Surf Management Course

Surf Management Course

The time will come when you have to land your kayak through surf. Even very small surf can be intimidating if you don't know how to handle it.  This course is about how to get ashore, upright and with dignity.  You learn how to read the waves, and the skills you need to avoid being picked up and dumped.  In the process you do also learn how to surf, and once you have the skills, this is great fun, and looks really impressive!

This course is suitable for confident beginners, and will increase your ability in paddling in rough water. If you are planning on doing the Whanganui River trip we recommend that you do this course to increase your skills and confidence.

This is a half day course, held at Orewa where the surf is kind.  $75.  Kayak hire is extra.

You don't need to be a Yakity Yak club member to do this course, but you do need to be a confident paddler with knowledge of basic paddle strokes including stern rudder and low brace.

Meeting at the southern end of the Surf Club car-park in Orewa.  Ready for the water at 9am. Bring a snack as we will have a mid morning break. Trip Leaders are invited to come along to help, and hopefully learn something in the process.  Lunch or ice-cream at the Plantation Cafe after-wards.

Register at auckland@canoeandkayak.co.nz

Testimonial - I headed out with some degree of fear and trepidation to Orewa for the Surf Management Course. Over the morning an amazing transformation took place as nine surf newbies morphed from inebriated ducks to semi-graceful floating swans. Under Mama and Papa Swans guidance we initially worked in teams of three, without our paddles, to acquire the feel of using our hips to ride the small surf side-on. After gratefully reacquainting ourselves with our beloved paddles, we learned to brace into the waves, and eventually practiced our new-found skills up and down the coastline. After a snack we tried out a variety of beach entry techniques.