Sea Kayaking UK are proud to sponsor some of the Worlds greatest paddlers...

Qualifications:

* BCU Level 5 Coach Sea (A5 Assessor Status), Level 4 A4(Inland), Level 3 A2 (Open)
* ML Winter, SPSA
* BCU Injury Prevention in Paddlesport Course Provider
* PGCE Outdoor Education and IT

Previous Experience

Taught in Outdoor Education since 1988 for a variety of companies and centres both in the UK and USA. These have included LEA centres, Plas Menai The Natonal Water Sports Centre, and Plas y Brenin The National Moutain Centre.

Trys was the 1st female level 5 Sea Coach and has since worked throughout the USA and Europe coaching at International BCU events/symposiums/giving lectures etc. Her expedition experience includes leading expeditions for youth teams and adult teams in places such as Nepal, West Africa, Keyna, Alaska, Europe, Scotland and Ireland. Her own expeditions have been predominately kayaked based. The biggest an 8 month Sea Kayaking expedition paddling 2400km from the UK to Greece

Based: South West UK

Favourite paddling locations: Landsend, North Devon, West coast of Scotland

About: Tom is an enthusiastic outdoor pursuitsprofessional. Tom specialises in sea kayaking but also spends a lot of time surfing and climbing. Tom paddles the Romany for those bumpy water days and sociable trips and he paddles the Quantum to make sure his long distance trips are efficient.

Look out for him in some of the top locations in the UK, he gets about!

Stuart started paddle at the ages of 15, doing all types of paddling from sea kayaking, white water, canoeing and wave ski. His real love for sea kayaking came from the Anglesey SeaKayaking UK symposium, where at 16 years old he listened to a presentation given by Phil Clegg on his circumnavigation of the UK.

After this he became hooked on the trip and pushed his skills and ability. Four years passed and Stuart took on this circumnavigation with brother Craig and friend Lee and completed it September 2012.

They are now the first to have completed the trip in an anti-clockwise direction taking them 96 days and the youngest to have finished. Stuart at the age of 21feels he has a lot more expeditions up and coming.

Why does Stuart love paddling: Paddling can take you to so many places, it has taking me so many places in the world and will continue to do so.

I feel at the age of 21 I would never have seen so much with out it. It also provides such a vary from a gruelling expedition to a placid and mellow paddle down the coast to surfing a glassy wave that makes you feel as good as the richest happiest folk alive.

I have always loved the sea and I could not think of a better craft that interacts with the sea as good as a kayak dose.

46 years old, from Belgium,
Physiotherapist (manual therapist, sports therapist )
First aid teacher Belgian red cross
Seakayakcoach since 2004 in Belgium, later in Uk and Netherlands. Guided trips in Norway, France, Netherlands, UK, Portugal, Spain, Corse,…
BCU 5* sea
2001 crossing the Channel Calais Dover ( solo - assisted) 5h on 51 Km
2005 crossing from Ramsgate to Nieuwpoort (Belgium) 21h45’ on 140Km
2007 attempt to cross the Adriatic sea, rescued after 120Km
11-cities (Netherlands) 206Km in 30h
France- Jersey-France (non-stop) 68Km in 7h
Lot of other long trips up to +100 Km/day and crossings up to 35 Km

Whitewaterpaddler up to WW 4+
Whitewatercoaching since 2011 ( France, Slovenië, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Tjechie, Germany, Corse,…),
Whitewaterinstructor up to module 3
Rafted partly the Zambezi

Former reserve Officer para_commando Belgium
Extended outdoor experience in rock climbing, diving (4*CMAS), speleo, mountainbike, off-roaddriving,…
Extended Afrika expedition experience (off-roaddriving) as medic and camp manager

Hometown: Falmouth, Cornwall, UK

Experience: Simon started kayaking when he was 7 years old. His introduction to the world of kayaking was through white water however after circumnavigating Great Britain in 2002 is now more well known for his sea kayaking expeditions. You may see Simon competing in kayak polo, surf kayaking in Cornwall, running white water rivers or circumnavigating some island in the world.

Achievements: In 2002 Simon became the youngest person to circumnavigate Great Britain which took 112 days of kayaking. In 2004 he completed a solo expedition circumnavigating Ireland in 6 weeks. In 2006-8 Simon spend 4 months attempting to become the first person to circumnavigate Madagascar. In 2011 Simon with Marin Medak became the first people to paddle the coastline of South Korea. His most recent expedition was to row across the Atlantic as part of a four man crew which took 45 days to complete.

Biggest Adventure: Simons biggest adventure to date was his circumnavigation of Great Britain as it was his first real big expedition and tested him both physically and mentally to his limit. The expedition was in memory of his brother Mark whom he lost to Leukaemia when he was just 9 years old. The expedition raised over �22,000 for the Leukaemia Research.

Why does Simon kayak?: It is the variety the sport offers that keeps me interested. From kayaking with alligators in Florida to rock hopping through Icelandic lava fields to surfing clean barreling waves in Cornwall you can never get board!

