. 😎
Our next Level 1 courses with seats available run July 26-28 and August 23-25 in Nanaimo. Kayak and gear rental available.
https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/paddle-canada-level-1-sea-kayak-skills/

We have seats available in the following upcoming clinics and courses, all in the Nanaimo area:
- Chart-Based Navigation Clinic - June 7-8 🗺
- Underwater Composure Clinic - June 19, July 17 or August 21 🤿
- Rescue Scenarios Clinic - June 19, July 17 or August 21 🛶
- Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills - June 22, July 19, July 20, August 17 ⛱
- Paddle Canada Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills - July 26-28 or August 23-25 1️⃣
- Paddle Canada Level 2 Sea Kayak Skills - September 7-9 & 11-12 (five days total) 2️⃣

For full details and registration, click the image link below...👇

Courses & Clinics Quality instruction for new & developing paddlers All our courses, clinics and lessons adhere to the instruction and certification standards set by Paddle Canada, Canada’s national associ…

We ran our first Underwater Composure clinic of the season today -- with fantastic results for our two students! One student overcame a self-confessed "terror" of capsize to complete multiple calm, controlled wet exits while maintaining full control of paddle and kayak, then moved on to do some body awareness exercises with confidence! Our other student overcame some nerves at the outset and worked through a series of increasingly complex challenges. She was soon tying and untying knots and writing notes underwater -- and capping each exercise off with a controlled wet exit to boot! Way to go, Lone and Laura!! 👍👍
Want to improve your confidence and composure with capsize and wet exit? Our next Underwater Composure clinic runs June 19. Space is limited....See you there! 😎
https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/underwater-composure-clinics/

Another day, another drysuit gasket repair — or two! I go through gaskets quite quickly, so I try to repair torn gaskets at least a few times before replacing them completely. This is also a good skill to have for repairs in the field. 👍🏻

I spent a sunny Sunday afternoon with a wonderful group of hosts from the Nanaimo Paddlers club, sharing a few exercises to boost Underwater Compose (calm and poise when capsized), participating in a discussion about the Hand of God rescue technique, and accompanying a small group on the water to review and refine assisted and unassisted rescue techniques. I have been an active member of Nanaimo Paddlers for years, and I always enjoy the time I spend on the water with this talented group of paddlers. Thanks to the club for inviting me out, and to Ian Baker for the photos. 😎☀️🌊

We had a fantastic small group for our first Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills course of the season in Nanaimo! These paddlers did so well with their wet exit and re-entry procedures that we had time to cover extra material! 👍 It was a day of skill building, confidence boosting, and group camaraderie -- with lots of smiles and laughter throughout. Congratulations, Carolyn, Dwight and Steve on your new Basic Kayaks Skills certifications! 🏆😎
Our next Basic Kayak Skills course runs June 22 in Nanaimo. Kayak and equipment rental available! Details at https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/paddle-canada-basic-kayak-skills/

We have seats available in our Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills course this Saturday May 11 in Nanaimo! Take advantage of the warmer temperatures this weekend and spend a day on the water learning how to kayak -- or boosting the paddling skills you already have. We'll learn a variety of strokes to move your kayak in any direction, how to perform a controlled wet exit, how to assist and recover a capsized kayaking buddy in deep water, and much more. Plus, it's lots of fun! 😎 Kayak and equipment rental available.

Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills Course Basics:- $200/person, GST included- gear rental available- one full day (8 hours)- held in freshwater- tons of fun! Objective This 8-hour course provides an excellent introduction to the fou…

Looking for something to to this Saturday? The Nanoose Power & Sail Squadron is holding a Safe Boating Day May 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Fairwinds Marina in Nanoose Bay. See below for the schedule of events. Free admission.

We had a great start to our 2024 season with our first Paddle Canada Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills course this weekend in Nanaimo! We had a full class of four students who pushed their comfort zones in different ways as we worked through different paddle strokes, rescue techniques and trip planning skills. Lots of learning and fun this weekend - congratulations everyone!

We run Paddle Canada courses and skill development clinics every month through September. View our course calendar for more information: https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/

We have one seat left in our May 3-5 Paddle Canada Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills course in Nanaimo. Friday evening theory session plus two full days on the water, learning strokes, rescues and navigation with a marine chart. Small group format (4 students maximum). Kayak and gear rentals available. Get a jump on your paddling season with Crosscurrents Kayak! Full details at: https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/paddle-canada-level-1-sea-kayak-skills/

One of our students wrote this this wonderfully inspiring account of her experience taking a Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills course with us in September. Deb was worried she wouldn't be able to complete the capsize and re-entry portion of the course...especially after watching much younger folks struggle with a similar exercise a few months beforehand. But she overcame her fears, completed two re-entry procedures with ease, and is now a certified Basic Kayak Skills paddler. Way to go, Deb!!

