What Sea Kayaking Experience is Needed?

This is intended to give you an idea of the level of experience and fitness required for our Fiji sea kayaking trips and guided kayak tours in the Yasawa Islands.

Sea kayaking (also known as paddling or canoeing) is an activity that any reasonably fit person can participate in and could be compared to brisk walking or cycling. Beginners are welcome, but some previous paddling experience can be useful. The degree of difficulty of the trip will depend on the weather we encounter. The sea and weather conditions in the outer islands are predominantly stable but in windier conditions we may require a full day’s paddling. An "average" Fiji paddling day will range from 3-4 hours and we mix in as much snorkelling and exploration walking as we can fit in. We ask that all participants should feel confident in swimming.

The double and single kayaks (or canoes) we use in Fiji are stable and easy to paddle and control. They are very forgiving and are suited for beginners to experts. We use fibreglass and plastic boats, rather than sit-on-tops, allowing us to kayak in a variety of weather conditions and to carry our gear with us, letting us get well off the beaten track. The kayaks are designed as expedition boats and it is important to keep gear to a minimum, because we carry on board with us all of our food and equipment. Our guides are highly experienced sea kayakers and professional wilderness guides. On the first day you will be given a thorough briefing on all aspects of sea kayaking techniques with ample time to practice and familiarise with the kayaks. We generally limit our group size to a maximum of 8-10 clients, plus the 2 guides.

In general, the fitter you are, the more you will enjoy the paddling, so it's a good idea to begin some regular exercise like walking, jogging, cycling, aerobics or swimming well before the trip. If you would like some kayak practise or tuition before your Fiji paddling trip, we may be able to suggest a local operator near your home.

SOUTHERN SEA VENTURES

Southern Sea Ventures specialises in sea kayaking vacations and offers kayak holidays to a wide variety of tropical and polar destinations. Our paddling adventures include: Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast, Croatia's Adriatic Coast, Fiji's Yasawa Islands, Papua New Guinea, Kuril Islands and Kamchatka Peninsula, Panama,Tonga, Australia's Hinchinbrook Island , Antarctica, Norwegian High Arctic (Spitsbergen/Svalbard), Norway,Greenland and Scotland.

Our kayaking holidays home page.