Cross Currents Sea Kayaking | Courses on the Chesapeake Bay

2025 Courses and Trips (2025 Course Calendar is Here)

The following section presents an overview of all the 2025 Cross Currents courses and trips. If you'd like to register for one or more courses/trips - or have questions about any of them - just email us at CrossCurrentsSeaKayaking@gmail.com.

Belize

March 3 – 12, 2025 (Mon – Weds)

Location: Lighthouse Caye and San Ignacio Belize + Tikal, Guatemala

Instructors/Guides: Greg and Luci Hollingsworth

Cost: $2,995 + airfare + extras

After arriving in Belize City, our outfitter will transport us by boat to our luxury Lighthouse Reef basecamp for five days of snorkeling, SUPs, kayaking, kayaking sailing, swimming and fishing including a visit to the Blue Hole. This is resort style rather than "hard core" paddling. The scenery is spectacular and the meals are fresh and local.

Then we'll journey inland for three days of visiting Mayan ruins in Guatemala and exploring waterfalls and caves in the Belizean mountains. There should also be time for people to choose other adventures like kayak caving and river kayaking. We'll be staying near San Ignacio, a charming small town in Western Belize with a famous outdoor market and a chance to sample Belizean cuisine.

The $2,995 course cost includes your first night stay in Belize City, five days and four nights on beautiful Lighthouse Reef basecamp, all meals, activities, transportation and guiding while on the Caye, four nights at a spectacular inland rental house, transportation during the three inland days, a visit to one of the largest Mayan ruins in Guatemala, and transportation to the airport for the return trip. It does not include airfare or food for the inland portioon.

Note: This trip has room for one person

10,000 Islands Expedition

March 17-22, 2025 (Mon - Fri)

Location: Everglades City, FL (meeting place) to Flamingo, FL

Instructors/Guide: Jeff Atkins

Cost: $595

The 10,000 Islands section of Everglades National Park is a virtually untouched wilderness that seems to have been designed for exploration by sea kayak. So that's what we are going to do for six days and five nights, moving expedition-style from camp site to camp site, paddling from Everglades City to Flamingo. We'll be carrying all our own food, water, tents and camping supplies with us in our boats. Expect to paddle about 10-12 nm each day, using the tides to give us a boost. We'll be keeping our eyes out for Brown (and maybe White) Pelicans, Roseate Spoonbills, dolphins, sea turtles and possibly a manatee or alligator. We'll also be paying close attention to our nautical charts since that many islands so close together can seem like a maze! Our camp sites are wide, sandy, pristine beaches that we want to keep that way, so Leave No Trace principles will apply.

The Florida First Coast

March 8 - 15, 2025 (Sat. - Sat.)

Location: Jacksonville, FL/St. Mary's GA

Instructors/Guides: Rick Wiebush, Kathryn Lapolla

Cost: $795 + housing

There is nothing like being in Florida in 75-degree weather and endless sunshine, while everyone up north is freezing their bunderundes off. Add a six-bedroom, three and a half bath estate as a base and endless paddling opportunities and you'll be set for a week. The paddling will include some places we've been on previous trips, as well as some new places. Figure an average of 8-10 nm/day. We'll do a different paddle each day including Cumberland Island, Jekyll Island, St. Augustine, the Upper St. Mary's River and more!

Note: This trip is full.

Outer Banks Expedition

April 22 - 27 2025 (Tues. - Sun.)

Location: Harkers Island, NC

Instructors: James Kesterson. Jeff Atkins

Cost: $595

Come join us for a sound side journey along the lower Outer Banks. Will be traveling along the Cape Lookout National Seashore. We will camp along the way as we explore Shackleford Banks and the Core Banks. We will see the region of the coast where numerous ships sank, heroes were born and served with the US Life Saving Service, and famous pirates like Black Beard sailed. The beaches are long and undeveloped. The night skies are lit up by the stars, and the natural environment is rugged, unforgiving, but rewards you with beautiful scenery for adventuring there.

