Kudos to kayaking clubs, professional trainers, and organizations for introducing thousands of people to the wonders of sea kayaking each year. This essay centers on my opinions on how a seasoned kayaker can teach a greenhorn how to sea kayak. So here we go.
First, I only teach beginners who are truly interested in learning. They must show self-motivation or forget it. Then, they must be able to swim and feel comfortable in water—or forget it. No coaxing. Years ago I took a buffed rock climber kayaking in mild surf, and he freaked out, puked bile, and had a terrible experience. It turns out that he was “willing to overcome his fear of the sea.” He told me he was afraid, but I didn’t listen. I assumed, since he was a fantastic outdoor athlete, that this would be right up his alley. I was wrong. From then on, I vowed to put absolute beginners in safe water that they could literally splash around in all day with ease.
First Lesson
On an initial outing with a newbie, I ask him what water experience he has. If he is already a river rafter, for instance, like my friend Troy Shehorn, then I know that it is likely that he will have a good time and progress at a good pace. So on that first kayaking experience, I have a novice swim around with the boat. That way, he learns firsthand that the boat is just an extension of himself, and that he is always in the water. And I can see if he can actually swim.
Since I paddle sit-on-top (SOT) kayaks, I have students learn to get on and off the boat first thing. Once they can get on board and be ready to rumble in five seconds or less, I let them piddle-paddle near shore awhile until they are chomping at the bit for more.
The next thing is we go out in a double kayak and practice mounting the boat again, teamwork, and basic strokes, such as the forward power stroke and back stroke. As we paddle along, I constantly make small stroke corrections until my student increases his power by at least double. Then we paddle as fast as possible so he can feel the boat respond to his efficient effort. Then we go in and land, with the student wanting more. On the first lesson, it’s important to quit before students get tired.
Second Lesson
The next time I take a beginner out, I have him paddle a river kayak, which has a lot of rocker and goes whichever way you direct. River kayaks are slalom in nature, with no chines, skegs or rudders to help with tracking or turning. They are not fast like sea kayaks, but the student learns real boat control. On the second lesson we again practice mounting and forward and back strokes, but also experiment with sweeps, braces, pries and other strokes so he learns to master his craft.
Assuming the student has progressed, I may then loan the river kayak to the beginner so he can practice everything he has learned on his own. At this time, I fill the new guy in with other important knowledge such as wearing proper immersion clothing and PFDs. After he has gone out a few times and says he’s ready for a challenge, I give him the third lesson.
Third Lesson
On the third lesson, the beginner gets to try her hand in safe but stimulating conditions. I may have her try her river kayak in small surf, current, or choppy seas. One of my favorite tricks is to have her maneuver through a bunch of obstacles, for example, pilings under a harbor or lake pier.
If she does well, I’ll have her practice maneuvers in a challenging environment on her own—as homework. I stress that she find a safe place to practice—for instance, a small, protected beach with small waves, and not take stupid risks.
After she has gone out on her own a few times in rougher water, she may be ready to become an intermediate student and learn how to roll, rescue, and surf.
Please share your experiences in teaching beginners. If you are a novice and want to learn sea kayaking, please ask any questions and I or another reader will answer.
Yes, I am the 59-year old guy with heart problem in the first picture. I really enjoyed when I went kayaking first time last year. I thought our guide did an excellent job in explaining do’s and don’ts of kayaking. I would love to go back again sometime soon. By the way I cannot swim.
Jagdish, I would love to take you out kayaking with me, because you have such enthusiasm. If it were in a very protected environment such as a pond or Elkhorn Slough on a calm day, I would have no problems with the fact that you cannot swim. However, if you wanted to do more adventurous kayaking, say on the exposed California coast, it would be necessary for you to learn how to swim competently.
For more information, read my essay on swimming: (https://tsunamirangers.com/2010/12/14/swimmer-first-kayaker-second/)
Eric, I will always remember that first lesson you gave me and Joe. We felt so safe, confident and proud of ourselves. We definitely finished wanting more. Thank you!
