Home

Intro to Kayak (Pool)

Location:
Genoveva Chavez Community Center
3221 Rodeo Road
Santa Fe, NM, 87507
See map: Google Maps
Start Time: 
Monday, September 26, 2011 - 5:30pm - 8:30pm
New Mexico Kayak Instruction

Introduction to Kayaking is a 4-hour clinic teaching you the basic skills needed to paddle any type of kayak. This includes sit on tops, recreational, touring, whitewater and inflatable kayaks.

Kayaking can be fun and easy if you learn the right techniques.  It has little to do with strength, and much more to do with finesse and effortless power.  You'll learn more in this 4-hour class than most people learn in several seasons alone. 

Here's a few things you'll learn:

  • 5 misunderstood concepts to effortless paddling
  • 6 simple rescues that anyone can do in deep-water
  • 4 myths to an effortless roll
  • 9 essential strokes and skills you should master before learning the Kayak Roll, Whitewater or Touring

You'll also learn the most stable ways to enter and exit the kayak from shore, as well as how to quickly exit and re-enter a capsized kayak in deep water. A variety of self-rescues, including the Kayak Roll and assisted rescues are demonstrated throughout the class. You'll learn the basic strokes and body mechanics to paddle efficiently, comfortably and confidently in any direction on lakes and easy flat water rivers.

Intro to Kayak is a prerequisite for 2-day Intro to Whitewater and the 2-day Intro to Sea Kayaking.

Learn the safest, most efficient way, while saving time and money in this Intro to Kayak class.

Note: The Chavez Community Center in Santa Fe is only available for 3hr blocks of time, so all Intro to Kayak and Kayak Roll classes are 3hrs instead of 4hrs.  To ensure all topics are covered, and everyone receives individual attention during this limited time, class sizes are strictly capped to seven (7) for the Intro to Kayak class and five (5) for the Kayak Roll class.
Price: 
$80.25
Payment: 
A $25 non-refundable deposit is needed to reserve your spot in class. Classes are booked on a first-paid, first-reserved basis, so send in your deposit today!
My history with water has been very negative.  When I was a kid, I almost drowned.  Since then, I've found myself avoiding situations where I felt vulnerable to dangerous waters.  Since my courses with Kelly, I have gained both confidence and necessary knowledge that allows me to finally enjoy the water again.  Never would I have thought I would be going down class III whitewater rapids on a boogie board.  Thank you Kelly.  You have peaked my interest in taking more whitewater courses.
Nina Perea
I learned everything that i was hoping to learn, as a result my feeling confident and safe on the water has increased tremendously!
Heidrun Craig
more

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my son or daughter come to class?

Children 10 years or older can attend any flatwater lesson with a parent or guardian with legal responsibility.  However, I leave it to the parent or guardian to keep the children focused and engaged throughout the class.  Children under 10 years old can be taught in a private lesson.

 

How do I reserve a spot?

A non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot. The deposit is non-refundable, and non-transferrable. We gladly accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover over the phone.  Checks can be made payable to:

"NMKI" (New Mexico Kayak Instruction)
5800 Osuna Rd NE #64
Albuquerque, NM 87109

Please let us know when your check is in the mail so we can be looking for it.

Classes are booked on a first-paid, first-reserved basis, so mail your checks early, or call 505-217-2187 to pay by credit card.

How does the Non-refundable deposit work?

The non-refundable deposit goes to reserve your spot and cover certain fixed cost, like pool rental, insurance and assistant instructors. It's a two-way guarantee that you will do your best to attend, and that I will save a spot for you, provide you with a properly fitted kayak, and provide assistant instructors as needed, to keep the Student to Instructor ratio in check.

If you cannot attend, try to find someone who can take your spot, and work the deposit out between the two of you. They should contact me as soon as possible to ensure space is avaialble, and provide me with their height and weight, so I can bring the right sized kayak.

If, and only if, a class is full, can the deposit be refunded, or transferred to a different date.

