- Overview
- Itinerary
- Gallery
- FAQ
- Dates & Pricing
- Gear list
Multisport Kayak Training Course
Duration: overnight / 2 days
This is a two-day training course, often linking straight into our two-day Grade Two Certificate course.
Our canoe and kayak instructors and assessors help you gain your Coast to Coast Grade 2 Certificate through planning and preparation for kayak stages.
Social Nature Movement has been kayaking as long as rivers have flowed. Our firm foundations in the kayaking industry have seen thousands of people successfully kayak. Our clients race the Kathmandu Coast to Coast in large numbers because we help many in gaining their Grade 2 certificate.
If you want to do better on river trips or are on the fast-track to your personal best kayak stage, this Multisport Kayak Training Course will extend your ability. Many individuals, serious competitors and athletes are coached by us after they have completed their certification, are on the road to their next big event, need to refresh or simply want more water time.
Our canoe and kayak staff have a thirst for improvement through planning and preparation and our business has only strengthened. We coach and train primarily on flat and moving waters close to your home, school or work. Contact us, we will help!
To see us in action, click here 
Duration: Two days.
Accommodation: Usually at a campground with all facilities. We offer Glamping; everything is done and brought for you.
Meals: Self-catered.
Dates: Press the big orange book now button or the dark green booking tab.
Highlights: Nature-based, physical exercise, good company of people, excellent instruction.
Difficulty: Moderate
Locations: depending on weather and clients; rivers we use are the Mohaka River (Napier), Waioeka River (Opotiki), Rangitikei River (Taihape), Waikato (Taupo), Rangitaikei (Rotorua), Otaki River (Wellington), Whanganui (Taumarunui) and Tongariro (Turangi)
Guidance for first-time Coast to Coast Multisporters
First: Attend our Kayak Coaching and Training; gain fundamental kayak skills and knowledge, helping you get started.
Then: Join the SNM team for a Moving Water Workshop to master the currents and boat control on easier and safer environments before doing river trips.
Next: Book our Multi Sport Kayak Course; get further into moving water and real river tours. Find a boat, paddle etc. you need to race with. Getting suitable gear that works for you is essential. Visit our shop for more clothing and equipment.
Later: Enter our Kayaking Grade Two Certificate; your grade 2 certificate is required for the Coast to Coast Kayak stage. Build river experience by attending our river trips. Our weekends away continue improving your kayak training.
Tandem Kayak Certificate Changes 2023
Based on industry feedback and our own observations, for the 2023 race, ALL 2023 competitors will require a full Grade 2 Certificate (exemption applications will still be considered). All “River Safety Courses” without paddling a kayak in Grade 2 water will not be sufficient after this change.
The Tandem section is designed to allow you to complete the race with a buddy and opens up the option for those who are not quite confident enough to paddle the river on their own, to still complete the epic journey.
Improvement in multisport kayaking performance is key
Take your canoe and kayak skills to the next level. Our Multisport Kayak Training Course is an innovative program helping multi-sport paddlers. This is an intensive skills training program that will take you on a journey like no other than the kayaking race. These advanced trips also serve as a refresher package if you already have Coast to Coast Grade 2 multi-sport kayaking experiences or you are on the fast-track to your first Coast to Coast Race. We also understand some people simply crave more while others want to switch off their minds and let their body unwind with the security of having a guide-on-the-side. Social Nature Movement are authorised trainers for Multisport Kayak Training Courses and assessors in Grade 2 Kayaking Skills Certificates for the Kathmandu Coast to Coast World Multi-Sport Championships.
Our coaching courses are perfect for paddlers with pervious experience, or beginners. You may have done a Grade two instruction Course in the past or you have alternative Grade 2 river tour paddling experience.
Frequently multisport kayaking is equally important
How often should I be Multisport Kayak Training? For how long? And what about Winter if I loose my precious training hours? These are just some questions we ask ourselves with little guidance as to what is the best for our individual Multisport Kayak Training needs. When doing the Coast to Coast race, it is distilled down to two challenging components: how fast and how hard you decide to compete. Are you simply participating or are you going for gold? Regardless, the more you kayak, with more targetted Multisport Kayak Training, the better you will be prepared.
Most people have heard that 'practice makes perfect'. Presumably so, but a total misconception, because types of unsupervised and poorly disciplined practice may well be forming bad habits. Thus, perfect practice makes perfect. Get a Multisport Kayak Training coach, check in with them from time to time to assess your technique, posture and so much more. They will help you maintain your kayak abilities and get race ready with invaluable advice.
If you book in plenty of Multisport Kayak Training with us, you will be best prepared to get the most out of your time during your multisport kayaking journey. By the end of the two day canoe and kayak experiences you should be feeling confident, ready to train on river tours independently and most importantly race.
On this Multisport Kayak Training Course we help you navigate your journey from being a complete canoe and kayak beginner to a competent grade 2 certified kayaker with the knowledge, skills, technique, and equipment to not only take on the Kathmandu Coast to Coast, but to feel you belong on your adventure across the South Island of New Zealand.
Multisport Kayak Comparison
Stable - Generally a multisport dedicated kayak rather than a sea kayak. Again all grade 2 certified kayakers should be able to comfortably paddle these in all grade 2 situations without fear of instability.
