Ontario Sea Kayak Centre

08/27/2024

Here is most of the 2024 Paddlepalooza coaching lineup. We are excited to welcome back some familiar faces and to welcome some fresh blood to our sweet Great Lakes.

We still have a few spots open if you want to get some world-class instruction right here in Ontario. Sept 13-15th 2024.

https://ontarioseakayakcentre.com/paddlepalooza/

08/26/2024

We have just opened up more spots for Paddlepalooza Sept 14-15th! We have been sold out for months but have just been able to open up a few more spots. Please let others know. This event is so much fun and we have some incredible coaches coming from all over Canada. Contact me if you have any issues booking.
https://ontarioseakayakcentre.com/paddlepalooza/

05/08/2024

Here is a highlight reel from the Paddle Canada level 4 skills course I taught with Lee Richardson on the West Coast this past week! So much fun. If you are a level 2 paddler and are looking to improve your skills this season check out our level 3 skills course this fall on Lake Superior.

04/15/2024

Are you still waiting for a sign to take that first step into kayaking? Well this is it, this summer is your time to shine. Join us for a Nationally certified kayaking skills weekend in one of three Ontario locations! It’s easy to learn and you will become a safer and more efficient paddler by taking a course.

https://ontarioseakayakcentre.com/course/paddle-canada-level-1/

03/17/2024

I’m so excited to paddle Lake Superior again this July. I first guided this coastline 19 years ago but fell in love with this Lake when I was a child. The water is so clear sometimes it feels like you are flying over the boulders beneath you. If you love wilderness beaches and sunsets come and explore with Dympna Hayes and me this summer.

https://ontarioseakayakcentre.com/adventures/lake-superior-provincial-park-ontario/

03/11/2024

This summer we have an expedition training trip running from Pukaskwa National Park to Wawa, down the wildest and most remote coastline of Lake Superior. We have 2 spots left on this 10-day trip. Your guide/instructors have more than 40 years of combined experience on Lake Superior, and they know every twist and turn of the coastline. They will lead you to the most beautiful wilderness beaches with the best sunsets in the world. Use this adventure to get ready for your own sea kayaking expeditions or as a way to paddle with an experienced group that will be looking out for each other.

https://ontarioseakayakcentre.com/adventures/sea-kayak-lake-superior-wild-north-shore-kayaking-expedition/

03/10/2024

I had my last groups out kayaking this season. It was a great day because they let me take all the crew out. The crew are mostly from Philippines, India, Indonesia, and China. They’re on the ship for around 8 months. We had so much fun! In total 24 crew came over three paddles! We all have become good friends on here and you get to know a little about each others lives. Many have young children, some under two, that they leave at home to come and work on the ships. Can you imagine leaving your one year old for eight months? Many dream of moving to Canada… we should all think about that when we grumble about all the things we grumble about… the more places I visit on this planet, the more I appreciate my home. ♥️🇨🇦

02/21/2024

Paddlepalooza registrations are now open! We hope to see you there 13-15th Sept 2024.

02/19/2024

Three days until we open the registrations for Paddlepalooza 2024 at Killbear Provincial Park! Sept 13-15th!

02/12/2024

Hello, Kayaking community! We get asked all the time for rolling courses. We used to teach about 150 people each winter in the pools in Ontario but we now work in Antarctica at this time of the year, so we no longer can. I wanted to share a couple of opportunities to learn to roll from us this coming summer.

We have restructured our Paddle Canada level 2 skills courses this year so that you come to our paddling centre in Parry Sound and work with Dympna Hayes and myself on rolling skills for the first day and then work with your level 2 instructors on the rest of the skills out on Georgian Bay after that. We feel that working on rolling will help paddlers succeed in their level 2. If you get the roll we can teach you a re-enter and roll and that will speed up your self-rescue. If you don't get the roll, your stability in the kayak and also rescues will improve from working through our rolling methodology.
https://ontarioseakayakcentre.com/.../paddle-canada-level-2/

The second option is a rolling weekend we are running August 10-11th. This weekend is also running from the waterfront at our paddling centre in Parry Sound. (Accommodation is available onsite). Here we have all of our Touring, Rolling and Skin on Frame kayaks as well as Greenland-specific equipment and a fully equipped classroom to use to our advantage to get you rolling! We also have Mike Fairburn helping out this weekend!
https://ontarioseakayakcentre.com/.../learn-to-roll-a-kayak/

Why are we Ontario's experts on teaching rolling? Well, we have been teaching people to roll for over 20 years. We definitely have put our 10,000 hours in. We run Canada's longest-running traditional paddling event (Ontario Greenland Camp which is another great place to learn rolling in September!), in 2014 I went to Greenland and won a Gold medal in the Greenland National Qajaq championships, and also in 2014 Dympna and I helped write the Paddle Canada rolling curriculum and are senior instructor trainers in the discipline. We have even flown to two provinces and one of the territories to teach other instructors how to teach rolling. Anyway, we really love getting people to roll and we hope we can work with more of you this summer!

Here is a video I made in 2020 of a few of the successes we had that summer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoJqJ1JT7xY

Phone videos from some of the students we taught rolling to in 2020! Good job everyone!Come and learn with us this summer.https://ontarioseakayakcentre.com/c...

01/17/2024

BeADonor.ca

12/11/2023

Thanks for featuring Paddlers Pilgrimage on Top turn kayak Benjamin Fontenot! It’s coming up on 10 years since James Manke and I were there! If you haven’t seen our film or if you have and want to find some other kayaking films to watch, check our Benjamin’s website.

