The Course
Kayaking Course in Patagonia

From the edge of Patagonia's stunning ice cap, this instructional expedition takes you to remote, rarely seen places, and allows you to learn paddling skills in an expedition setting. Skills range from route finding to rations planning, from self and assisted rescue to rolling, from expedition leadership to preserving the precious landscape you are living in.

The overall focus of this instructional expedition is to arm you with the skills and experience to launch into your own paddling adventures with confidence and good judgment. Your experienced instructor guides will help and encourage you to push yourself and your skill levels. Through a combination of sit down classes, practical scenarios, and day to day involvement with the running of the expedition, you will learn and consolidate these skills. There will be many opportunities to learn a full range of kayaking techniques and practices including self rescue, group rescue, capsize and emergency drills. You will learn to read maps and sea charts, use a GPS, wilderness camping and "Leave No Trace" techniques. There will also be plenty of time to learn about the special flora and fauna of this region.

The Patagonia Kayak Expedition is truly the expedition of a lifetime. What makes this course so special, is not just what you learn, but where you learn it: In the most amazing classroom in the world. Patagonia has a magical reputation and deservedly so. It is a place of breathtaking beauty and incredible remoteness. Here you can paddle along a remote fjord, set up camp on a pristine beach and feel you are the only person in the world.

This sea kayaking expedition will be a rich and rewarding experience. We will go to places few other people go, see things few other people see and face challenges you might once have thought you were not capable of.

Graduates of the Sea Kayak Skills Course will have learned and used a wide range of paddling and backcountry skills, as well as interpersonal/leaderships skills. All skills carry, as an underlying focus, the critical aspect of risk management. Skills covered include:

Basic Touring Paddle Techniques, Sweeps, Sculls, Braces, Draw Strokes, Wet Exits, Rolls, Re-entry and Rolls, Assisted Rescue, Unassisted Rescue, Surf Launching and Landing, Map and Compass Use, GPS Use, Wilderness Medicine, Backcountry Weather Evaluation, Tides, Campsite Selection, Leave No Trace Camping and Travel, Communications in the Field, Radios and Radio Protocols, Flares, Rations Planning, Packing, and Food Drops, Gourmet Backcountry Cooking, Expedition Behavior, Backcountry Leadership, Risk Management, Safety, Judgment, and Decision Making, Conflict Resolution, Team Building, Communication, Decision Making Strategies and Skills, Emergency Planning, Embracing Hardship and Uncertainty.