Symposium Overview
The 2025 SE Alaska Sea Kayak Symposium will take place over 3 days May 2-4 2025 in Haines, Alaska. This years symposium will be set up in half day courses and will offer options for a wide variety of skill levels. During the day the courses will be structured in the morning and afternoons with a mid day break for lunch and to give everyone a chance to get to the next course venue. Through out the symposium we will have options for courses on the water and on land for those who would like a break or who might have an interest in course materials which can best be delivered off the water.
In the evenings we will have a number of social events from meet and greets to Catered dinners and a slide show to an event debrief with horderves. The symposium is designed to be educational and fun but also a place to meet other paddlers who can inspire us to continue kayaking and expand our world on the water.
L2/L3 AMERICAN CANOE ASSOCIATION (ACA) SEA KAYAK INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION
April 27-May 1
The ACA Level 2-3 Coastal Kayaking Instructor Certification Workshop consists of two essential and required parts; the Instructor Development Workshop (IDW) and the Instructor Certification Exam (ICE).
The 5-day program is an intensive hands-on cooperative learning workshop experience that is designed to refine your instructional techniques and familiarize you with the processes and curriculum of the American Canoe Association (ACA). The final 2 days of class (the “exam”) are assessment days that require all participants to prepare and present lessons to fellow students to demonstrate, among other essential skills, teaching, and paddling abilities.
Every program is unique and designed to maximize each participant’s experience.
During the 5-day Instructor Certification Workshop (ICW) you, as instructor candidates will be assessed in the following key areas:
- Personal Paddling Skills: Strong basic/intermediate skills, boat control and general professional paddling mode at all times.
- Teaching Skills: Knowledge of teaching methods and learning styles, and how to use them to give an effective presentation. We are also looking for organized lesson plans, group management techniques, speaking and presentation ability, and attention to details in the classroom, on land and on the water.
- Modeling Skills: Ability to visually present and break skills down into teachable/learnable parts.
- Attention to Safety: Use of risk management skills, assessing student skill levels and group control.
- Group Management: Ability to set up and maintain a suitable teaching location as well as managing a group in the classroom, on land and on the water in both a teaching and guiding situation.
- Technical Knowledge: Thorough knowledge of all aspects of paddlesports. Everything from teaching safe car-topping procedures, boat design, and common paddling injuries and avoidance to tides, surfing and regional hazards.
- Coaching: Being able to identify student errors and give positive, corrective feedback.
Possible Courses – Half Day
( Exact course offerings will be finalized as we gauge interest of participants)
Intro to turning strokes
Stroke blending and manueving while under momentum.
Digital Weather Tools
Rolling -Intro and roll development
Deep Water Rescues
Towing – Intro and development
Stabilizing Strokes
Choosing the right equipment
Expedition Planning
Navigation
Women’s Mullti Day Trip with – Amber Champion
Introduction to Expedition Sea Kayaking
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to help novice and intermediate sea kayakers develop the hard skills and confidence to plan and under take their own multi day sea kayak trips in a broad range of seascapes.
Through out the course we will be developing skills both on the water and off so that participants will effectively, show good judgment and act responsibly in group paddling situations. Participants will be able to show these skills while traveling on the water, setting up and managing camp as well as risk management scenarios.
Skills to be developed and demonstrated
We will be working on developing the following paddling and group management skills in a remote marine and backcountry camping environment.
Maneuvering
Forward and reverse paddling
Turning with forward and reverse momentum
Static turns
360 rotation forward and reverse
Sideways movement
Preventing capsize with braces
Rescues and tows
T-rescue
Scoop rescue
Hand-of-God
Stirrup rescue
Efficient unassisted rescue
Swimmer carries -bow & stern
Contact tow
Tow – single, inline, V &
Rafted tow
Technical Skills
Navigation
Basic boat repair
Leadership
Group management & awareness
Risk assesment
communication
positioning
Launching and landing
Environmental awareness
Knowledge
Weather
Tides and currents
conditions
trip planning
communications
Rules of the road
Leave no trace camping
Prevention and management of cold water shock and hypothermia
wildlife
Included
Professional Instruction
Dinner and meet and greet Day1
Catered Dinner and Speaker Day2
horderves and debrief Day3
Discounts with local businesses including
Lodging
Food
Sporting goods
Not Included
Lodging while in Haines
Breakfasts, Lunch and snacks
Kayaking and associated equipment
(limited rentals available)
Drysuit
(limited rentals available)
Schedule of Events
Registration and rental gear pick up
5:00 Pm at SEAK Expeditions Headquarters in downtown Haines, Alaska
0830 – Meet at SEAK Expeditions office for
0900-0930 – Depart for Course Venue
0930-12:30 – Morning Course
12:30-1:30 – Lunch
1:30 -5:00 – Afternoon Course
6: Dinner – Alpenglow Pizza with Beer available for purchase at The Haines Brewing Company
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0830 – Meet at SEAK Expeditions office for
0900-0930 – Depart for Course Venue
0930-12:30 – Morning Course
12:30-1:30 – Lunch
1:30 -5:00 – Afternoon Course
6: Dinner by MaloNista Catering – with Presentation to Follow
0830 – Meet at SEAK Expeditions office for
0900-0930 – Depart for Course Venue
0930-12:30 – Morning Course
12:30-1:30 – Lunch
1:30 -5:00 – Afternoon Course
6: Debrief :Port Chilkoot Distillery – Horderves with Cocktails available for purchase
Instructors
Dale Williams
Dale is an ACA L-5 Instructor Trainer Educator (ITE) and former British Canoe Union (BCU) Coach 5T Sea. He loves teaching and turning others on to open-water sea kayaking.
Dale makes his home on Tybee Island, Georgia (there was a woman involved) and as it turns out, Tybee has some of the best access to multi-level challenges in surf and river mouth tide races that one could hope for, anywhere.
Amber Champion
Amber has taught at numerous national and international symposiums, gained her Paddle Canada L4 Instructors and L3 Instructor Trainers certification and became the youngest and the only female to hold that certification. She is driven to get to the top and offer more opportunities for learning for everyone.
Debbie Williams
Debbie began paddling sea kayaks on the Georgia coast, some decades ago, and loves it more with each passing year. But she’s paddled, taught and led in many other places as well, from Alaska and California, Maine, Florida, Virginia and the Carolinas, to Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean. Currently an ACA Level 3 Coastal Kayak instructor, she is a supportive coach and enjoys helping people up their paddling skills.
Levi Hogan
Levi is the owner of Turnagain Kayak, an ACA Level 4 Coastal Kayak Instructor Trainer and BCU 5 Star Sea Kayaker. Levi is also certified in Swift Water Rescue Instructor, Whitewater Kayaking, Stand Up Paddleboarding, and Canoeing. When Levi isn’t on the water he spends his time as a volunteer firefighter and medic in Hope, AK and chasing down his three year old Rylan and five year old Nigel.
Sponsors
Partners
