Sea Kayak Videos Episode 1: Getting Started 

This series of sea kayaking videos is excellent. Many videos concentrate on technique, but few emphasise seamanship, as this series does. Highly recommended for any sea kayaker.

Absolutely the best beginning sea kayaking video out there. Well done!

Awesome video for beginners

Thank you so much, you are a good teacher, and I enjoyed watching the video!

Great video! lots of good tips in there to solve problems i never even thought would be an issue as a prospective kayaker.

a great video, covered many areas that I have newly been exposed to. The video gave me tips to improve skills that I have not got down firmly.

Thank you John for sharing this fantastic video series. A friend and I are about to cross Bass straight in Australia and I have used your video as a bit of a refresher course. Cheers,

I've kayaked a lot in Seattle but only on relatively mild waters (lake union and lake washington). I think I'm about to buy a kayak and learn how to sail with it. kind of excited. love the idea of offshore kayaking too, going somewhere remote over deep water.

one thing i would recomend to sea kayakers is to also do some whitewater kayaking it teaches you to have a lot better balance and control in your kayak and you learn to read current and streams a lot better i live in norway best country for both whitewater and sea kayaking have been doing both for 8 years now and when i started getting used to whitewater kayaking skills it helped me a lot on the sea too can realy recomend kayaks from dagger for both

Thanks for the video! was alot of fun to watch and made me try kayaking!

Amazing ... Thank you guys!

Those kayaks looks like they are moving pretty quick

Thank you all for your encouraging comments.It is gratifying to know that sharing our experience via the video medium is so well appreciated.

Was this filmed in the 80's-90's? Nice informative video good for beginners.

They mention using the clinometer of a compass to determine where the tide is going to be at a certain time. I know how to do this with an object of known height and a transparent water bottle, but it's a bit awkward and not super efficient, whereas the clinometer method seems fast and slick. Unfortunately, they don't go into much detail. Does anybody have any experience using the clinometer in such a way?

I find it interesting that the paddle blades are on the same plane as each other rather than being at an angle to each other

Please don't waste my time on the bad photography and crappy effects at the beginning.

Thank you John & Tina for this video. It literally saved my life. I watched this a month ago with my husband. We are beginners. Kayaking for 7 months now. We were just out on a flat water lake. I was practicing turns with my sea kayak when I looked away for a sec my paddle went under the kayak pulling me into the water. Not good because water temp was 45F. I managed to roll up, but since I do not own any wet or dry suit I was in layers of heavy clothing. Their weight sucked me right out of the kayak.My PDF kept me from going under. My husband followed this video, drained my kayak & set it up for me to reenter. Though that wasn't going well since I had cold water shock and could barely lift my arms or breath. So to make this short I remembered John & Tina's demo & managed to get half way up and my husband dragged me the rest of the way. We both thank you all very much for your instruction. Since we never took classes or practiced a rescue this video is the only reason I survived. With sincere gratitude, Joy

Half way into this video I realize how beautiful and relaxing this sport/adventure can be. Super excellent instructional video. Thank you. 👍😜😍😎🙏

Wanted to thank you from the bottom of my old heart and new kayak. Awesome, great, very informative and done very smoothly. Muchichísimas Gracias a todos....!!

This video series is amazing. I just got my very first sea kayak after borrowing and renting them for years. John Dowd has a great voice too.

Without doubt the most informative kayaking video I've seen. I'm new to all of this at the grand old age of 52 and although I'm only sticking to my local river Avon in Stratford U K I'm absolutely LOVING It! Thanks again, can't wait to watch them all now I've subscribed.

I love the slapstick scenes! That's definitely the way to do it. ) /… a joke guys. Great movie./

As a beginner kayaker, I am SO appreciative of these videos. Informative, entertaining, and very in-depth. Plus there is actually some production value. My boyfriend and I will stream episodes on the TV and watch it as if it were a documentary! Would love to see more.

Great video, a must watch for anyone wanting to start sea kayaking.

Nice video, it shows a lot of details about our beloved sport. Especially the part about travelling by sea kayak I like.Cheers!

“Uncle sam’s got his finger on the switch” AHAHAHA

Very helpful! I thought, after 500 miles of paddling experience I know everything! Nope!