Basic schedule

Day 1:

Arrive at Harkers Island at 8 a.m.

Drop off gear and place shuttle vehicles at appropriate drop off.

Launch in the afternoon and camp at Cape Lookout

Day 2 – Stay at Cape Lookout – circumnavigate Harkers Island, or explore Cape Lookout Light

Station

Day 3 - Travel to Great Island

Day 4 – Travel to Long Point

Day 5 - Travel to Portsmouth

Day 6 - Explore Portsmouth

Day 7 - Travel to Ocracoke and catch Ferry back to Cedar Island

Participants will need to coordinate finding a place to stay the night before Day 1 to make the early start. They will also need to coordinate finding a place to stay the night of Day 7.

Have supplies to camp in a beach environment: Tent with guy lines, tent sand stakes, sleeping pad and sleeping bag appropriate to late April temperatures (high 70 , low 55).

You should have the ability to carry up to 4 days of water. We may be able to re-supply

before then, but we need to be prepared for weather days.

You will be responsible for supplying and preparing their own food for the duration of the trip. You should bring bug protection from mosquitoes and no-see ums (sand gnats, midges). There are a couple of campsites that have outside showers and flushing toilets, but be prepared for primitive camping, to include lack of toilet facilities. We will supply a camping equipment list.

Finding Your Way: Navigation Practicum

May 3 - 4 2025 (Sat. - Sun.)

Location: TBD

Instructor: Paula Hubbard

Cost: $195 + housing

Join us for a fun-filled weekend that will focus on refining and expanding your sea kayak navigation skills. You may have taken a one-day classroom navigation course or the multi-part online series, and now it’s time to apply that learning to the real world of sea kayaking. This set of weekend classes will cover just about everything you need to know for on-water navigation and give you repeated opportunities to practice new skills in real life. Review how to read a nautical chart and, more importantly, practice comparing what you see on the chart to what you are looking at while you’re on the water. The classes - most of which will be on the water - will include understanding aids to navigation, using ranges, how to measure distance, the basics of the “rules of the road”, and how to safely cross busy boat channels. Learn how to use a chart and compass together to plot a course and then follow that course to a specific location. We will also challenge you with games that will test and stretch your navigation skills. One will be a team challenge that will require your team to follow a series of clues, navigating from one place to another to reach the final goal.

Paula is an expert in sea kayak navigation and has helped teach the online series in addition to running one-day classroom navigation course for several years.

Introduction to Kayaking

June 7, 2025 (Sat.) This course is repeated on August 9

Instructors: Denise Parisi, Francesca McLin

Location: Rocky Gorge Reservoir, Laurel, MD

Cost: $125

This course is designed for people who have just started out (or are about to). The whole point of it is to get you feeling comfortable and confident in your boat and to become aware of the safety issues associated with kayaking. And to have fun doing it!

We will intersperse discussions, skills practice, and short trips throughout the day. Rocky Gorge is both a very protected and very scenic waterway. We’ll cover boat control skills including forward, reverse, sweep and draw strokes. There will be games and drills to help master the various movements. We’ll introduce you to the basic rescues and give you plenty of time to practice them. For those with a spray skirt, we can cover the procedures for a wet exit (getting out of the boat while upside down).

Note: you need to have your own boat for this course. We may be able to make one or two rental boats available at $45 for the day.

Intensive Intermediate Skills Workshop

June 21 - 22, 2024 (Sat - Sun)

Location: Rocky Gorge Reservoir, Laurel, MD and Kent Island, MD

Instructors: Shelly Wiechelt, Richard Essex

Cost: $225

This is a two-day intensive skills development course that will focus on learning or refining a whole range of core skills including strokes and maneuvers, edging, bracing and rescues. It is designed for rising intermediate paddlers. We hope to get you on the road to paddling with grace and style.

The course will include refinement of all the basic strokes (forward, reverse, sweeps, draws, stern rudder) and rescues (e.g. T-rescue, paddle float) as well as a range of intermediate strokes (e.g., bow rudder, low brace turn) and rescues. We will place a major emphasis on edging to facilitate turns (or going straight!), bracing, and using the wind to your advantage. The course is geared toward developing ACA Level 2 (and some Level 3) personal skills proficiencies.