You and Joe were a good team on the water, Joan! It’s always a pleasure to introduce go-getters to sea kayaking. We’ll go out again someday.
I totally agree with you about having students swim. In almost every beginner class I have taught I have heard ” I was nervous until after we did the rescues, it wasn’t bad at all”
And of course this applies to any level class, once people swim in the environment they are paddling in they are less nervous no matter what level the class. I still remember when I was learning how to roll, I would go and knock out a bunch of rolls in the pool, then a couple of days later I would be in the middle of San Francisco bay on a calm day and didn’t want to try one. But if someone made me do a swim in the same spot first. I wouldn’t have been so nervous.
This is not just for a class, but one of the best things to do is at the end of a paddle before you land, is just screw around. Jump on the deck and climb around, paddle side saddle,backwards, see how many people you can get on a boat, or try to stand up in your boat and paddle around like Gregg Berman : )
I find when we do this kind of stuff people look nervous at first. But are laughing once they get wet.
You make a good point about playing around at the end of the paddle. It’s amazing how much you can learn at the last second by just goofing around.
I think standing in your boat and trying to paddle is a great thing to do. While we were on our retreat last summer, Helen Wilson did a standing-on-one-foot yoga “warrior” pose in the boat–and immediately took a swim. She came up laughing like crazy, and did it again. Now that’s enthusiasm!
Great topic, Eric. Few experiences in sea kayaking can top seeing that ear-to-ear grin on a beginning student’s face. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to share knowledge about something you love.
Your post is a great illustration of what I consider to be one of the most important maxims in outdoor education: Always taylor the experience to the student, not to yourself. A self-evident concept, perhaps, but one a surprising number of folks overlook in the process of having fun & teaching others.
An exciting time for the student may be like camping out in the back yard for the instructor, and it’s pretty easy to slip up and make the mistake of putting students in situations that far exceed their comfort and skill level, particularly when instructing a group with mixed abilities. “What say we just poke our noses out into the main channel (or whatever) a little bit; it doesn’t look too rough out there. Everybody OK with that?” Oops!
The finest teachers I’ve known are those who remember what it’s like to be a beginner, and as you point out, their instruction always leaves the student yearning for more.
I was a university professor for many years, and I always tried to remember what it was like when I was a college student. All the bad things that professors did to me I tried to avoid, and all the good things I tried to repeat. I was far from perfect as an instructor, but did a better job because I empathized with students. Nowadays, it seems that some professors are more concerned with getting more money and working less than they are with helping their students succeed in life. Being a teacher on any level is a calling, like being a doctor.
Whether in the classroom or on the water, I agree wholeheartedly with you, Moulton, that it is all about the student.
Eric ,the day was one to remember. We had a blast! thanks a million for the quality instruction and the fun in the sun. I was a bit surprised how different it was in the kayak on a calm lake compaired to the tahitte in the rapids on the river. I have a lot to learn and cant wait untill im face to face with the mighty ocean waves.
Troy, your second lesson will be in a river kayak, so you can learn and practice more advanced strokes. After that–the ocean.
BTW, thank you Troy, for taking Nancy and me down the Rogue River again and again in rafts and Tahiti’s. You can’t always repay people for their kindness, but I’m glad I can give back a bit by introducing you to sea kayaking.
Great post Eric. I introduce a lot of people to paddling and always tailor the paddles to their ability, confidence and fitness. Not that I let them know that… because we work on the overall experience of being part of a paddling posse. For beginners we make sure there’s a good half hour of joking and fun banter before we even get in the boats. We also make sure we all have a bit of a swim, either by wet exit or without the boat, to prove that being in the water is a normal part of it. We always paddle in groups for both safety and camaraderie, and then we finish every paddle off with coffee, a feed, and lots of bragging and joking at each other’s expense. We find this overall approach to the end to end experience is what makes people want to come back for more. Only then do we give more in-depth advice and instruction.
