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Eskape
Sea Kayaking |
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| KAYAK CLASSES: Beginning thru Advanced |
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A.C.A.
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"Some
of the best hands-on instruction anywhere!" |
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Following America Canoe Association instructional guidelines, our top-quality courses provide a thorough introduction for anyone planning self-guided exploration in our local waters and beyond. Receive an A.C.A. Course Completion Card for each level completed. |
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Eskape Specialty Classes
& Private Custom Training
| In addition to the above classes, Eskape also offers a wide variety
of Basic Skills training as well as advanced instruction in some
of California's most-interesting and little-known "hidden jewels."
Because some of these destinations are well off the beaten path--places
where nobody else teaches classes--it may not be cost-effective
to teach them on a regular basis, so we are only able to offer them
as Private Custom Classes. And we need to charge accordingly. Others
like Mendocino Advanced Sea Caves, or River for Sea Kayakers,
we may offer only once or twice a season. So get yourself, your paddling partner or a small group friends together, and we can take you just about anywhere on the Northern California coast you may want to go or do just about any kind of training you want. For example: |
- Basic Skills Training
- Mendocino Advanced Coastal
Caving: Beyond Van Damme
- Lost Coast
- Big Sur
- Pt. Lobos
- Franklin Pt. Rock Gardens
- Kayak Surfing
- River for Sea Kayakers
- ACA Instructor Certification Workshops
Basic Skills Training
LEVEL 1: Basic Skills & Kayak Safety (two parts)
| Part
1A: Intro to Flatwater In addition to being a lot of fun, our thorough, hands-on approach gives you a solid foundation of essential skills - strokes, braces, rescues and water safety - and sets industry standard for flatwater rental requirements. This is the basis for all classes and trips in the series. |
No Experience Necessary (8 students/ 2 instructors)
Price
Part 1B: Skill Building Tour
| This skill-building tour is an excellent way to refine skills learned in Part A. As we tour, we'll fine tune strokes and braces and introduce more-advanced boat handling skills. After lunch we'll end the day with a review of rescues learned in Part 1A and an introduction of more advanced open-water techniques. |
Prerequisite: Part 1A: Intro to Flatwater
class or equivalent
LEVEL 2: Surf Zone and Surfing Clinics |
Part 2A: Intro to Surf Zone Skills
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Since the best paddling in our area
requires launching and landing through surf, this class is a must
for discovering all that the Sanctuary has to offer and to participating
in our open-coast tours. Learn strategies for negotiating surf
zones and planning trips, as well as open-water rescue practice. |
Prerequisite: Part 1A: Intro to Flatwater
or equivalent, (Part 1B: Skills Tour recommended)
Price: $99/full day
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Part 2B: Intermediate Surf Skills Tour - Intro to Coastal Touring
| Our most frequent request after the Surf Zone Class
is for more practice in the surf. This Skills Tour is it. We'll
explore the coast with ample time to review launching, landing,
and side surfing techniques, as well as open-water rescues.
Prerequisite: Part 1A: Intro to Flatwater and Part 2A: Intro to Surf Zone class or equivalent Price: $99/full day |
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For More Fun
in the Surf, try our new classes
Part 2C: Kayak Surfing in Short Boats
and
River Kayaking for Sea Kayakers
LEVEL 3: Tides and Currents |
Part 3A: Golden Gate Tides and Currents
Price:
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LEVEL 3+: Intermediate & Advanced Tidal Current Play
Part 3B:Tides Rip Surfing, Playing & Rescue
| Playing on the big, wintertime ebbs in San Francisco Bay is a
much-anticipated, seasonal treat for advancing paddlers in the Bay
Area. Safely explore your limits and expand your comfort level in
the Bay's exciting tide rips, with expert instruction on how to
read water, surf and play, and perform efficient rough-water recoveries
to stay out of trouble. Prerequisite: Strong braces and comfort paddling in choppy water, including surf zone and tidal current training and experience. (Solid ACA Level 4 or BCU 4-star paddling skills) (Ability to roll appreciated, but not required.) Price: |
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LEVEL 4: Open Coast Touring Skills |
| This is the culmination of our fundamentals series. All classes focus on aspects of coastal paddling unique to the area, the basics of open-coast touring, identifying coastal hazards, advanced surf landings, trip planning, and more. A variety of locations is available in Northern California, such as Bolinas and Bodega Bays, in addition to those mentioned below. |
| Part 4A: Pt. Lobos Marine
Reserve Intro to Open Coast |
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| This jagged shoreline south of Carmel is one of our favorite day trips and a perfect place to practice coastal paddling skills among a wealth of marine life and scenery. |
Prerequisite: Part 2A: Intro to Surf Zone
Skills (Part 2B: Surf Skills Tour recommended)
Price: See Custom Training price list
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Part 4B: Franklin Point
Intro to Rock Garden Paddling
Intro to Rock Garden Paddling
| A "jungle gym for kayakers," this complex maze of rocks and reefs on the rugged coastline north of Santa Cruz provides an ideal location to fine-tune boat handling and water-reading skills in rock gardens. |
Prerequisite: Part 2A: Intro to Surf Zone
Skills (Part 2B: Surf Skills Tour recommended)
Price: See Custom Training price list
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Standard Full-Day Classes: Basic Skills (4:1 student to instructor ratio)
$100 each for 4 or more students/Full Day (7+ hrs.)