Paddle Smarter, Not Harder: Women’s Skills Workshop

Dates: July 12 - 13, 2025 (Sat - Sun)

Location: Sassafrass River, Chestertown, MD

Instructor: Paula Hubbard, Marilyn Cooper, Laurie Collins

Cost: $225 (+ housing, if needed)

This course is all about helping grow the women who have recently started in our sport and for those who may have been paddling for a while but have never had outstanding formal instruction. The women who did this course last year absolutely loved it! The class emphasizes the ways in which women can use proper technique, better balance, and a supportive learning environment to develop and enhance skill development. Learn how small women can keep up with the big boys, or even leave them in the dust. Explore ways of using your body to facilitate assisted and self-rescues, and see how a lower center of gravity can be a huge advantage in some aspects of paddling. This is all about paddling smarter, not harder.

The classes on both days will be on flat, calm water on the Sassafrass River.

On Saturday, the focus will be on strokes. It will start with a review of the basics, and emphasize effective use of the body to get the maximum performance with minimum effort. Don’t worry about being the slowest paddler in a group, we will spend a lot of time on the forward stroke making keeping up easier. Then we will work on boat control with grace and finesse. This will include standard sweep strokes, draw strokes, and blending strokes for efficient, elegant, and precise maneuvers. We will finish with support strokes, bracing and sculling. These strokes can increase your confidence in rougher water by giving you more stability. While it sounds very serious, be prepared for fun, games and lots of laughs, no pressure.

Sunday will be all about Recovery, Reentry and Rescues. The focus is on different ways to perform self and assisted rescues. The class will start with a review of the basics, then we will work on different aspects of a rescue starting with boat maneuvering, using your body to effectively perform an assisted rescue, climbing back into a kayak using a variety of techniques, plus a few more scenarios. There will be more fun, more games and more laughs.

There will be housing options. If people want to, we can rent a charming house in historic Chestertown. If you feel more comfortable getting a motel or renting your own Airbnb, that’s fine too. We will have some way of socializing on Saturday night. We can do a potluck in the back yard of the house, or at a local park, or go to a restaurant and sit outside.

The Gathering at Tangier Island

July 25 - 27, 2025 (Fri.- Sun)

Instructors: Rick Wiebush

Location: Tangier Island, VA

Cost: $325 + housing

We’re going back to Tangier! After missing last year, we will be holding the summer Gathering on Tangier Island again. We’ve chosen Tangier for several reasons including: 1) everyone who has come here to paddle with Cross Currents has absolutely loved it; 2) it is a fascinating community of watermen that has an incredible history (from the mid-1600’s) and unique culture; 3) there are several wonderful trips to do in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay; 4) we stay in quirky B&B’s and 5) the food is fabulous. Need any other reasons?

As in previous years, this will be for a small group (n =8-10) of Cross Currents customers who will get together for a long three-day weekend. We’ll catch the ferry from Crisfield MD on Friday, paddle that afternoon and all day Saturday, and most of the day on Sunday before getting the ferry back to Crisfield.

The Paddling

There are several very cool paddles to do and the one I hope to see happen is the five- mile crossing to Watts Island and back. It's weather dependent, but if we can do it, it's fabulous. We'll also circumnavigate Tangier, explore the "Uppards" and maybe follow the chain of sandy islands that lead up to Smith Island. Most paddles are about 10 - 12 miles.

For those who are interested in working on some skills, we can use a “teach n trek” model that is organized around the trip, but which is punctuated along the way with mini-skills sessions. Those sessions might include practicing certain strokes or maneuvers that are directly applicable to the environment we’re paddling through, short navigation lessons and exercises, or rescues, etc. The basic idea is that we will not be sitting in one place each day concentrating just on skills development, but rather integrating skills improvement into our trip(s). But you can also skip the skills part and just paddle and enjoy the scenery!