Cheers! FP
Oh how I wish I would have learned from you, FP! What you describe is like Heaven to me: banter, a swim, camaraderie on the water and then a feed, complete with bragging and joking. Keep it up!
I taught avocational woodworking for a few decades until recently (evening/weekends) and was unabashedly zealous about the basics: those fundamental principles from which a firm foundation ensured safe and effective woodworking for my students for years to come. I allowed some more advance dado cuts too soon in my syllabus once and one student lost their fingers. That was an expensive lawsuit – settled out of court by the insurance company. Part of teaching and good learning outcomes is a moderated approach to helping students experience new processes gently, by degree. This is so true with paddling, especially if ones eventual goals include rock gardens and surf risks. As pointed out, safe pedagogical venues can be extremely important.
One area where I also experienced some failures (as a facilitator) was taking newbies out to try new kayaks. I partnered up with a dealer in the mid 80’s to take perspective customers out in narrow British cockpit kayaks. I surely would have enjoyed warmer waters and SOT’s (aka jump-back-in kayaks); as it was, there were some “interesting” times out in water that was a bit too textured or current too active. I suppose at the very least, true impressions were left and paddlers eventually elected for more stable craft for purchase (from a different store). No wonder the dealer let me go. Moving forward in time, I used local lakes for first impressions. Now that I’m older and wiser and better apt to address setting, etc, I find myself dogged by a curmudgeonly attitude that is less than patient dealing with newbies. Hats off to you enthusiastic greybeards!
Your woodworking story painfully illustrates the point of “gentle and safe” with newbies. It’s better that kayaking instructors read cautionary tales such as these now and avoid making a similar mistake later. Thanks for sharing, Doug.
You bring up a point about being a curmudgeon who is not that patient with new paddlers. Am I correct in assuming that you avoid teaching novices?
Believe me, I feel the same way. In fact, you could not pay me enough to teach a commercial class of beginners. “Stop your sniveling there in the back. Now, here’s how you hold the paddle….” Snore. I only teach rock garden classes to the public once or twice a year, and though I may get paid (which helps cover my travel expenses), I do it as a service, so motivated and skilled kayakers can taste the lifetime of adventure that awaits them on the horizon.
So why would I write a post on How to Teach Beginners? Because on the path of life you meet people, and it turns out that teaching them is the right thing to do at that time and place. I have no other explanation…except that we use a one-on-one mentoring system in the Tsunami Rangers to develop our team, and there is always the possibility that a person I introduce to kayaking (especially if it’s a young person) may join us or go on to make significant contributions to kayaking. I’m ever hopeful.
Eric, I decided early on that teaching novice kayakers wasn’t a good fit for me. There were a number of reasons but it was mostly indexed to my attitudes toward actual paddling risk and I was far too inclined toward extreme fun (know what I mean?), especially at a time when perhaps few were talking about and taking on challenging waters save for the Tsunami Rangers. I indeed can be a very patient, enthusiastic and well prepared teacher witness the thousands I taught woodworking, including conveyance through perpetual router courses and jig building/tablesaw sled design classes – all advanced aspects of woodworking where risky operations were made almost completely harmless using the correct methods for holding and shaping wood efficiently using homemade apparatus.
You can do a lot of risky paddling in relative safety too, but you have to start with a predisposition toward prudence and have that sublime ability to move forward incrementally in degrees of exposure to dynamic waters. I was far too loquacious about challenging water enjoyment around newbies which tends to be a disservice. Instead, I preferred to run targeted clinics where there were specific goals and learning objectives. I also could not personally sanction following prescribed dogma of one particular germane paddling program, like the BCU, ACA, etc. Freedom is integral to everything I am when it comes to paddling, bearing in mind John’s comments that there are some non-intuitive aspects to paddling that must be dealt with, probably done best with certain learning efficiencies that a good coach can do best in the context of a certified (oops, said it!) sort of class.
