Columbia River Kayaking

American Canoe Association and British Canoe Union Certified

Level I Lessons introduction, calm water
Level II Lessons refining boat control
Level III Lessons dynamic water
Level IV Lessons leadership, navigation, more dynamic water
BCU Assessments & Trainings

Rolling

Lower Columbia Kayak Roundup week-long instructional symposium in Cathlamet, WA

Calendar of Lessons and Tours

Skill Level Rating
based on British Canoe Union and American Canoe Association guidelines

Level I programs are generally scheduled for mornings or days with little tidal movement, or in protected lakes or creeks. No experience necessary.

Level II tours may experience light wind (8kts), small waves (1'), or moderate current (1kt). Basic fitness and capsize experience are strongly recommended.

Level III programs take advantage of afternoon wind (15kts, waves 2-3') or greater tidal action (2kts). Capsize experience and good fitness required.
Level IV programs require well-refined paddling skills as they venture into surf, strong wind, or dramatic current. They may require or build navigation skills, and contain strong elements of group interdependence.

Roll Class
2 hours, $60. max 3 participants

Rolling is fun! It's also an important skill in whitewater, surf, and sea kayaking. Having a roll increases your safety in capsize situations. Simply working towards your roll improves your self-awareness and confidence.

If you're having a hard time feeling comfortable with just the thought of falling over, come work with us. We can help ease you through the anxiety and build reliable, confidence-building skills.

Practice with a patient, encouraging coach. You'll refine techniques for keeping and regaining balance, including bracing. Discover the roll that works best for you, then add others. You can start from scratch, troubleshoot an almost-roll, or add new varieties for safety and fun, including sweep, C to C, storm, extended paddle, back deck roll, various Greenland rolls, hand roll, Eskimo bow rescue, sculling brace, and balance brace. Challenge yourself! Calendar

 

Level II Required: a level-headed wet exit and experience of at least 2 day trips; or new BCU 1-star award or ACA Introduction to Kayaking certification.

Kayak Foundations
$225 2-days
$325 3-days
Build a foundation of good boat handling skills. Explore how those skills can help you use wind, current, and waves to your advantage instead of fighting them. Plan and execute a trip in moderately protected waters.

Sample itinerary:
Day 1 Isolate and play with the mechanics of paddling during a body-boat-blade workshop. Build a more instinctive mastery of them principles and strokes.
Day 2 Review boat edging and develop balance. Enjoy an afternoon "discovery" session on wind and how to apply skills and understanding to paddle more efficiently in conditions. Evening session on planning the final day's journey.
Day 3 A trip, for example, through the islands of the Lewis & Clark National Wildlife Refuge. Put new skills to work, receive feedback along the way. Debrief and action plan before leaving, perhaps over a beverage at the local pub.
Calendar

BCU 2-Star Assessment
3-5 hours, $105
Assessment is an excellent way to check how your kayaking skills are progressing. Skills include forward stroke with torso rotation, emergency stop, reverse paddling to a target, moving sideways, preventing a capsize by bracing, ruddering, edging, a low brace turn, assisted reentries, and more. After performing these, the specific individual feedback you receive helps you set a game plan for continued practice and learning. Candidates should bring a log book showing their paddling experience. BCU star awards link.
Calendar

Sea Paddler Training
2-days $250
3-days $350
Focus on boat control, safety, and planning in moving water such as surf, moderate current, wind waves, and clapotis. An excellent course for those aiming to paddle the open coast. Use various locations to refine skills in a number of different conditions.

Sample Itinerary
Day 1. Paddle in tidal current concentrated through narrow areas, and in expansive waters where the effect can be more deceiving. Expect wind, wind waves, and the chop of wind against tide. Study chart, tide tables, and current tables. Plan a journey in waters with tidal current.
Day 2. Practice boat control in coastal surf. Expand awareness and comfort. Learn not only entry and exit strategies for launching and landing through surf, but also how to maneuver and play in the breakers.
Day 3. Paddle on a coastal journey that seeks to incorporate the variables studied on the previous days. Depending on ocean conditions and weather, this will probably be either at the mouth of the Columbia River or on the north Oregon coast.
Calendar

BCU Foundation Safety & Rescue Training
6 hours, $150
Risk reduction is what it's all about: personal safety, setting priorities, avoiding incidents. Learn and practice ways to help a person in distress while protecting yourself and others. An excellent training and award for any paddler in a position of responsibility, or simply wanting to improve safety. This award is given for the training; there is no separate assessment. It is a prerequisite for any coaching or leadership training in the BCU program.
More info on this award can be downloaded from: BCU awards link. Calendar