The trips will be for people of all skill levels (beginners excepted). Trips over the weekend will be selected from some of the following options:

Circumnavigation of Tangier Island (8 - 9 NM)
Exploring the various guts and sinuous creeks of the “Uppards”
Following a string of sandy isles north toward Smith Island and across the Virginia –Maryland border
Playing in a rambunctious (but safe) “zipper” at the extreme southern tip of the island
Making a five-mile open-water crossing to Watts Island, a sliver of sandy land that is a bird sanctuary and is studded with clumps of pine and wild asparagus (this is highly weather- and skill-dependent).

Cost

The $325 cost includes the round-trip ferry, guiding and instruction. The fee does not include the cost of housing, your meals and adult beverages, or your transport to/from Crisfield. Figure about $65 per night for housing, based on two-person rooms.

For at least one of the nights, we should have dinner at one of the island’s great restaurants. For other meals, we have to bring our food with us on the ferry. The B&Bs have full kitchens. There is only a small store with irregular hours on the island, so we need to do our food shopping before we go. There is a Food Lion in Crisfield and we’ll have time to shop on the Friday morning before loading our boats and gear on the ferry.

Surf Camp with Ashley Brown!

July 31 - Aug. 1, 2025 (Thurs. - Fri.)

Instructors: , Ashley Brown

Location: Cape Charles, VA

Cost: $295 + housing

Ashley is an L5 Instructor who loves to surf and teach people how to do it. She runs – with Jeff Atkins – Wave Paddler in Charlston, SC. and is renowned for her fun-loving yet disciplined approach to sea kayak instruction. The venue will be the outstanding surf off the south end of Smith Island (where the Kiptopeke surf classes are held).

Participants should expect to be in the water about half the time and observing a buddy about half the time. This supports learners visually and allows one to recharge mentally and physically between times on the water. On the first night, there will be a goal- and expectation-setting meeting at the rental house.

This class is not for beginners. You need to have solid intermediate paddling skills and some experience in surf. A roll is great, but not required. Some form of solid self-rescue is a good idea.

We will be staying in a rental house in Cape Charles, about 10 minutes from the put in. The cost per night for housing is usually around $55 for a shared (two-person) room. Camping is also available at nearby Kiptopeke State Park. The group can decide if it wants to do a group meal, go out to a local restaurant or both.

Introduction to Surf and Bouncy Water

Aug. 2 - 3, 2025 (Sat. - Sun.)

Instructors: Laurie Collins, Marilyn Cooper

Location: Metompkin Inlet, Onley, VA

Cost: $225

This course is designed for those who have taken some intermediate skills training and are looking to apply their skills in somewhat rougher water conditions. This two-day course will expose you to paddling in surf, current and open water.

Metompkin Inlet provides the best possible venue along the DelMarVa coastline for learning. It has a variety of conditions for a safe and exciting learning environment.

We’ll get acclimated to rougher water by practicing skills in smaller waves, including those skills that will keep you upright in waves and surf. You will learn a variety of techniques to launch and land through surf and to play safely in the surf zone. We’ll gradually increase the challenges by venturing into more challenging conditions. Rescue drills will be intermixed and, if conditions permit, we will try our hand at surfing our kayaks.

This is always a fun and exciting weekend. You will come away with a new skill set and greater confidence. Part of what makes this a fun weekend is that we will be staying together at the Wachapreague Inn. You will have a choice of staying in a group house or one of the motel rooms. Housing is not included in the course fee, but is usually only about $60/night.

Introduction to Kayaking

Aug. 9, 2025 (Sat.)

Instructor: Marilyn Cooper, Richard Essex

Location: Rocky Gorge Reservoir, Laurel, MD

Cost: $125

This is the second of two Intro courses for 2025. It is designed for people who have just started out (or are about to). The whole point of it is to get you feeling comfortable and confident in your boat and to become aware of the safety issues associated with kayaking. And to have fun doing it!

