The Sea Kayaking Cornwall 17th Annual Sea Kayaking Symposium & Courses Week 2024
The symposium has grown from strength to strength over the years and has become a firm favourite end of year paddling destination and gathering for many local and international paddlers. The event has become recognised for providing a relaxed atmosphere, an intimate venue, world class paddling locations and quality coaching from diverse and friendly coaches.
The true success of the Sea Kayaking Cornwall symposium is really you the paddlers who return year after year to share and enjoy the wonderful paddling that the Cornish coast offers.
We will have our suppliers visiting again, a food and bar service available throughout the symposium weekend and courses week. We will update participants closer to the time with the finer details.
We look forward to seeing you all back and welcoming new faces in 2024!
Symposium Weekend Dates, Prices & Venue
Dates
Registration opens: Friday 4th October 2024 from 4pm
Course days: 4th - 6th October 2024
Prices
Symposium Weekend only: £215
If booking the weekend and week together, add the weekend to the order first in order to activate the combined symposium weekend & courses week discount.
Kayak Hire
Kayak hire for the weekend: £70 per kayak
Camping
2 nights camping Friday/Saturday @ Tregedna campsite and Symposium fee: £240
Self-catering
2 nights bunkhouse shared accommodation Friday/Saturday in Tregedna Lodge and Symposium fee: £295
All prices include 20% VAT
Weekend Options
The courses are available as options when you book your Weekend Symposium place.
Surf For Sea Kayaker Courses - different levels
Cornwall is a world class location for surf courses. We have a variety of beaches to choose from to help find the correct conditions for the required surf course. The surf is a great environment for sea kayakers to improve their skills.
Introduction to Surf For Sea Kayakers
If you have never been in the surf before and want to work on the fundamentals and get the basics right this is the course for you. We hope to find a small wave to work on support strokes and edging to keep you in control and upright in the surf. We will then move onto independently surfing small waves.
Intermediate Surf For Sea Kayakers
The aim of the intermediate surf course is to consolidate your personal skills, teach you to surf your kayak with maximum control, confidently launch and land through the surf, and help you become a more responsible and knowledgeable paddler with a clearer understanding of safety protocols and rescues used in the surf zone.
Intro-mediate Surf For Sea Kayakers
This course is aimed at intro-mediate to intermediate paddlers that want to build their confidence in the surf zone. We will coach and help you with the various techniques and skills needed, including how to do effective support strokes, launching/landing, timing, wave selection and manoeuvring.
Advanced Surf For Sea Kayakers
The advanced course and surf conditions will certainly test all your skills. It will teach you to respond, react and utilise all of your strokes and paddling skills. We will help you develop a solid skill set, look at changing direction on a wave, learn how to read and select the best waves, do vertical moves, stay straight, diagonal runs and rescues.
Rock Gardening Courses
Learn how to handle your kayak amongst the rocks using all of your sea kayaking skills. There is so much fun to be had amongst the rocks.
Intermediate Rock Garden Skills
On this course you will learn a variety of techniques to help you get the most out of the environment. The course will take place in calmer waters. We look at safety, reading the water, skills and rescues amongst the rocks.
Advanced Rock Garden Skills
Learn how to handle your kayak amongst the rocks in an upper intermediate/advanced environment. We will focus on safety skills, reading and timing the swell, leadership and rescues in dynamic conditions.
Guided Journeys Along The Beautiful Cornish Coast - different levels
Paddling around some of the most stunning coast line Britain has to offer, on these day trips we show you why we are Sea Kayaking Cornwall and why we consider this one of the most beautiful paddling destinations in the world.
Intro-mediate Journey
This is for those people who are possibly newer to sea kayaking, maybe recovering from an injury or a little less able or simply you are not interested in clocking up mileage or adrenalin. Instead you wish to enjoy the simple peace, quiet and serenity of the ocean and Cornish estuaries.We purposefully search for calmer easier going conditions. Come along to our symposium and enjoy yourself, after all sea kayaking is for everyone.