Re “risky paddling”, you hit the nail on the head with “move forward incrementally in degrees of exposure to dynamic waters.” Learning must be done in increments, else students find themselves in conditions far beyond their skills–and they don’t know it until the “ship hits the foam.”
It’s up to instructors to be extra vigilant and prudent on their students’ behalf. And this gets back to what Moulton said earlier, about teachers remembering what it’s like to be a beginner and thus tailoring lessons to their students.
Hey, great topic Eric, and excellent points all around, both in your article and all the comments so far!
I taught kayaking for many years, both to beginners and training instructors. I’ll just focus on the beginners, since that’s the topic here. I really like the approach you outline in terms of making the first time out on the water a fun and relaxing experience. That’s a bit more difficult with a typical class of 5 or 6 beginners, but it’s very important. As Moulton pointed out, you really have to remember what it’s like to be a beginner. I could write an extensive treatise here, but I’ll limit it to a couple of ideas.
On the swimming issue, I totally agree with Eric. It’s not so much that you need the physical capability to swim in order to kayak (after all, you’re wearing a pfd, right?), although I’d argue you do need swim, just in case! But the mental block that most non-swimmers have regarding water is almost impossible to overcome. All the classes I’ve taught required swimming ability, but I’d still say that at least one in ten students was visibly terrified once they got out in water over their head, even with the shore nearby. I think this is almost universally the case with non-swimmers. They will be too nervous to learn anything much.
In terms of training, I’m with Doug in being unabashedly zealous about the basics (of kayaking, in this case). Almost everything to do with efficient kayaking technique is anti-intuitive, so you have to teach some very specific skills, one at a time, step-by-step. Anyone can dip the paddle in the water and make the kayak move, but doing it EFFICIENTLY is far more effective and more fun (less effort). The key to efficient paddling is to realize you are trying to move the boat, not the paddle. Intuition would tell you the paddle is being dragged through the water. The physics of an efficient power stroke is to lock the paddle in the water and push/pull the boat forward, or backward, or to one side or the other. And yes, these things are more obvious in a river kayak, which is very responsive to what you do with the paddle. So Eric’s idea of teaching in a river kayak is a good one.
One other example of an anti-intuitive skill is the Eskimo roll. When rolling up, your intuition tells you to pull your head out of the water. Hey, you can’t breath under water! But you’ll never roll up that way. The head has to come out last. So teaching that particular skill requires some great teaching ability and a specific set of steps. The roll isn’t a beginning skill (although I’d call it a fundamental one), so you don’t want to introduce it until the paddler is ready, and very comfortable underwater.
John, you are so right about rolling being a fundamental skill. I wish I could teach it on the first lesson, but with orienting and learning how to make the boat move, students’ plates are pretty full. Assuming students have gone out and practiced, have learned on their own (e.g., absorbing the rudiments of navigation from a book), and are still motivated to progress, then for me the fourth lesson is the time for them to learn to roll and rescue (along with other skills, such as scouting and formal risk assessment).
Spot on, Eric. No, I’d never try to teach the roll on the first lesson. I’ve actually had people ask me if that was going to be part of the first class! I tell them “no, unless you have a very high tolerance for frustration.”
I have always taught a couple of basic rescues (‘boat re-entry’ is a better term); for a closed-deck kayak, an assisted rescue and self-rescue with paddlefloat. For an open-deck, teaching how to climb back on the boat, as you do, is one of the first things to learn.
I think a beginner needs to know what to do in the case of a capsize, so that has to be part of the first lesson. Plus they will be much more relaxed and comfortable once they know it’s not big deal to end up in the water. Of course, we are talking about calm, protected water for that first lesson!
I’m lucky cuz I teach beginning students how to paddle in a sit-on-top (in my case, a Tsunami X-15, X-O, or X-3). Therefore, after the mounting drills, they are done with self-recovery and self-rescue and have plenty of time to do the fun stuff. 🙂
I’m so glad I don’t have to teach paddle float rescues and such. I know boat choice is a personal decision, and I respect that, but sit-on-tops of all stripes (e.g., Scuppers, Tsunami rock boats, Epic surf skis) are so dang easy to paddle, and can do anything a regular kayak can, unless you live in the Aleutian Islands or Antarctica….