Note: you need to have your own boat for this course. We may be able to make one or two rental boats available.

Intensive Intermediate Skills Workshop

Dates: Aug. 16 - 17, 2025 (Sat -Sun)

Location: Rocky Gorge Reservoir, Laurel, MD

Instructors: Denise Parisi, Shelly Wiechelt

Cost: $225

This is a repeat of the two-day intensive skills development course (see June 21 - 22) that will focus on learning or refining a whole range of core skills including strokes and maneuvers, edging, bracing and rescues. It is designed for rising intermediate paddlers. We hope to get you on the road to paddling with grace and style.

The course will include refinement of all the basic strokes (forward, reverse, sweeps, draws, stern rudder) and rescues (e.g. T-rescue, paddle float) as well as a range of intermediate strokes (e.g., bow rudder, low brace turn) and rescues. We will place a major emphasis on edging to facilitate turns (or going straight!), bracing, and using the wind to your advantage. There will be a LOT of drills, games, getting wet, and fun!

Risk Assessment and Incident Management

Date: Aug. 23, 2025 (Sat.)

Location: Chestertown, MD (Sassafras River)

Instructor: Paula Hubbard, Marilyn Cooper

Cost: $125

This course will introduce paddlers to the concept and practice of risk assessment for sea kayakers. It will also train participants in how to deal with situations in which – in spite of the assessed risks – things have gone very wrong.

The risk assessment portion of the course will present and discuss the factors that need to be taken into account by all paddlers at all times before getting on the water and what issues require constant monitoring once on the water, to avoid chaos and possible tragedy. Wind, weather, waves, current, the group’s skill level, available equipment, and other considerations will all be reviewed. In addition, Paula will present the formal risk assessment models used by the Tsunami Rangers (discussed in the November 2019 issue of Coastbusters) and by Body, Boat, Blade (discussed in the January 2020 issue of Coastbusters).

Sometimes, in spite of careful planning and risk assessment, bad stuff happens. The situations that arise – and responding appropriately to them – will form the main part of this course. During a journey on the water, various and multiple manufactured “incidents” will confront the group and will need to be dealt with by them. These may include relatively mild incidents like the paddler who wants to go off on her own, or a blown/lost hatch cover. They will also likely include more serious incidents like a capsized paddler who is unable to get back in his boat, a lost paddler, or a situation in which everyone in the group has capsized.

This course is on flat water, but it will challenge you both physically and mentally. It will also deepen your understanding of how to prevent “incidents” and how to respond safely and creatively to them when they do happen.

Introduction to Rocks and Ledges

Sept. 5 - 7, 2025 (Fri. - Sun.)

Instructor: Rick Wiebush

Location: Newport, RI

Cost: $325 (+ housing)

Join us on this very exciting and challenging course during which we will learn all the basic strategies for dealing with swell as it meets dramatic rocky shorelines and islands. It is just too much fun!

This is a three-day course. The first day (Fri) will focus on practicing the strokes and maneuvers that are used most frequently when playing in rocks and ledges. These include forward and reverse “sprints”, sculling draws and draws on the move, advanced stern rudders, bow rudders and low brace turns. We’ll also review the safest strategies for dealing with the unexpected capsize near swell and rocks. To see how these strokes and maneuvers work around rocks – and to develop confidence - we’ll practice in small play spots for most of the day.

Over the next two days, we’ll try some runs through narrow slots in the rocks, ride swell up to get as close to the rock face as possible and try some pour-overs. You'll learn how to use risk assessment to select appropriate play spots. We'll start with small features to develop water-reading skills and work our way up to bigger features. In all play spots, what you do will be “challenge by choice” i.e. if you don’t feel comfortable trying something, that is totally fine. You can just watch or maybe try a smaller feature. This is about expanding your skills and challenging yourself; not about being stupid or unsafe. This is not a testosterone challenge!

If you want to do this course you should be a solid intermediate-level sea kayaker with good boat control and bracing skills. A roll would be helpful but isn’t required. You do not need previous experience in rock gardens, although you are welcome to join us if you have had some exposure to this aspect of paddling. You definitely need a helmet.

