Coastal Kayaking Clinic – Cresent Beach

Crescent Bay is a beautiful catchers mit shaped feature located in the Strait of Juan de Fuca west of Port Angeles, WA. Its shape makes it an excellent location for paddlers on their first Coastal Kayaking Experience to get their feet wet. Even if it’s not your first time, there is much to learn here.

The coaches at Body Boat Blade have designed a coastal kayaking clinic to help paddlers develop the skills needed to safely paddle in the coastal environment. Here we will introduce paddlers to the surf zone, getting through the break and back to the beach. We will work on boat control skills that will allow us to navigate the coastal environment with elegance. We will also spend some time on shore looking at forecasting, reading swells, charts, and other important planning skills.

At the end of it all, we take on the surf zone by – well, surfing of course! Each day will have opportunities for some fun and games, all within sight of our accommodation. Come play on the coast with us!

Where:

The course will be based entirely around Crescent Beach, thought it is possible that we will drive to another location depending on conditions.

We will meet at the parking lot for the Crescent Beach RV Park, next to the check in kiosk. It is directly adjacent to the beach, and closest to the road.

When:

July 14-16. We will meet at 10am on Friday to begin our course. Each successive day we will meet at 9am.

We’ll end by early afternoon on July 16th to try and give everyone enough daylight to drive home.

What:

There will be an opportunity (not mandatory) for interested participants to assess for either ACA L3 Skills or British Canoeing Sea Kayak Award.

If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please let us know. You will need to have an active membership with the organization(s) and meet the requirements of the award during the course.

Content Covered:

• Surf Zone Skills
• Launching & Landing
• Self/Assisted Rescues
• Navigation
• Risk Assessment
• Having fun on the Coast!

Specific activities will be dependent on conditions of the weekend and are subject to change.

Lodging:

Crescent Beach RV Park offers the closest camping option. This is where the coaches will be staying.

Salt Creek Campground is another great option. It is on the point that forms the east end of Crescent Bay. Slightly cheaper, but requires driving in and paying for parking at the RV Park ($8/day if you aren’t camping there)

Equipment:

• Sea Kayak with adequate floatation & deck lines
• Paddle
• Immersion Wear (Drysuit or 3-5mm wetsuit)
• Spray Deck
• PFD
• Helmet
• Towline

If you do not possess any of the required equipment, we are able to provide them with enough notice.

Kayak Rental: $30/day (includes skirt, pfd & paddle if needed)

Drysuit Rental: $25/day (includes footwear if needed)

Pre-requisites:

Paddlers on this course should have taken our Foundations Level 1 & 2 course (or have equivalent skills) and be comfortable swimming in turbulent water.

Paddlers should have above a basic level of boat control (Forward, sweep, reverse and draw), though we do not expect anyone to be pros. You do NOT need to know every paddle stroke. Paddlers should have an understanding of bracing. Paddlers should have an understanding of their gear and its use/fit.

If you are unsure if you meet the requirements, but would like to sign up for the course, just send us a message! We would love to talk with you.