If only Kuk would make some more Tsunami rock boats. 😉
True fact, Eric, although my Nordy winces when I say that. If you can just hop back on like a neoprene-clad bunny rabbit, it does make things a lot easier. Fewer cogs, better machine. That said, you know I have that big soft spot in my heart for the traditional West Greenland heritage & a lot of admiration for mates like Helen Wilson and Dubside, the keepers of the flame. That’s really special suff. Good to have both.
Yes, all boats are good, especially traditional craft, which help us appreciate our kayaking heritage. I would add that people such as John Heath, George Dyson, and Wolfgang Brinck have really done a lot over the years to publicize the beauty and practicality of traditional boats.
Once you develop a reliable roll, the world changes. That doesn’t mean you’ll never end up swimming (you will), but if you have a strong roll, and good bracing technique, it will be a very rare occasion and a re-entry roll is not difficult, nor is an assisted rescue if you aren’t alone. Of course by definition, a beginner won’t have a roll. Probably the biggest fear shared by every beginner is getting trapped upside down in the kayak. The good news is that fear will disappear after their first wet exit.
Every skill requires a certain technique. There is a specific technique to climbing back on a sit-on-top, but like Eric says, it only takes a few minutes to teach. I can teach an assisted rescue and a paddlefloat rescue fairly quickly, but practice in real conditions is very important, and I guess that’s also true for climbing on an open cockpit kayak. One real issue is not losing the boat in a strong wind, so all these techniques require practice.
Which brings up a REALLY important point when teaching beginners anything. You need to emphasize and re-emphasize the need to practice all skills in a variety of condions (moving up to rougher water in increments, of course). A lot of students think an instructor can do the learning for them, so it’s important to point out the need to work on each skill and practice it to ingrain good habits.
All good points, John. Thanks. Practicing all skills (from mounting to assisted rescuing to rolling) in various conditions is paramount. It sucks when your technique works great in a pool and fails when you need it most. And yes, the student must take responsibility for learning. An instructor at best “introduces” a technique. It’s up to the student to practice it, hone it, and own it.
“Hone it and own it.” Man, I like that!
Sounds like a motto for an axe murderer!! 🙂
Anyway, I’ve always felt you must then “own it and zone it” which is to say swift water re-entries are different from surf zone ones (to some degree; in surf I use the wave energy to roll back up after the trough re-entry) and in high winds contact is soooo important, and then doing any of this in an exhausted state even requires honing it even more. You need to “own it and alone it” even more importantly for a solo paddler; if you have ever “owned it and blown it” then you will want to “own it and atone it” and for me that means full skirt re-attachment, water out of cockpit, and safely under way once again, then, and only then, can I “own it and condone it”! That’s one thing I made students realize on re-enter rescue classes — you are not fully self-rescued until underway in the same manner as you were prior to a wet exit incident. This applies to cockpited kayaks mostly. I’ve felt SK Magazine often ignors the lack of this consequence, though I see our Aussie friends continually “own it and drone it”! Enough. Go practice. And John L., you rock; you represent all that is best in the fusion between sea kayaker and extreme coast zone seeker when it come to advise from a serious sea kayaker – your book really rocks!
Doug, that was so good I think I will “own it and clone it.” When I get tired of it I shall “disown it and throne it.” Right now though, I think I shall “own, moan and groan it.”
“Own, moan and groan it.” That’s starting to sound like a good blues song…
Thanks for the compliment, Doug. I’m glad you liked my book. I try to speak mostly from personal experience so I’m not parroting hearsay that may or may not be valid (I think that’s one problem with a lot of kayaking articles and even some books). You seem to do a lot of hard-core solo paddling. That means you really have to be on your game and totally responsible for yourself, which is always a good idea, even in a group situation.