The Widow Badass Goes to School Kayak school, that is! Last Saturday I partook in Basic Kayak Skills – a Paddle Canada course taught by the talented and friendly instructor Caroline Ross of Crosscurrents Kayak. Although I& #…

What a fantastic Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills course we had yesterday in Nanaimo! This was our last scheduled course of the season, and we couldn't have asked for better: sun, warm temperatures, calm waters and a keen, enthusiastic group who nailed their strokes and rescues and ended the day with boosted confidence and big smiles. 😎👍👍 Congratulations, all, on achieving your Basic Kayak Skills certifications!!

Our final Paddle Canada Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills course of the season was a total blast!! Big congratulations to Claire, Leah, Patti and Frank for rocking their strokes and rescues, and solidly achieving their Level 1 certifications. So much improvement, boosted confidence and fun over our two and a quarter days together. Happy paddling adventures to all of you! 👍👍😎

We have seats available in our September 1-3 Paddle Canada Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills course - our last one of the season! Learn how to complete several assisted and solo deep water rescues, maneuver your kayak in all directions, and plan/carry out an ocean journey using tide predictions, marine weather forecasts and a marine chart. Course runs Friday evening through Sunday. Kayak and gear rentals available. More information at the link below... See you on the water! 😎

Paddle Canada Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills Course Basics:- $325/person, GST included- Friday evening theory session + two full weekend days on the water- small class size: 4 students max.- gear rental available- half-day ocean journey & #821…

We had a fantastic Paddle Canada Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills course in Nanaimo this past Monday through Wednesday. We managed to dodge the high winds and our four students completed all the requirements to achieve their Level 1 certifications!! Congratulations Katherine, Kurt, Leesa and Michael! 👏👏 Here are a few photos of the fun we had in a beautiful location. Still two seats open in our September 1-3 Level 1 course! Info and register at https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/paddle-canada-level-1-sea-kayak-skills/ .

We had a windy and inspiring private clinic today with a student who wanted to tune her strokes and practice some rescue techniques before a big trip. Great work, Finn, on improving your forward stroke power and speed, honing your rescue approaches, and successfully completing the first parts of the scramble rescue! 👍👍

It was a hot one for our Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills course yesterday! Our five students persevered through the heat, building their skillsets and ending the day as more confident paddlers. Let's just say getting in the water at the end of the day for wet exit and rescue practice was a highlight. 😄 Congratulations Amy, Claire, Gabrielle, Heather and Leah!

We have two seats available in our Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills course Saturday August 12 in Nanaimo. Learn how to do everything in the photos, capsize and wet exit safely, complete a deep water rescue, and maneuver a kayak in all directions. Boost your skills and confidence in a kayak, plus enjoy a fun day on the water! Kayak and gear rentals available. More info and registration at https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/paddle-canada-basic-kayak-skills/.

We had fantastic weather for our Paddle Canada Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills course this past weekend in the Nanaimo area! Our three students were motivated and worked hard to complete all the requirements for their new Level 1 certifications. Congratulations Kristina, Cameron and Jason!! 👍👍😎

I often repair torn drysuit gaskets to extend their life before replacing the gasket completely. This recent neck gasket repair was done with Gear Aid Aquaseal FD and Tear-Aid Type A tape. Should last at least another couple months! 👍

A little rock gardening in Port Renfrew on Sunday to enliven the senses and refresh the paddling soul! 🌊😎

We had a small, fun class for our Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills course in Nanaimo on Saturday. Our two students rocked their strokes and boat control, completed controlled wet exits, and ran through assisted re-entry procedures in deep water. Congratulations Laura and Sarah on your new certifications. Happy paddling!
https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/

I'm freshly back from a week paddling in Washington state's San Juan Islands. Check out some of the intertidal life and marine birds I encountered on excursions around Lopez Island!

There's still time to grab a seat in one of our July courses!
July 15 - Basic Kayak Skills
https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/paddle-canada-basic-kayak-skills/
July 21(evening)-July 23 - Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills
https://crosscurrentskayak.ca/courses-clinics/paddle-canada-level-1-sea-kayak-skills/
Kayak and gear rental available!
Set yourself up for a summer of paddling fun. See you on the water! 😎

Summer kayak courses are on tap here in Nanaimo!
--> Just starting out? Our one-day Paddle Canada Basic Kayak Skills course (Saturday July 15 or Saturday August 12) teaches you a variety of strokes to maneuver your kayak in every direction, plus how to safely exit a capsized kayak and rescue a capsized buddy in deep water.
--> Want more? Our Paddle Canada Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills course runs Friday evening through Sunday (July 21-23 or August 18-20). You'll review and refine a host of paddle strokes, learn different techniques for assisted and solo re-entries, and learn how to plan and carry out a half-day ocean kayak journey using marine charts, tide predictions, marine weather forecasts, navigation techniques and more.
Kayak and equipment rentals available for both courses!
For more information or to sign up, click the link below...

Courses & Clinics