Website: www.seakayakingcornwall.com

Website: www.seakayakingcornwall.com/

Saggi Nechushtan went on his first kayak expedition in 1988 in the cold waters of Alaska, and has since returned on numerous occasions to lead kayak trips. He's a level 4 BCU instructor with many years of coaching experience. In 1998 together with Omer founded "Terra Santa Kayak Expeditions" in Israel were paddlers coming from all over the world to work on their kayak skills and surf moves specially during winter. Saggi leads kayak trips around the world and invited to International Symposiums to coach.

Website: seakayak.co.il

Rowland Woollven started paddling whilst at school and progressed through the disciplines of downriver touring and racing, canoe polo, slalom, sprint, marathon and long-distance racing before settling on sea and surf kayaking as his main interests. Now a Level 5 BCU Sea Coach (Assessor Grade 5) and a Level 3 Surf Coach, he is also one of a worldwide handful of Nordkapp Trust Sea Guides, having developed an interest in Inuit paddling using the Greenland paddle. He has qualified as a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician and as a member of the WEMSI-International teaching faculty instructs on the ‘communications’ and ‘drowning’ modules of the W-EMT and WFR courses held annually at Glenmore Lodge.

Rowland has worked on a large number of symposiums in the UK, Europe and USA, both as an on-water coach and as a principal speaker and lecturer. His main area of interest for sea expeditions is South East Alaska and the west coast of British Columbia, where he has led several major trips, including a 6 week circumnavigation of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Closer to home, he has circumnavigated Great Britain (in 3 sections – 2008, 2011 and 2012 – not his original plan!) and lives on the west coast of Scotland, 100m from the Falls of Lora!

Rowland has written a book on his circumnavigation of Great Britain – ‘Sticking With It – a sea kayak odyssey around Britain’ and signed copies are available via his website www.rwoollven.co.uk

Born in a seaside kibbutz in Israel, Rotem grew up as a professional swimmer. A lover of the outdoors, she did quite a bit of hiking and rafting until she discovered kayaking. She has never looked back. After years of training in Israel and Wales, in 2006 she became the first sea kayaker to complete a solo circumnavigation of Iceland.

Rotem is a Senior Instructor atTerra Santa Kayak Expeditions in Israel were she gives sea, surf & whitewater courses all year round, and leads sea kayaking expeditions all over the world.

Rich first got involved with the outdoors in his early 20’s, after a trainee year at a centre in Cornwall, followed with completing a BSc (Hons) degree in Sport & Exercise Science and Outdoor Activities at the University of Leeds. He then moved back to his native North Wales and worked for over 6 years as an Outdoor Activity Development Officer, all the while spending any spare moment climbing, hillwalking, kayaking and canoeing, gaining numerous National Governing Body awards on the way. He holds the summer and winter mountain leader awards, single pitch award, the Advanced Sea Kayak Leader award and the moderate water coaching awards in sea and white water kayaking. More recently Rich has been heavily involved in providing British Canoeing awards in personal proficiency in a range of disciplines, as well as leadership awards and the new suite of instructor and coach awards.

Rich now works full time for his own company, Môn Active. They provide activities, coach education and first aid training, including courses aimed directly at specific sectors, such as the popular ‘First Aid for Sea Kayakers’ course, as well as generic first aid for workplaces. Rich is a Rescue and Emergency Care first aid training provider, he holds Rescue 3 Swiftwater Rescue qualifications and is a tutor / assessor for a raft of British Canoeing qualifications in SUP, Sea Kayak, Canoe, White Water Kayak as well as some of the racing disciplines.

Phil Clegg runs Sea Kayaking Anglesey a small sea kayaking provider based on the Isle of Anglesey, in North Wales, UK.

He has lived and coached sea kayaking there for the last ten years.

He is a skilled paddler, and his abilities in a boat are matched by his ability to teach others effectively with his fun and friendly manner.

Phil's expeditions have taken him from the Arctic to the Tropics and most notably a record breaking circumnavigation of Great Britain in 80 days.

He is a BCU Level Five Coach and a Sea Kayaking UK, Celtic Paddles and Palm sponsored paddler.

Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/seakayakinganglesey

Latest expedition: Greenland Exped 2006 

Peter Jones was the chief kayak instructor at the Anglesey Sea & Surf Centre in Anglesey. He now works freelance in North Wales.
Pete has taken part on many major sea kayak expeditions, including West Coast Canada, Nova Scotia, Israel, Holland, Spain, Ireland, Outer Hebrides, St. Kilda, Orkney and Greenland.

Qualifications:

BCU Coach level 5 Sea, aspirant
MLTB Summer Award
RYA Instructor

Sea Kayaking UK sponsored paddlers have been selected for their expeditionary & kayaking skills. All are prepared to run courses on request having excellent seamanship and kayaking skills. They have the full support of Sea Kayaking UK and we would be glad to arrange tuition, lectures, etc.

