Blog

Now that this fantastic summer is coming to an end, it doesn’t mean that your paddling adventures have to too, you just need to make sure you are prepared for the changing conditions.

Autumn is a great time of year to head out for a paddle, and with all the beautiful autumnal colours, you can find yourself in some truly picturesque spots.

It is important to remember, that although the weather may still feel warm, the water will be a lot cooler and so it is vital that you are fully prepared so you’ll be as safe as possible on your trip.


How to be prepared:

Make sure you are wearing the correct clothing, dress for a swim! In autumn, you need to prepare for different conditions and although you may

There are few times in life when you can be lucky enough to turn your passion and hobby into your career, and with paddlesports, this is exactly what you can do.

If you are interested in beginning your coaching pathway, then there are various options available to you from the British Canoeing Awarding Body, depending on the type of coaching your wish to do and the skills you want to develop in your paddlers.

First, you need to make sure your personal paddle skills are up to speed and you’ve been out and paddled as much as possible in different locations, waters and crafts to give you a broad knowledge of paddlesports. This will also help to develop your personal skills more quickly, than if you just stick with one discipline. Having a good range of

As it’s the last bank holiday now before Christmas, we’ve got some exclusive offers for you, online and in store!

Pyranha Z:One Medium - was £749.00, now £549.00

We have a brand new Pyranha Z:One Medium in end of line colours for only £549, saving you £200! The Z:One is a true all-round kayak that’s fast, stable, forgiving and extremely playful! The Z:One is capable of taking on rapids and carving up waves in the surf. With a mixture of speed and stability the Z:One is perfect for both beginners and experts. 

Living on the South Coast, we are blessed to have access to Dorset's picturesque coastline for a days paddle, and we’d like to share some of our favourite spots with you.

Poole Harbour

Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour and is an excellent area for Kayaking. With regular ferries, fishing vessels, yachts, cruise boats and other private crafts it does get very busy so it is important to be aware of this. There a number of islands to paddle around and explore in Poole Harbour including Brownsea, Furzey, Green, Long, Round, Gigger’s, Drove, Pergins and Stone Island. It is important to watch out for Tides, with strong currents at the entrance of Poole Harbour, Holes Bay to Poole Quay and Rockley into the entrance of Lytchett Bay. Also, avoid padd

Here at South Coast Canoes, we offer a full range of British Canoeing courses and bespoke kayak and canoe trips, tailored for all paddlers from beginners to intermediates to coaches.

We now have the latest course dates available for you, these are:

BC Open Water Canoe Coach Training -  20/21st September 2018 - Devon - £180

This is a 2-day course which focuses on the knowledge, understanding and skills that you'll need to ensure the athletes/learners in your care are appropriately provided for. You will also build on your core training in the environment that you wish to coach.

Wherever you go kayaking, it is always essential that you take the correct safety equipment with you, even if you know the area really well as you never know what might happen as the water is always unpredictable.

To help, we have put together our basic recommendations of safety and rescue equipment (not including personal gear) to take with you for sea kayaking, whitewater and canoeing. Obviously, it is about personal preference and only carry the equipment if you know how to use it.

For sea kayaking, we recommend:

• First aid - Make sure that your first aid kit has all the essentials for treating everything from heavy bleeding to broken bones and make sure it’s water resistant. It’s also imp

The perfect way to experience a relaxing adventure away is with a canoe and camping trip, and there are some truly spectacular places to paddle and camp here in the UK.

Embarking on your trip takes lots of planning and preparation, and it is important to know exactly where you are going and how long it is going to take to get to your destination. It involves lots of research, packing and conversations with your fellow paddlers to ensure you are fully prepared with all the correct equipment for your canoe-camping trip, this really is crucial. There is nothing more frustrating than reaching your destination after a long day paddling only to realise you have forgotten something essential.

While travelling by canoe rather than foot means yo

No matter how confident a paddler you are, the water will always be unpredictable as conditions can change unexpectedly, so learning how to self-rescue to be as safe as possible out on the water is crucial.

Learning to kayak roll is a necessity if you wish to explore all types of water, not just whitewater, as you could tip over at any time and to be able to correct yourself safely is lifesaving, especially if you are far out, away from the shoreline in deep rough waters.

Rolling isn’t as difficult as you may think and learning should be fun as you’ll feel a sense of achievement when you can roll with ease. It doesn’t require any unusual strength, all you need is a good technique!

Where to start:

I

We are extremely excited to announce that we are now the only dealer in the south to stock the Tiderace kayaks with the Xceed being the newest addition to our store.

Tiderace is celebrating its 10th anniversary and this year they're bringing more innovation and progress to the sport of sea kayaking. 

Tiderace sea kayaks are known for having the best construction technology, made with strong, durable and yet lightweight materials including carbon fibre, fibreglass and kevlar. They offer easy repair features as well as advanced deck and hull joins which consist of a quadruple laye

Inflatable technology has come along way over recent years and while some people only relate inflatable to kids pool toys, recreational companies have managed to harness the same construction used primarily by military and commercial operations to build durable, professional and high-quality kayaks and canoes.

So are inflatable kayaks actually any good? Our answer is yes! They’re robust, hardwearing and stable while also being lightweight and portable which makes them easier to manage than hardshell kayaks. There are many pros to buying an inflatable:

• If storage is a problem, then these inflatable kayaks deflate, fold down and nicely fit into a bag that can simply be kept in a cupboard in your house.