Practical Navigation
6-8 hours, $125.
A very practical course set among the islands of the tidal lower Columbia River. Read a nautical chart, and relate it to what you see while you're paddling. Calculate tides, distance, and speed. Learn to pilot (follow a shoreline while keeping track of yourself on a chart) and dead reckon (calculate speed, direction and time). Locate yourself on a chart using only landmarks, or using a compass. Locate hidden campsites. Use landmarks around you to check progress or drift, and create ferry angles to compensate for cross current or wind. Create strategies for success if lost or stranded. Do all of this while touring the islands of the Lewis & Clark National Wildlife Refuge. It's not magic; navigation really is a fundamental skill for those who paddle unguided in places beyond a corridor or a lake (even if you have a GPS). And it's fun! Calendar

Required: BCU 3-star award, ACA Coastal Kayak certification, or instructor approval

Surf and Coastal Trip
4-5 hours, $150.
Surf is an excellent teacher of bracing and instinctive boat control. It's also great fun! Practice surf launches and landings. Broach and side surf. Learn the basics for safety in this extremely dynamic environment. Ride waves. Get a great workout and that elation that only a full day of surf brings! Once we're warmed up and had some fun, we'll punch out through the surf and go exploring the rocks and arches and dramatic scenery of the Oregon Coast. Calendar

Dynamic Water Workshop
4-5 hours, $150.
2-days $250
3-days $350
Time in the rough stuff for refining skills. May include currents and tide races, or wind and waves. Calendar

Leadership Workshop
5-6 hours, $150.
2 days $250 (FSRT & Leadership Workshop)
This class is designed for guides-in-training or anyone who seeks to improve safety on the water in a group setting. The Leadership Workshop day builds on the Foundation Safety & Rescue Training with more practical application of risk management skills. Leaders plan the day based on tides and weather forecast, then lead it, taking out up to 6 paddlers per leader. Leaders practice thinking ahead, preventing issues, managing real situations when they do come up, and responding to staged scenarios. Whether you're leading trips or just want to be an asset to your paddling group, this is a valuable experience. Also available as a custom course for organizations. Calendar

BCU 4-Star Sea Leader Assessment
2 days, $300
Prerequisites: Old BCU 4-star award or New BCU 3-star award; Foundation Safety & Rescue Training; Coastal Navigation & Tidal Planning; current first aid; comprehensive BCU membership.
The BCU 4* Sea Leader award is as much about managing risk for a group as about personal paddling skills in rough water. This is an ideal goal for guides, for club leaders, and for paddlers who like to go challenge themselves with their friends in the fun water.
More info on this award can be downloaded from: BCU star awards link.
Calendar
Coastal Journey (listed on Day Tour page)

BCU Assessments and Assessment Training

The British Canoe Union has offered an internationally respected standard of kayaking for over 40 years. The program is based on cycles of training, practice, and assessment. In training, you are introduced to skills and concepts. Then follows a period of practice with periodic coaching. Once the skills are mastered to the level desired, you take an assessment. After passing assessment, you may train at the next level.

An assessment is like a checkup on your paddling skills. Depending on the level of the award, you are asked to do specific strokes, or maneuvers, or demonstrate judgment and boat control in various conditions. The assessment lets you know where your skills are against an international standard, and more than that, lets you know exactly what needs improvement.

Specific Trainings, Workshops, and Assessments are listed above with each level they pertain to. Also see Lower Columbia River Kayak Roundup which incorporates a spectrum of BCU courses.

CRK coaches hold American Canoe Association and/or British Canoe Union certification. The American Canoe Association is the largest US organization for water sports. The ACA certifies coaches, educates paddlers, promotes water access, provides insurance, and more. The British Canoe Union provides the most comprehensive training program in sea kayaking today. It formed 40 years ago to coach British olympic athletes and continues to be rigorous because recreational sea paddlers in Britain face rough and dangerous waters. The Pacific Northwest can present equally hazardous conditions with surf, wind, and current.

Environment. The diverse Lower Columbia River region is a paddler's paradise. From protected sloughs to the coastal surf, it offers something for everyone. The wildness of this lightly populated area surrounds paddlers in stunning scenery. The Lewis & Clark National Wildlife Refuge alone encompasses 35,000 acres of mid-river islands, which is an ideal classroom for navigation classes. World-class paddling on the Oregon Coast rewards the paddler with bold cliffs, offshore rocks, sea caves, and fun surf rides.

History. The native peoples here before us had a water-based existence. Canoes were the cars of today, and much more. Water was the highway, not the divide. Even to the early European-derived settlers, the river was the central conduit and resource. Although nature has reclaimed much of the evidence, the stories and the river itself remain. Paddling is a teriffic way to connect with history of this place.

Equipment. All scheduled tours and lessons include kayak and paddling gear: paddle, PFD, skirt, pump, wetsuit & paddle jacket if necessary (specify size in advance). Available kayaks include: Nigel Dennis Romany and Explorer, Wilderness Systems Tempest 165 and 170, Tsunammi 145; Necky Eskia, Zoar Sport, Looksha 4, Looksha Sport & Amaruk double.

Guides & Coaches

Directions to launch sites. Calendar page lists the launch sites of each class.