Quick Details
Paddler
Ages 16+
$ 105
Learn the theory and technique behind surfing a sea kayak!
This course introduces students to the essential theory and skills involved in surfing a sea kayak. Students will spend time in the surf zone getting comfortable launching, landing and riding waves. They will also gain a better understanding of how waves work, where to find them and how to predict their size and shape.
The course will take place at a location within 20 miles of Portland which will depend on current surf conditions. Students will be notified of the location, and be given directions and parking details, the day before the course.
This course is for students with solid self-rescue skills and experience with bracing and edging. Helmets will be provided and worn at all times in the surf zone.
Also available as a private class for individuals and small groups with the requisite experience! Please call or email to schedule.
More Info
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- Reading the surf zone
- Launching and landing in surf
- Boat control in waves (including edging and bracing)
- Strokes and other techniques to use when surfing
- Surf etiquette
- Rescues in the surf zone
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- Self rescue skills
- Experience with bracing and edging
Instructors
This clinic will be taught by one or more of the following instructors!
SUZANNE BLACKBURN
Suzanne fell hopelessly in love with kayaking in 1980. In 2017 she discovered stand up paddle boards and now has two favorite ways to play on the water. Suzanne has been guiding and teaching since 1996 and is a Master Maine Guide with ACA Coastal kayak Level 4 and SUP Level 2 Instructor certifications. “Helping someone master skills and gain a sense of comfort and connection with the ocean brings me tremendous joy!” she says. Suzanne has paddled the entire length of the coast of Maine three times. She says, “I really hope to paddle the whole coast again. It’s endlessly challenging and inspiring but this summer my sites are set on paddling among the icebergs of the north coast of Newfoundland”
JOE GUGLIELMETTI
Joe is a Master Maine Sea Kayak Guide, an open-water sea kayak instructor with the American Canoe Association, and a wilderness first responder. He is also a licensed clinical social worker, and a returned Peace Corps volunteer (Zambia 07-09). Joe has paddled expeditions as far away as Fiji and Zambia, has through-paddled the coast of Maine, and section-paddled from Boston to Nova Scotia. Joe enjoys bringing people of all strokes of life into the marine environment, and he often leads paddlers to his favorite place in the world; the Cushing Island Cliffs, a mere three miles from Portland, where guillemots nest above the wild open sea.
ZACK ANCHORS
Zack, owner and co-founder of Portland Paddle, grew up in Old Town, Maine along the shores of the Penobscot River. He’s been paddling on whitewater and the ocean since he was 11. During his 17 years as a guide, Zack has led countless kayaking and canoeing trips throughout the coast of Maine, and in Mexico, British Columbia, Ontario and Alaska. He is a master Maine Guide, an ACA Level 4 kayaking instructor and a Wilderness First Responder. When Zack isn’t running Portland Paddle, he’s a journalist, writer and teacher.