Surf Camps!

Weds - Thurs, (Sept. 17-18, 2025)

Instructors: Dale Williams, James Kesterson, Jeff Atkins, Ashley Brown

Location: Cape Charles, VA

Cost: $295 (+ housing)

These two-day, pre-symposium surf camps are geared to paddlers who want some intensive instruction to improve their surfing skills. There will be two tracks: advanced and intermediate. The venues will include Metompkin Inlet and/or Smith Inlet. There is an additional fee of $295 for this training and registration is separate from the symposium registration. Group housing will be available. If you are interested, please contact Rick Wiebush (rwiebush@gmail.com; 410.788.1241).

Advanced Surfing Track

This course will be run by Dale Williams (ACA L5 ITE) and James Kesterson (ACA L5). It is for people who have a lot of surf experience, a reliable roll in conditions, strong self-rescue skills, a strong forward stroke and plenty of stamina. You need a helmet. In addition to refining several aspects of surfing technique, both days will include an extensive (e.g., 1.5 hour) debrief session to reflect on what you’ve accomplished, where you want to go next, and any “incidents” that may have occurred. These debriefs will take place at one of the group houses after people have had a chance to shower and change. This course is limited to eight participants.

Intermediate Surfing Track

This course will be led by Jeff Atkins (ACA L4 IT). and Ashley Brown (ACA L5 and L2 IT) It is geared toward people who have paddled in surf multiple times, have taken at least one formal surf class, but have surfed primarily in a shore break. You should feel comfortable in 2 - 3 ft surf. A roll is a definite plus but not required. However, you should be adept at one or more self - rescues and totally competent with assisted rescues. The skills will include understanding the surf zone, identifying safe areas, the set-up and take-off, timing, power strokes, holding position on the wave, surf zone etiquette, and launching and landing, among others. There will be lots of drills to increase your confidence in a dynamic environment. You need a helmet. This course is limited to eight participants.

12th Annual Kiptopeke Sea Kayaking Symposium

Sept 19 – 21, 2024 (Fri – Sun)

Location: Cape Charles, VA

Instructors: Dale Williams, Jeff Atkins, Ashley Brown, James Kesterson, Chris Rezac, Rick Wiebush, Paula Hubbard, Kathryn Lapolla, Bev Coslett, Mike Cavanaugh, Laurie Collins

Cost: $550 (includes three days of classes + three nights lodging +Sat. dinner)

$375 (if you are arranging your own housing or camping)

The Kiptopeke Symposium routinely is a fabulous event - people love it! There are several reasons for all the positive reviews including:

the range of courses, with everything from novice to advanced level courses; and the number of courses, with about 10 to choose from each day

the quality of the coaches, who are the best in the mid-Atlantic area and include some who are considered to be the best in the country

the mix of participants, who come from 10 -12 different states, some as far away as Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida and Canada!

the fact that the vast majority of participants stay together in the beautiful state park lodges, which helps create a wonderful sense of community

the venue itself, next to the Virginia barrier islands, and with immediate access to the calmer waters of the Chesapeake Bay and the rougher conditions that can be had in the Atlantic Ocean.

The full description of the 2025 courses and the registration form will be available around May 15. See the "Symposium" tab above.

We will be offering the most popular courses from past years, plus some new ones. The range of courses will provide great opportunities for paddlers of all skill levels. The courses include:

Beginning and Advanced Rolling
ACA L5 Skills
Greenland Skills
Intermediate skills
Life on the Edge and Open Water Skills
Intro to Surf; Advanced Surfing
Intro to Rougher Water
Basic and Advanced Rescues
Towing
circumnavigation of Fisherman's Island
Barrier Island touring trips
and more!

Also, don’t forget to check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA6ls-AsWl0

Housing

Most people will be staying in one of the five Kiptopeke State Park lodges that we’ve rented for this year. The lodges all have six bedrooms and three baths with a full kitchen and plenty of room to spread out and relax. The cost for a two-person lodge room is just $160 for all three nights (Thurs., Fri., Sat.)