Hello. Sea kayaks are unstable. At the roll over its very dangerous. Better swimm with a thick wetsuit. It wii provide very good flotability.

Where is your location ? Can anyone take a kayaking classes and all the rest ( navigation, oceanography, camping, ......) with you or any school in your area ? Thanks for responding.

Check it out 6:33. No skeg, no rudder. Just paddle skill to keep the boat heading straight.

I like wearing hospital shoes when I wear my drysuit, (the white ones made of foam the nurses wear). I find they protect my feet are easy to get on/off, help with floatation and don't put a hole in the drysuit when on land. Just a tip I do.

This is an excellent training video. The teaching is clear and simple. The best expression of basic paddling skills and deeper skills Ive seen on RU-vid. Well done and thank you for putting this series together! !

Without words,thank you all very much and a special thanks to the Motley Crew and the Guitarist.A super informative visual experience.Thank You.

Excellent video,very well put together as an introductory into sea kayaking. I watch it 3 times. Can't wait to start the others.

Thanks john, my Long and thin tour/ sea kayak flipped today, now i learned how to prevent that

Absolutely the best sea kayaking video I`ve ever seen,very informative,very interesting & thoroughly entertaining,John`s presentation was both professional & humorous,but always relevant,eagerly looking for others in the series.

Very informative video. Thank you for sharing.

We're headed out to Friday Harbor in June and planning on some kayaking. Glad I found this video- very helpful.

Absolutely fine video. I enjoyed it very much. I want to start kayak padelling in summer 2014. It is full of information, good advice. I was in Canada and have done the West Coast Trail. So I know Vancouver Island a little. Very nice to see this pretty nature again. Thanks for the video.

If you are scanning comments before you watch... this is an amazing video, packed with information for the beginner and well worth the watch. Videography, narration and content are captivating. NICE JOB!

Great video! I like the long format, lets me sit down and enjoy it compared to the short clips on youtube. Can't wait for my new touring kayak to come in so I can try some of this out.

This Video is FANTASTIC !!! Direct in the facts. If you are beginer, you MUST WATCH, if you are advanced it'll be a great opportunity to remember all you need to kayaking correct and safety. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

awesome film. Im between 2 choices buying a kajak. sot. or with cockpit. Sence I need more learning by having a cockpit kajak its more techniques. But I seeing forward. having speed & silence breaking the waves.

Excellent video. Thank you .

.. you burned a tent on the beach for comedy??

Awesome video. Thanks!

Biggest fault I used to see when I ran a sea kayaking tour company here in Bar Harbor, Maine was people not pushing with their upper hand thereby losing half their stroke force potential. This is often accompanied by pulling the shaft of the paddle towards the body. I used to tell my students to imagine that the center of their paddle shaft was mounted on a gimbal around which the paddle rotates. The center of the paddle shaft should remain almost stationary over the boat with the blades rotating around that. Do not pull the paddle shaft towards you. As for the Rules of The Road there is a widely accepted belief that paddle driven craft have the right of way. That is simply not true! When the original Rules of The Road were written paddle driven craft were hardly ever encountered and the rules don't even mention them let alone give them the right of way. As John Dowd says in this video "I give way to anything bigger than me." Speaking of rules one of the primary rules I followed during my many years as sea kayaker here in Maine was repeating the rule "Don't tip over!" each time I got in my boat and pushed off from the shore. Happily in more than a decade and many thousands of miles of paddling I never did tip over. This isn't to say that practicing self rescue techniques isn't worth while but rather to stress that avoiding the need for their use is of primary importance. Why? Well I can remember standing beside John Dowd at kayak symposium here in Maine we both spoke at in the 1980s as he yelled "I'd bloody well like to see you try that in four foot seas!" as we watched paddlers demonstrating a rescue technique. I couldn't have said it better myself!

This is great tutorial. Thank you.

Thanks for sharing valuable information and techniques with the lovers of the sports. and FOR FREE!!! Kayaking is already an expensive sport but free instructional videos like this really helps! :D

Hi, I want to do a charity fund raiser and the way i'm going to raise money is by Indiegogo, I want to Kayak from Jacksonville,Florida to Miami,Florida around 380 miles. I was wondering What should i bring on the trip and if you have any advice that would be awesome! I'm 16 by the way, right now I'm planning and gathering information before i set up the fund raiser.

