• kayaker with sun hat

Sea Kayak Lessons

Practice important kayak skills and rescue techniques before heading out into Desolation Sound

Learn important skills such as paddling strokes, launch & land techniques, and self & assisted rescues with a sea kayak lesson before you paddle into Desolation Sound

Operational Note for 2025:

As of this moment – due to unforeseen circumstances – Powell River Sea Kayak is regrettably not planning to offer sea kayak rentals, lessons, or day tours for the 2025 season.

We will still be running guided packages to Cabana Desolation Eco Resort and select camping expeditions into Desolation Sound and Toba Inlet.

Thank you for your understanding!

As safety is of utmost importance, our policy requires renters to have had some formal training amongst their group, with a clear focus on wet-exits and rescues.

In addition to providing necessary safety knowledge and skills, lessons also provide paddlers with the confidence needed to thoroughly enjoy their trips. Ignorance is not always bliss. 

Our pre-rental lesson has been specifically designed to provide you with crucial knowledge and practice of safety techniques and strokes, as well as targeted advice, tips and information that will help you and your group best paddle Desolation Sound and it’s unique features and geography.

These lessons are intended to provide essential information to achieve two goals for PRSK kayak renters: to avoid danger and injury to paddlers, and to avoid damage to our rental kayaks and equipment.

Pre-Rental Lesson

Introduction to safe kayaking and touring in Desolation Sound

3 hours // $99 pp. // min. 2 people, max 5 people (email if group of 6 or more)

We can run lessons every day during the summer depending on instructor availability.

9am-12pm // 1pm-4pm

Includes kayak & equipment for duration of lesson.

Key Focus:

  • Kayak fit and adjustments
  • Launch and land techniques
  • Paddle stroke efficiency
  • Wet-exit
  • Self-rescue
  • Assisted rescue
  • Post on-water discussion:
    • Packing tips
    • Double kayak rescue
    • Safety considerations:
      • tides and currents
      • crossings
      • wind
Sea kayak lessons in Penrose Bay, Okeover Inlet, Desolation Sound

The focus of this pre-rental lesson is on learning how to keep sea kayaking safe and enjoyable, with emphasis on basic strokes, wet-exits, and self- and assisted-rescues, as well as key concepts that are important when paddling in Desolation Sound.

Please note that these lessons are run by our certified guides and are not certified by any governing or accrediting body.

How to Book

Head over to our rentals booking page and select the dates you wish to rent kayaks in the calendar. Lessons can either be booked individually by selecting the ‘Lessons’ tab, or easily selected as an ‘Add-on’ during the rental booking process.

If we cannot fit you in for a lesson ourselves, most cities and large towns will have a local operator who will be able to teach you the fundamentals of sea kayaking. Key things to make sure a lesson covers before booking a kayak rental are: basic strokes, wet exits, and self- and assisted-rescues.

Sea Kayak Rentals

Used Kayak Sales