Advanced Journey
A combination of longer distances and searching for trips with more dynamic conditions. Your journey will certainly take you along the most rugged Cornish coast. You need to be at upper Intermediate/ Advanced/ BC Sea Kayak Leader skill level to join the advanced journey. Expect to land and launch through some surf and to paddle in some tide.
Intermediate Journey
Journey along the magnificent Cornish coast amongst the rocks, under the cliffs, into the caves, looking for wildlife and playing in the waves. You need to be at or around the intermediate / BC sea kayak award /upper INTROmediate level to join the intermediate journey. Expect to land and launch through some surf.
Rescues & Towing Techniques
This will be a ‘wet day’ of rescues to deal with a variety of situations from the standard deep-water rescue all the way to the “hand of god” and the various eskimo rescues. It will be run in intermediate conditions to give participants the opportunity to get them correct in a controlled but challenging environment. Learn to use your towline in ways you never thought possible.
Forward Paddling
We will look at your stroke to develop all aspects of the technique to make you more efficient out on a journey.This course is for those people who have a particular interest in the technical aspects of kayaking, looking at the adaptation and transfer of skills from flat water to white water and more recently sea kayaking.
Traditional Paddling & Greenland Rolling Day
Instructors: The ‘How We Roll Team’
When coming out of your kayak after a capsize is not an option, it is imperative that you can come up, whilst at the same time, not expending more energy than necessary. Greenland Rolling uses the body’s natural ability to float as its primary asset, enabling a strong, reliable roll, without depending on muscle strength. Rolling is a key skill for kayaking and also very helpful in developing other skills such as edging, bracing and playing in the surf – taking it a little too far just means you enjoy a roll!
During this course we will teach the fundamentals of efficient rolling, through demos as well as time on (and in!) the water. Floating and a strong knee drive are used in a range of different Greenland rolls. We will help with tips, tricks and exercises (on land and in the water) tailored to help each person on the way to become a confident kayak roller, either by rolling with a paddle, a norsaq, your hand, or even fist or elbow. Expect an aching core at the end of that day, and a joy of being in rather than just on the water.
You need to be dressed for full immersion (rolling and standing in the water to help others) and we strongly recommend a neoprene hood (or the Greenland tuiliq) and a nose clip.
Fishing for Sea Kayakers.
Making a return for 2024 - fishing for sea kayakers! A great way to learn how to catch and prepare fish from your kayak. A great skill set to have and brilliant knowledge to take on expedition.
Expedition & Medical Planning
A clinic focused on the 'how' & 'what' of expedition & medical planning for remote environments. This course is run by Dr Barry McKenna, who has completed multiple Devizes to Westminster races and was the 'Doc' on the Team forces of nature expedition, kayaking up the Inside Passage.
Venue & Accommodation
The Symposium is based at Tregedna Farm – OUR HOME!
Tregedna Farm Holidays
Maenporth
Falmouth
Cornwall
TR11 5HL
Accommodation Bookings at Tregedna farm for the Symposium weekend and Courses week are done DIRECTLY WITH SEA KAYAKING CORNWALL during the online booking process – we reserve the campsite and the lodge for the duration of the event.
Self-Catering & Camping:
2 nights self-catering bunkhouse accommodation: £80 per person
Accommodation Bookings at Tregedna farm for the Symposium weekend and Courses week are done DIRECTLY WITH SEA KAYAKING CORNWALL during the online booking process – we reserve the campsite and the lodge for the duration of the event.
*** ADDITIONAL CAMPING & BUNKHOUSE INFO ***
ELECTRIC PITCHES AVAILABLE: £5 per person *subject to price increase
Dogs: £1.50 each
Please note – subject to availability the double bed bunkhouse rooms will be £70.00 for the room per night.
Contact Us
Please give us a call if you have any queries or wish to discuss any of our courses or expeditions:
0044 (0)1326 250889 (office)
0044 (0) 7555 763695 (Shaun Rodgers)
0044 (0) 7455 884482 (James Roberts)