There are several other housing options available for those who don’t want to be with a group. Kiptopeke State Park has a really nice campground and there are several motels in the area.

The Georgia Barrier Islands

Oct. 26 – Nov. 1 (Sun – Sat)

Location: Savannah, GA

Instructors/Guides: Kathryn Lapolla, Rick Wiebush

Cost: $695 (+ housing)

One word to describe the Georgia Barrier Islands: Spectacular! A couple of words to describe Kathryn Lapolla: she lives there and knows the area inside and out!

This week-long, rental house-based, trip will involve a wide range of venues and water conditions, ranging from surf and strong current to water so calm, everything is perfectly reflected in it. Places like Tybee Island and Jack’s Cut, Wassaw Island and “The Boneyard”, the Savannah River with Fort Scriven and an abandoned light house, and the incredible Ebenezer Creek with it’s flooded, 100-year-old magnificent trees.

There will be training options on most of the trips. We would like to use a “teach and trek” model on some of the days so that we are combining skill development with touring. On a couple of days there will be the option to surf for those who want to. Of course, on other days it will be pure touring, especially as we head out to some of the more remote barrier islands, riding the strong ebbing current out and the equally strong flood back to the put in. Those currents make longer mileage trips a piece of cake. Throughout all of this we will have the benefit of Kathryn’s wide-ranging and in-depth knowledge of all the trees, plants, history, and wildlife. She adds a whole other dimension to the paddling.

There are two options that we will work out with the participants. One is to take a day off to explore Savannah and some of the historical/cultural sited in the area (like the Gullah Geechee communities). The other is to set up an optional dayof sea kayak surfing instruction with the master, Dale Williams.

This trip is not to be missed. The people who did it over the past three years still talk about it!

Pacific Baja: Rocks and Ledges

Nov. 9 - 15, 2025 (Sat– Sun.)

Location: San Diego, CA and La Bufadora, Baja, MX

Instructors/Guides: Jen Kleck, Victor Leon, Jeff Atkins

Cost: $1,595 ( includes housing and most meals)

Everyone that has done this with us has called it one of the best paddling trips they’ve ever done!

Paddle pour-overs, chutes, ledges, caves. Push yourself. Hold back if something makes you nervous. Take in the incredible vistas. Relax in the evenings in Victor Leon’s house overlooking the Pacific. Enjoy great local meals.

Join Jen Kleck and Jeff for a week-long trip that will feature several days of rock gardening and exposure to Baja culture! This trip is for those who have had some rock gardening experience and/or the equivalent of 3* skills.

In addition to the fabulous paddling, the Baja trip has now been extended one additional day to give us some time to experience the (non-paddling) culture of Baja. We will sample street food, check out the local fish markets, visit a vineyard and do wine tasting and/or go to a local brewery.

After traveling by van from San Diego to our base at a house in La Burfadora, we will spend a couple of days playing amidst the rocks and waves of the Pacific coast. The shoreline here is absolutely gorgeous, with mountains rising up from the sea, and massive stone pillars and caves dotting the coast. It is also a paddler’s playground with all kinds of features that are easily accessible and safe. As is always the case with our rock gardening courses, this will be challenge by choice – if you don’t feel comfortable doing something, it’s totally fine to not do it. But you will be thrilled by the challenges you do take on.

Here is the basic agenda for the week:

Saturday Nov 8: fly San Diego; stay hotel

Sunday: AM drive to Ensenada (3 hrs.); food shop; get set up in the house; short afternoon paddle to play at a gigantic blowhole. Stay in Victor’s house which is perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific.

Monday through Friday: coastal exploration; play in rocks and ledges; paddle pour overs and chutes, find and explore caves; stay at house; local restaurants for dinner some nights.

Saturday: Explore Ensenada markets and street vendors. Late afternoon return to San Diego; stay hotel

Sunday, Nov 16: Fly home.