Intermediate - Stable in flat water conditions, stability is less in grade 2 conditions. Intermediate kayaks generally need both experience kayaking and kayak specific fitness to manage in Grade 2 situations.
Elite- Generally unstable in both flatwater and grade 2 conditions. Usually require consistent forward momentum to remain stable. Kayakers will require both significant river kayaking skills and kayak specific fitness to manage an advanced kayak in Grade 2 conditions, specifically the C2C course.
Click here to see a list of actual kayak comparisons available in the industry.
Kayak Refresher Coaching Courses:
Done your Grade 2 Certificate ages ago? Haven't been on river trips for a while? This Multisport Kayak Training Course can also be used as a two day package designed to get you back on river tours feeling confident, plus help you see where you are at and get back on track.
Check out our booking tab, click the book now button or fill an enquiry here.
Duration: overnight / 2 days
Itineraries
Skills
Strokes:
Forward
Sweep
Reverse
Low brace
Draw / sculling
Variables:
Angle
Speed
Edge
Deflection
Abilities:
Ferry Glides,
Wet-exit,
River rescue and water safety:
Self-rescue,
Rapid float swim position,
Rescued by rope and boat,
Swimming,
Throw-bagging.
Knowledge
Interpreting weather reports and river flow data,
Clothing and equipment:
Kayak
Paddle
Spray deck
Personal Flotation Device (PFD)
Helmet
Dry top
Insulation
River hydrology:
Racing lines
Rapids
Eddys
Wave trains
Holes
Buffer waves
Side currents
Bluffs
Braids
Boils
River rescue and water safety:
Hypothermia,
Hazard identification and management,
Broaching
Strainers
Foot entrapment
The benefit of a kayak training course among others ensures you are less injury prone, more efficient at paddling, with powerful and precise paddle strokes while enjoying kayaking with ease and indeed faster.
The best multisport kayaking technique engages all the right muscles at the right time to get that boat gliding through the water as fast as possible.
Kayaking can be as easy or challenging as you want, depending on your choice of on-the-water environments. You can learn the basic skills for kayaking in protected waters in just a few hours. It's best to take a class with a qualified instructor, to get started quickly and safely.
Kayaking is not as hard to learn as you might think. You only need a few basic skills to paddle effectively. You need a good guide or instructor to help you learn how to enter and exit a kayak, how to perform the forward stroke and the sweep stroke for turning the boat, and a few lessons on safety.
The main muscles used in kayaking are your abdominals, lats, biceps and forearms. Essentially, kayaking works all the muscles in your shoulders and back. After several months of kayaking multiple times a week, you will begin to see muscle development in your lats.
While a well-executed stroke doesn't rely on the shoulders for power, your shoulders are in constant motion throughout a stroke sequence. The pull-down exercise can help you build up the endurance to handle long stretches of forward paddling.
Paddling is as hard as other endurance sports. However due to the specific muscles involved (mainly upper body for recreational kayak) it can be more exhausting than other endurance sports for a beginner (e.g. running).
At the recreational level, paddling and rowing are primarily endurance activities, sustained for long periods of time. On the plus side, that means they're great for aerobic fitness.
Kayaking can help you lose weight. It is for this reason that kayaking is one of the top exercises that burn more calories than the traditional weight loss workout which is jogging. So if you want to get that summer, bikini-ready body, then kayaking is the way to go. It definitely is a thrilling activity to lose weight.
We select the best staff for the job based on their skills, knolwedge and experiences. They will be an SNM staff member or we will bring in support from equally competent contractors. Sometimes we also bring in (semi)celebrity guests!
C2C compulsory kit
Clothing
- Long sleeve thermal base layer top
- Long sleeved mid layer top (>220gsm)
- Waterproof long sleeve 'paddle specific' jacket (seam-sealed and neoprene or cinchable cuffs and neck)
- Thermal gloves
- Full length thermal base layer pants
- Waterproof pants (seam-sealed)
- Thermal hat
- Thermal socks
Equipment
- Barracuda Kayak: Beachcomber, Enigma, Waimak, Duo
- Two flotation air bags
- Kayak / river specifc helmet
- Paddle
- Spray skirt
- Bouyancy vest (PFD) (type 406 bottom cinch strap webbing)
- Repair / duct tape (>10m)
- Dry-bag (seam-sealed)
- Survival bag not blanket (must be stored in your PFD)
- Whistle (must be connected to you)
- First aid kit (1.5m x 5cm crepe bandage, 2.5m x 2cm strapping tape, 10 Band-Aids, Triangular bandage, Scissors, 4 x pain relief tablets)
SNM required kit
Clothing
- Shorts
- Swimwear
- Long sleeve thermal base layer top - we reguire an extra
- Long sleeved mid layer top (>220gsm) - we require an extra
- Sunhat
- Neck warmer / scarf
Equipment
- Jandals
- Closed-toe footwear / booties
- Sunglasses
- Personal medication
- Water bottle
- Head torch
- Toiletries
Because we are staying overnight, should you choose not to be accommodated and fed by us, here is what you will need:
Sleeping
- Sleeping bag
- Pillow
- Inflatable mattress
- Tent
Cooking
- Cooker
- Fuel / gas
- Lighter / matches
- Pot / frying pan
- Cutlery
- Crockery
All of the above is available to rent / hire or buy