Excellent tutorial. Thank you very much.

What an EXCELLENT tutorial! Thank You for all you give to the paddling community!! Bought my first Sea Kayak today, and am taking some classes locally here in the PNW. So excited!

Enjoying this video! I’m going to take lessons soon and this is giving me a sneak peek at what to expect.

Great video! Thank you!

In reply to RC Model Planes Try looking at the paradox you allude to from upside down, then just as I imagine in your spin training, If you learn how to get out of it you learn how to avoid getting in to it.

Hi Guys, a great video. Many thanks for sharing it!!! Regards, Jim (in Ireland)

No paddle tether for rough water?

Thank you very much for your great movie. I certainly learned a lot, which makes my kayaktrips safer. I am looking forward learning more from you. Greetings from Germany :-)

Great! I am a (german) beginner and looking for informations like this! It is very helpful for me, to know, what is important for safety. And now, lets go for practice :-))

This is a great 1st episode! I just found it- cant wait to watch more of your adventures.

Great video!!!! I'm primarily a fishing kayaker but there is much knowledge to be gained from all of the experience shared within this video. The etiquette alone is something all boaters could benefit from. Thank you.

Great video! Probably the best I've seen. Especially relevant to me as it is filmed pretty much in my back yard including those pesky ferries to dodge! Well presented and very informative. Also a good sense of humour while staying to the point.

Excellent quality video. Loads of informative information for those who wish to get started in this activity. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Thanks for the video is very useful, especially for people who lives where this activities at not common. Thanks again.

I've seen many vids..this is one that is well informative and nicely paced..Thank all involved..John and the Motley Crew too..,;-0)

Great stuff , as an enthusiastic beginner i've watched quite a few videos on technique etc and this is hands down by far the most informative , and in a very digestible format . oh and that smooth voice...well done.

Very informative, excellent advice and well demonstrated drills. Thanks for sharing. All the best from Scotland

Thank you for this video. I started kayaking last summer (with an inflatable kayak from Gumotex). Sea kayaking has been on agenda and I have tried it a bit in good weather, but I learned already young to have a good respect for the sea so it is very good to learn some more skills before I try any overnight trips.

John Dowd always had the most pleasant, congenial intro to kayaking video. It almost puts me to sleep, it's so relaxing. But the eye candy and good info keep me awake.

I just picked up a kayak and have been looking at videos lately. This one was very informative Thanks for post JD.

What a lovely informative and well presented episode. The motley crew are in all aspects of life, don't be part of the motley crew :-) Thank you for sharing :-)

Lovely video, though I think yall are kinda missing out on the joy of getting lost. Happy paddling.

Excellent, both informative and enjoyable thank you.

Brilliant,thanks 👍

Rusty you sleuth, you guessed it.

Hi, I want to join your training and tour for sea kayaking, kindly guide how I can.

Excellent video, thanks very much for posting

Great video John. Thanks for making it.

At least the Motleys are having fun

Learned a lot already. I'm new to kayaking Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.

"...This prevents scarring the pebble on the beach..." The slapstick characters aren't the only comedians in this video.

Enjoyed. And very helpful / informative. Thanks.

Gabriola Island! Love this video! Thank you for sharing.

Great video, really enjoyed watching it. Phil (UK)

Thank you for this very nice video and instructiones and tipps.

very interesting video

I can't wait until I do ocean kayaking in a few years, it looks amazing

Thx for taking the time to do a video. A lot of info and loved the funny bits. Cheers!

Brilliant video, thanks for all the really useful information.

Truely educational and demonstrates the beauty of a well planned and executed tour on the see..... I whish I can attend one of these tours. Very well done and Thanks!

Love it!

Awesome!

Bravo! Great educational video. Thank you.

Great video very interesting for anyone thinking of starting to sea kayak.

Thank you so much for this video. Appreciate it a lot.

What do you do when a bear eats your kayak? :D

I really enjoyed that thank you I learnt a lot as well and I’ve watched a fair few tutorials

what is john dowd's paddle?

A very very good series of kayak vids. Thank you very much for sharing your extensive knowledge.