Paul Bramble - Welsh Surf Kayaking Team member

I work and live in Pembrokeshire as a guide and coach. I have been paddling since I was 7 years old and I still love it to this day! Living in Pembrokeshire provides me with the perfect opportunities to play around in massive tidal races and make the most of the surf. I have been competing as a part of the Welsh surf kayaking team for the past 4 years and looking forward to competing along side some top paddlers in the next world championships.

Contact Paul via Dragon Activity Guides - www.dragonactivityguides.co.uk - tel: 01348 841336

Omer was certified as a level 4 BCU kayak instructor in Wales. He has led numerous kayak expeditions in Greece, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Egypt, Alaska, Seychelles...He is a surf kayak , Wave ski and ww addict, he has vast instructing experience in the sea, surf and in the river and love to share his experience with other people.

In 1998 he & Saggi founded "Terra Santa Kayak Expeditions" in Israel were paddlers coming from all over the world to work on their kayak skills and surf moves specially during winter.

Since his 1st day in kayaking omer was using Lendal paddles and he has no reason to stop using them.

Website: seakayak.co.il

Nigel Dennis started his kayaking career by the circumnavigation of Great Britain in 1980 with Paul Carffyn. This expedition was the first successful circumnavigation of Scotland, Wales & England taking 65 kayaking days.

This was the start of Nigel's career in coaching and Sea kayak expedition.

In 1995 Nigel Dennis Kayaks was formed and since then a range of kayaks have been designed. This range can be used from the beginner to advanced sea kayakers. The kayaks have been used on many expeditions and are now available at Nordkapp Trust Expedition Centres around the world.

Nige Robinson was born and raised on the spectacular Pembrokeshire coastline and has been paddling and coaching for over 25 years. During that time he has collected two Level 5 coach awards (sea and surf), a gold medal at the World Sea Kayak Championships and has co-authored a book. His love of kayaking has taken him around the world and he has coached and paddled throughout Europe, North America and Papua New Guinea. Latest adventures include a combined sea kayaking and mountaineering expedition in Greenland and a trip around Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. When he’s not on the water he is involved in coaching development is a member of the Sea Kayaking Technical Committee and has also been the Coaching Development Officer for the WCA. Other ‘dry’ projects include “Expedition Skills” DVD and co-authoring ‘Sea Kayaking’ with Alun Richardson. He still lives with his family in Pembrokeshire where he co-runs a successful coaching and guiding business Sea Kayak Guides. Nige is an ambassador for Kokatat paddling kit, and Celtic paddles.

For many years Nico combined cycling and nature observation. He cycled all the roads in the Netherlands, but also cycled down under in New Zealand and Australia.

In 1990 he changed the pedal for a paddle. He started kayaking on the river Rhine with the local club "de Bovenste Polder" and soon he broke the record of capsizing in winter. He paddled a lot of the inland waters of the Netherlands and Western Germany.

In 1993 he started white water kayaking in France. Since then he has run rivers in France, Italy, Switzerland, Slovenia and Nepal.

Sea kayaking started in 1997. Mostly in the Zeeland estuaries and the Waddenzee in the Netherlands. But the last few years also in Wales, Scotland and Australia.

In 1997 he became an inland kayak touring instructor. Since then he did a lot of coaching for his club and elsewhere in the Netherlands. But he also worked for a few month as a volunteer in Wales and Tasmania.

He became a member of the NKB coaching committee and coordinates the inland instructor courses.

Since 2001 he is an sea kayak instructor and an open canoe instructor as well.

Qualifications:

NKB Sea Kayak Instructor
NKB Inland Kayak Touring Instructor
NKB Open Canoe Instructor

Mirco started kayaking at the age of 8, on lakes and small rivers back in Germany. He bought a second hand NDK Explorer in 2006 whilst living in Switzerland and has been passionate about the sport and the versatility of the sea kayak ever since. A Chef by trade since 1998, and finding that he was not able to sit still very long, he has lived, worked and enjoyed paddling the seas and lakes in & around Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand, England, and Spain.

Living in north wales since 2014, he now works as a boat builder and repairs kayaks at Sea kayaking UK on Anglesey. He has also gained the necessary qualifications to work as a freelance outdoor instructor, Sea kayak coach and enjoys guiding in both local and International waters. He is an active paddler who loves playing in the tidal races around Anglesey, sharing his enthusiasm with the local community. Mirco is also a keen climber/boulderer, he enjoys cycling, coasteering, hiking and still loves to cook.

Mirco is a qualified BC Advanced Leader (5*), sea kayak coach (Level 2 moderate water endorsed), and ISKGA advanced Guide.

In 2012 Mirco spent a year in New Zealand; he enjoyed three months paddling and hitch-hiking up the east coast of the North Island, using a 3 piece Explorer and then spent the summer Guiding in the Bay of Island. In 2015 together with a friend, he circumnavigated Ireland and is now planning another trip(s)...