Private and Semi-Private Rates:
$125--175* each for 3 students (7+ hrs.); $100-150/4 hrs.
$150--200* each for 2 students (7+ hrs.); $125-175/4 hrs.
$275 for 1 student (7+hrs.) $200-225/4 hrs.
*Depending on travel time involved, size of group, and number of boats and instructors necessary.
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Specialty Classes:
Skills-Immersion Weekend: Sea
Caves!
Mellow Mendo: Intro to Coast and Caves
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"The
craggy Mendocino coast is among the more scenic shorelines in a
state famous for its beautiful shores, but what puts Mendo on the
map as one of the planet's premier paddling destinations is the
number and complexity of its sea caves." -- from Guide to Sea Kayaking Central & Northern California |
| Come see what all the fuss is about. More than just a tour, this class first takes you to a few of Mendo's better known caves while introducing the skills necessary to safely visit some of this fascinating coastline's more out-of-the-way nooks and crannies. Later, our small class size and top-notch instructors allow us to explore further into the labyrinthine maze of ocean-carved rock than most other tours go (conditions permitting, of course). |
Prerequisite: Intro to Surf Zone or equivalent;
recommended: recent experience in choppy seas.
Class Size: 8 students max./ 2 or 3 instructors.
Price : $250/two days (includes kayak,
etc.; does not include camping fees)
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LEVEL 4-Plus:
Mendocino Advanced Coastal Caving
Beyond Van Damme!
| PHOTOS Grab your headlamp! It's time to get beyond Van Damme and explore the legendary caves, rock gardens, and scenery that make Mendo so magic. Join a small group of other skilled paddlers and ROCK OUT! Frankly you'll get to see more of the caves and do more with Eskape than on your own. Let us help you to push your skills safely under the watchful eye of our highly-skilled instructors. Practice running pour-overs, chutes and tunnels. Discover little-known caves like Rainbow Mist Cavern, and go deep into Belly of the Beast. Our small class size (6 students maximum), advanced-skills requirements, and top-notch trainers allow us to go where others don't and do what most only dream. Base camp/car camping. |
Prerequisite: At least one Level 4 Open
Coast class and instructor recommendation
Price: $250/ two days
(includes kayak, etc.; does not
include camping fees)
$325/ 3 days (add Monday for 3 days of
fun!)
$400/ 4 days (add Monday and Tues. for
4 days!)
LEVEL 4-Plus:
Big Sur Weekend Intensive
or 4-day Carmel to Big Sur Advanced Coastal Expedition
| Ocean paddling at its finest against one of the most dramatic and scenic coastal backdrops in the world. Two days of hands-on practice with a focus on surf zone skills. Base camp/car camping. Also can be run as an advanced open-coast expedition 3 or 4 days from Carmel to Big Sur. |
Prerequisite: At least one Level 4 Open
Coast class and instructor recommendation
Price: See Custom Training price list
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| Again this year! | |
|
Tuesday Night Rolling:
at NASA Pool
Click links or photo for more info. |
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Rolling Instruction or Drop-in Practice Eskape is again renting the NASA pool on Tuesday nights |
| from 7:00 to 8:30 pm from Feb. through
Nov. Reserve your spot for either our popular 4-session Learn to Roll Series , or sign up for a one-night tune up. Also.. "Beyond the Pool" Training: Bombproofing Your Roll in Surf and Bracing & Rolling Clinic |
| Improve your overall paddling skills, break bad habits, and learn to paddle farther, faster, with less effort as well as how to maneuver your boat more precisely and efficiently. Any coach or trainer in any sport knows that video analysis is key for mastering good technique. Modeled after his ACA instructor training workshops (but without the emphasis on how to teach), this class uses the magic of video to help you refine fundamental stroke technique with an emphasis on greater efficiency and boat control. (Pre-req.: Basic Kayaking Skills and Next Stroke). |
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Master Strokes Clinic
| Improve boat control, get more comfortable putting your kayak on edge, and learn to make your kayak "dance." In this class we'll introduce and practice a variety of more advanced maneuvering, edging and bracing skills, such as carving turns, deep sculling braces, low-brace turns, sculling draws, side slips, bow rudders, and "blending" of hybrid strokes for precision maneuvering drills. (Pre-req.: Basic Kayaking Skills and Next Stroke; Recommended: Video Strokes Clinic or solid understanding of basic strokes). |
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NEW: ACA Skills-Awards Training and Assessments--Levels 1 through
4
(and training for BCU Star Awards)
The ACA has rolled out its new skills-awards assessments and training classes (essentially equivalent to BCU Star Awards). As an ACA Instructor-Trainer, Roger is one of the few instructors in the area, capable of assessing for Levels 1 through 4. This training should leave you well prepared for assessment in either (or both) the ACA or BCU systems. Coastal (Sea) Kayak Assessments Outlines below from ACA web site show the course content for each skill level. |
- ACA Level 1 Kayak Award
- ACA Level 2 Kayak Award
- ACA Level 3 Kayak Award
- ACA Level 4 Kayak
Award
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©Eskape Sea Kayaking 1998, Last Updated: 4/08