You make a good point about having to tailor rescue technique to the specific situation.
Anyone can write a book and with kayaking being more visible these days various publishers are always looking to have their cart replete with offerings that cross the entire outdoor spectrum; but, it is entirely a different matter to find a book that speaks from a perspective of personal experience where other well-honed paddlers nod with delight in a perfusion of good expletives. That also usually means it is a good book for newbies to own as it will not be outgrown or simply represent generic pabulum that can be found in other books of similar ilk — it will provide a whetstone (to hone skills further as far as a resource for reflection and advancement) and while the newbie undergoes hopeful chaperone accompaniment through friend-mentoring/class participation/club involvement. There are only a few books I recommend as exemplary for new and advancing paddlers, yours is one. There are some local authors in my neck of the woods, but few (there are some) write with the depth and comprehensiveness that you have, though one doesn’t know what restrictions publishers put authors under for targeted manuals. I used to pick up every new book that came out about paddling but this last decade I gave up; and now, full circle, we have the internet and excellent sites like Eric’s that fill the free resource vacuum that wasn’t there in the past, and you don’t get what you pay for – it can even be better!.
Doug, you just knock me on my heels in awe sometimes. John, you too. Eric, well, that kinda goes without saying.
Doug, I’ve been beating that drum about rescues since the 80’s and it’s really great to see that it’s a big point with you, too. You’re spot-on. No surprise there, of course, just grinning ear-to-ear. Back in the day, Brian Price and I used to preach that gospel under the banner of “Fully Functional Rescues”. Until and unless you were back in the cockpit and proceeding “steady as she goes” with the skirt on, water out, and stuff stashed, all you had was a dysfunctional rescue. Not much better than a dog trick.
It really is noteworthy how many books, how-to articles, and (of late) YouTube videos knowingly present the subject as if the crux move was getting back in the cockpit, when in fact the real difficulties are just beginning. What we need is a Greek chorus in the wings with bullhorns shouting “What about the skirt, what about the skirt you nimrods!” Amazing, isn’t it, how often that point gets omitted from the script!
When I was a kid, I had the misfortune of getting trapped for a while in one of those old military foot-lockers, and these days, as I work to regain a semblance of my former skills, I find myself fighting a major battle with the claustrophobia dragon. The big brute is really kicking my butt and messing with my rolls. After two attempts, I’m not out of air, but I’m definitely out of my head with the panic button fully depressed. and my shins are getting banged up and nasty looking from what Brian used to refer to as “kicking your way to freedom”, the least graceful technique that a lad can use to wet exit. I have more respect than ever before for those cool-headed paddlers with the skill and grace to reattach the skirt, underwater, before rolling up. My back-in-the-day solution was to leave the fabric skirt on the boat by making my exit through the tube. It worked, but it’s not exactly in the same league as finessing it underwater.
Hi Eric,
It was my idea to go to Elkhorn Slough and go kayaking last year. Paul and I had done it once on our own and I wanted Jagdish and my two nephews, Myles and Corey, to also experience kayaking in such a fantastic environment. Both Myles and Corey had just turned 21 last year, and were really enjoying all that San Francisco has to offer a 21 year old. But a year later, the thing they still talk about is kayaking at Elkhorn Slough. I hope the day will come when I can take lessons from you. We have two kayaks in our back yard that we use on our small lake, but I don’t feel prepared for kayaking in other environments. I know you could get me there! Best wishes for the coming year.
Pam
Elkhorn Slough was also still fresh in Jagdish’s mind a year later, Pam. I talked with him a week before I posted this essay and he was still stoked (to use a surfer’s term) and can’t wait to get out kayaking again.
If we get the opportunity, I’d love to give you a lesson, Pam. With your can-do spirit, you will no doubt progress rapidly.
Here’s to your future adventures in sea kayaking!
Rest in Peace Eric Soares. My condolences to the family and friends. I will miss this site and his good work.