I can't attend the Classroom. Can I still participate in the Pool clinic?
Yes.  A lot of great material is covered in the classroom, and you'll learn a lot by attending or repeating the classroom lessons (and they're FREE!!).  However, the classroom material is completely independent of the pool lesson.  It doesn't matter which one you attend first.
I'm a novice kayaker and really want to learn. Where is the best place to begin?

The Intro to Kayak clinic is the foundation for everything I teach. It's a required prerequisite for the 2-day Whitewater Weekend clinics and the 2-day Touring Kayak Weekend clinics. The Kayak Roll is a good next step after the Intro to Kayak clinic, although not a requirement for the Whitewater or Touring Kayak Weekend clinics.

While learning to roll is a good skill, it's not the best place to start.  Rolling is a defensive measure.  Good boat control, judgement and an accurate assessment of your skills will keep you from rolling most of the time. 

You'll learn boat control in the Intro to Kayak and subsequent clinics. Those who complete the Intro to Kayak class have a much higher success rate in the Kayak Roll clinic.  A few hours in the boat learning to do smooth and controlled wet exits from a skirted kayak will be money well spent.  If you've spent little or no time in a decked kayak, your mind will simply be too distracted by flipping over and getting out to learn the Kayak Roll.

I'm afraid of flipping over. Do we have to do this?
Flipping in a kayak (or "falling over") is part of the learning process, especially for beginners.  Like learning to walk, ride a bike, or snowboard - falling happens from time to time.  As our skills improve, frequency that we flip or fall, will be few and far between.  First, we should become comfortable doing a "wet exit" when it's upside down. This is covered at length in the "Intro to Kayak" class, and briefly in the "Kayak Roll" class; each in an indoor, heated pool.  The Wet Exit is incredibly simple and easy to do, and I'll demonstrate this procedure first, and will stand beside each person as they do it a few times.   It's very easy for the instructor to roll you back over, for the added assurance that you'll be OK.  It should get easier and easier, so that you're no longer afraid.  The "Kayak Roll" (or 'Eskimo Roll') is demonstrated a few tims in the "Intro to Kayak" class, but is beyond the scope of the 'Intro' class, thus is not formally taught.  To learn the Kayak Roll, check out the Kayak Roll class.  By practicing these skills, using good judgement and managing certain risk, we should be over-prepared for most adventures on flat water.
I've taken a guided tour. Do I still need the Intro to Kayak class?
Guided tours are great because they introduce the paddler to the many opportunities available to them in a kayak. Some guides do a great job of teaching, especially multi-day tours, where emdurance and efficiency are essential. However, most guided tours teach only what is necessary to be safe that day. For example, they may explain how to do a "wet-exit", but may not teach the steps or go through the motions with you to build your confidence. Rescues may be performed as needed, but generally are not taught. Similarly, strokes and safety concepts are discussed in broad terms to help you have a fun and safe experience.   At New Mexico Kayak Instruction, we want you to get the most from your lesson with us. If we know you've been on a guided tour in the past, or taken another instructor's "Intro" course, we'll challenge you in more advanced ways, building on your existing foundation and fine-tuning your technique so you're moving your boat safely, confidently and effortlessly across the water.
Is there a discount if I bring my own boat and gear?
Not at this time. Many companies charge an "equipment rental" fee in addition to the lesson. At New Mexico Kayak Instruction, we include the equipment with the lesson. We encourage you to learn these techniques in your own boat. However, if your boat doesn't fit properly, is inappropriate for the class (a recreational boat in a whitewater or rolling class, for example), or you're interested in demoing a new boat, we will gladly bring one for you no charge.

Comments

Post new comment

  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Glossary terms will be automatically marked with links to their descriptions. If there are certain phrases or sections of text that should be excluded from glossary marking and linking, use the special markup, [no-glossary] ... [/no-glossary]. Additionally, these HTML elements will not be scanned: a, abbr, acronym, code, pre.
  • Insert Google Map macro.

More information about formatting options

Javascript is required to view this map.