A beautiful documentary film follows James Roberts and James Manke during their experiences while visiting Greenland and competing in the Greenland National Kayak Championships in 2014.

07/27/2023

We have a group out in the islands right now on a gourmet kayaking, SUP yoga retreat! Joedy, Heather and Chef Laurie are showing them a great time. 📸: Joedy E

07/10/2023

A solid level 1 group this weekend out in the water with Joedy and Heather in Parry Sound. Learning to kayak is all about getting your ducks in a row. 🦆🦆🦆🦆

07/07/2023

I love this photo. Melissa Heaman is one of our newer instructors. She had a new kayak delivered here yesterday from Robert Vlug at Eastern Outdoors. Just look at the joy in her, she waited a long time for her pink Valley Etain. I think the wait was worth it. PS, I love the colour! 💗💖💕💓🌸

05/27/2023

Georgian Bay Tours is doing a GIVEAWAY!
Our sister company, Georgian Bay Tours, has an Instagram giveaway that ends Monday, May 29, 2023 at 11:59pm! THAT IS THIS MONDAY!

The giveaway is for a tour for you and up to six friends worth over $2000! To enter go to the Instagram (linked below) give a follow and you’ll see the pinned giveaway reel at the top of the page, and instructions for entry in the caption.

https://www.instagram.com/georgianbaytours/

04/03/2023

We just got back from an epic trip paddling from Loreto to La Paz on the Gulf of California, Baja, Mexico. We spend more than 30 minutes accompanied by a large pod of dolphins cruising along with us, breaching humpbacks while we watched from shore 3 separate times and stunning stars. Here are some photos from the trip!

03/09/2023

Happy international women’s Day! Today, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and adventurous spirit of women everywhere. At Ontario Sea Kayak Centre, we recognize the significant contributions that women have made to our sport and industry. From recreational paddling to extreme paddling women have been breaking barriers and pushing boundaries for decades.

We believe that every woman has the potential to be a great kayaker. That’s why we strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, where all women can feel confident and comfortable exploring the waterways. Our female instructors and guides are experienced and knowledgeable, and they are passionate about helping women of all ages and skill levels discover the joy of kayaking.

Together, let’s continue to empower and uplift women in the kayak in community and beyond. Happy international women’s Day from all of us at
Ontario Sea Kayak Centre.


02/21/2023

We are looking for a few more paddlers to join our epic Johnstone Strait and Broughton Archipelago trip this August. Here are some photos I took the last time we were there. We saw Orca, Humpbacks 🐋 and more eagles 🦅 than you could shake a stick at. We include airport pickup and drop off, as well as accommodation before and after the trip.

02/02/2023

People ask me what’s so special about Lake Superior and I tell them nothing, it’s sucks, don’t go there. ;) However if you did want to go to this remote and wild place where few paddlers go (thanks to me) we have space on our self-reliant Superior trip this summer.

https://ontarioseakayakcentre.com/adventures/paddle-lake-superiors-wild-north-shore-from-rossport-to-marathon/

10/23/2022

Thank you for such a great 2022 season. We are so thankful to all of our students and trip guests for another great year. In 2022 we launched our adventure boat tours on Georgian Bay with great success. We also paddled in the Northwest Territories, and Baja Mexico, and ran many trips and courses on Lake Superior, Georgian Bay, and other locations in Ontario.

For 2023 we are excited to offer some amazing trip locations (Baja, Northwest Territories, Lake Superior, Georgian Bay, and Johnstone Strait, BC!) We also have a full lineup of Paddle Canada courses from Level 1 to Level 4 sea kayaking skills, Level 1 and Level 2 instructor courses, as well as Paddlepalooza and Women on the Water paddling festivals!

Welcome to Ontario’s home for sea kayak instruction and guided trips. Our experienced instructors teach all levels in the Paddle Canada Sea Kayak skills

10/08/2022

The snow is coming soon so it's time to start planning an escape down to Mexico in March!! How about Baja to paddle in the Gulf of California!? We have two spots left on our Baja trip to this stunning area that is rich in marine life and rich in desert life too. For more info head to this link!

This expedition is from Loreto to La Paz trip. We will put-in at Ensenada Blanca, just south of Loreto and add a 12th day to the trip. This should then give

09/23/2022

For those of you that didn't get to see the Paddling Film Festival at Paddlepalooza this year, head to this link, and you can rent the individual films.

Paddling film fest and chill.

https://paddlingfilmfestival.com/?ref=OntarioSeaKayaking

09/21/2022

In August I headed up to the Northwest Territories with Karl and we guided a group for nine days in the Eastern Arm of the Great Slave Lake. Flying into the start location means we start in the remote wilderness and get to explore from there. The highlights of the trip are stunning cliffs that light up during the golden hour just before dark, boreal forest, epic fishing, and fresh northern air.

I hope you enjoy checking out a little taster of this trip.

- James

07/09/2022

We have been swamped again this summer (hence the reason you never see us on Facebook!) We are still here, working hard.

Our third Level 2 group so far this year is currently out in the Islands, this photo was taken by our instructor Mark. We also have a 7-day trip out in Killarney. Day trips are running multiple times per week, Adventure Boat tours are running. This weekend we have our fourth level 1 of the season down in Southern Ontario with Jeff and Chris. It is great to see so many familiar faces out on the water and really nice to see lots of new paddlers learning the skills of adventure.