Coastal Sea Kayaking
Build Real Sea Kayaking Skills
Our Coastal Sea Kayaking (CSK) courses take you from your very first strokes to confident open-water paddling, taught by seasoned instructors on real Monterey Bay water. Small classes, hands-on coaching, wetsuit included.
Now enrolling for fall classes: October 18, 2026
Classes from $131.63 per person
Wetsuit included · Santa Cruz & Elkhorn Slough
Public courses
Coastal Sea Kayaking, level by level
Our CSK series is built as a progression. Start with the foundations and work your way up to advanced strokes and the surf zone. Each level builds on the last, so you’re always paddling within reach of your next skill.
CSK 1 & 2
Foundations
New & beginning paddlers
- ✓ Intro to sea kayaking
- ✓ Wet exits & rescues
- ✓ Bracing for stability
$200.00 + $10.43 (online booking fee) = $210.43 /person
Take both levels together · single level $125.00 + $6.63 (online booking fee) = $131.63
CSK 3 & 4
Intermediate
Paddlers ready to level up
- ✓ Advanced rescues
- ✓ Advanced strokes
- ✓ Maneuvering in current & wind
- ✓ Surf-zone paddling
$200 /person
Take both levels together · single level $125
Pricing
Simple, per-person pricing
Every class includes your wetsuit and all gear. Take levels as a pair and save.
Single class
$125.00 + $6.63 (online booking fee) = $131.63
Any one CSK level (1, 2, 3 or 4), per person
CSK 1 & 2
$200.00 + $10.43 (online booking fee) = $210.43
Foundations pair, per person — save $50
CSK 3 & 4
$200
Intermediate pair, per person — save $50
Private & custom
Private classes, built around you
Prefer to learn at your own pace, or with just your own group? Private classes are shaped around your experience and the goals you want to work on, from first-timer confidence to dialing in your surf-zone rolls. Your instructor picks the best location for the day’s conditions.
Half-day class
3 hours
$350
Full-day class
6 hours
$475
Each extra paddler
Half or full day
$150
Wetsuit included with every private class. Instructor gratuity is always appreciated but never required.
Who it's for
From first-timers to seasoned paddlers
The CSK series meets you wherever you are. Never sat in a sea kayak? Start at CSK 1 and build real confidence, rescues, and comfort on the water. Already paddling and want to handle wind, current, and surf? CSK 3 & 4 will stretch you.
Classes stay small and hands-on. If more than four paddlers sign up for a course, we add a second instructor so everyone still gets plenty of coaching and water time.
Good to know
How our classes run
A few details worth knowing before you book. Have a question we didn’t cover? Give the shop a call and we’ll walk you through it.
- ◆ Offered three times a year — Spring, Summer & Fall
- ◆ Your instructor picks the location for the best conditions (Santa Cruz Harbor, Elkhorn Slough or the open coast)
- ◆ Small groups — a second instructor is added for courses over four paddlers
- ◆ Wetsuit & gear included with every class
- ◆ Instructor gratuity appreciated, never required
On the water
Scenes from our classes
