This event started as a forum discussion among sea kayakers with a desire to have more opportunity to advance their skills.  The gist of it was that you're never advised to go out in conditions beyond your current ability, and you're supposed to go out and push your own skills around paddlers who are comfortable in the conditions that you aspire to paddle in. So it can be difficult for many to find opportunities to expand their skill set and gain experience and comfort in more dynamic environments, and do all that in a safe and controlled way. So a few of us decided that a discussion is just a discussion - let's make something happen.  With great help from a terrific group of ACA instructors, this event was born.

 

Oceans '13: Our inaugural event! 

• Location: Carolina Beach Inlet and Fort Fisher surf

• Highlights included:

  • beautiful green swells, perfect for surfing through the inlet

  • instructors from Sea Kayak Carolina and local experts

  • lessons on importance of understanding tidal flow

  • an epic pitch-pole on a surf landing - no injuries, and what a picture!

  • lots of fun over fried chicken dinners and campfires at Carolina Beach State Park

​

Oceans ' 14: Once was fun, so we went again!

• Location: Murrells Inlet and Pawley's Inlet, SC.  

• Highlights included:

  • strong and sustained NE wind, which built up seas perfect for advanced training

  • Pawley's inlet had graduated conditions, meaning beginners could find areas suitable for learning, and advanced students could push into more intense seas

  • instructors from Black River Outdoors provided local knowledge

  • camping was at Huntington Beach State Park, with surprisingly cool summer temperatures, and plenty of grilled pork for supper 

​

Oceans '15:

• Location: Carolina Beach Inlet and the Cape Fear River

• Highlights included:​

  • differentiated instruction depending on skill level and comfort in conditions

  • experience paddling in choppy seas and significant wind on Saturday

  • smooth swells for surfers and fun instruction on the Cape Fear on Sunday

  • stories and fellowship late into the night under group tents at Carolina Beach State Park

  • a birthday celebration for one of our beloved instructors, Jeff Atkins, including steak, BBQ, and a massive chocolate cake!​

​

Oceans '16

• Location: Bogue Inlet, NC

• Highlights:

  • two ACA L5 instructors provided advanced training, including formal assessments

  • differentiated instruction, where some worked on surfing, some on surf zone, and some students in calmer conditions in the Intracoastal waterway

  • the paddle trail to the inlets wound through beautiful salt marsh terrain

  • our favorite BCU 5* paddler hosted us at his vacation home - the perfect place to enjoy a beer after a long day of paddling!

​

Oceans '17

• Location: Hammocks Beach State Park, Bear Island, NC

• Highlights:

  • rescue exercises coordinated with the coast guard.  Huge thanks to Scott Brown and the U.S. Coast Guard!

  • dynamic paddling conditions, and a great example of how quickly wind waves can build when you get a small variation from the weather forecast. 

  • the paddle trail to Bear Island wound through beautiful salt marsh terrain and offered a great opportunity to learn about working with tides and currents 

  • a true, beautiful, beach camping experience

  • a great geographical representation of participants, from Florida, Michigan, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.  It's so much fun to learn about experiences from such a diversity of paddling environments!

  • a birthday celebration for the amazing Ashley Brown, who I'm pretty sure is doing the Benjamin Button, and just keeps getting younger!

​

Oceans '18

• We enjoyed really beautiful weather and fairly calm seas from Fort Caswell, Oak Island, NC. Wonderful marsh, river, and ocean paddling alike. 

• The Jay Bird Shoals offered a fun environment for getting comfortable controlling kayaks in lumpy water, and a nice wave train seemed to rise up out of nowhere on the southwest corner of Bald Head Island. 

• The Frying Pan Shoals offered a challenging adventure and some fun rides. 

• Everyone seemed to enjoy some beachfront time, both in and out of their kayaks. Roll and recovery practice on a beach is a great way to spend some afternoon hours. 

• Fun paddling to experience some of the beautiful sights of the area.

• Lots of fun and camaraderie on the grounds and in the historic cottages of Fort Caswell. 

         

Oceans '19

• Location: Fort Caswell, Oak Island, NC

• Highlights:

  • Some light onshore wind Friday afternoon, and we had some fun kayaks to try out thanks to Joey Schott of Turning Point Boatworks and Mike Looman of Current Designs, along with SKUK and other makers testing the waters.  

  • The weather, despite the forecast, cooperated.  We were able to enjoy the water all weekend. 

  • There were some nice swells forming up along Bald Head Island that many enjoyed.  

  • Ashley Brown conducted an L4 skills certification class.

  • We had a great group of paddlers working on open water skills in the sound waters

  • We enjoyed the comforts of historic Fort Caswell cottages, and delicious catering from Middle of the Island.  And we just had a really fun group of paddlers and instructors. 

Oceans '20

• Location: Carolina Beach State Park

• We had plans of kayaking Wrightsville Beach and the surrounding waters. 

• Covid 19 led to campground closure and an event cancellation. 

​

Oceans '21

• Location: James Island County Park, Charleston, SC

• A windy day on Saturday had groups in the salt marsh around James Island County Park, in Charleston Harbor, and at Folly Beach, using the natural surroundings, tides, currents, and the wind to find great areas for fun paddling on a windy day.

• Sunday had different paddles for different skill level groups all around Stono Inlet. Everyone had a blast trying their kayaks, and some sit-on-top surf kayaks later in the morning into the afternoon after the initial morning paddles completed.

• We had warm, but fair weather all weekend for camping at James Island County Park, under the watchful eye of a beautiful owl! 

​

Oceans '22

•  Location: Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet, SC

•  Saturday included a nice calm-water nature paddle, taking in some of the sights and sounds of           a birding paradise.

•  We were privileged to have Tim Gallaway lead traditional skills. We witnessed significant skills             progressions, from boat control, balance, and even some first hand rolls!

•  A fairly calm start to Saturday brought a couple of groups to Midway Inlet. With the shoals and the   lack of boat traffic, it was fantastic for sea kayak surfing. There was some skills work going from         smaller breaking waves up to some with a bit more force, and lots of surfing. From there, as the         wind and waves picked up, we finished off the day with a swift-moving downwinder and an   organized landing onto the beach back at the park.

•  Sunday included more traditional skills, introductions to boat control in waves, and a lot of fun           wave surfing at Pawleys Inlet.

​

Oceans '23

•  Location: Fort Caswell, Oak Island, SC

•  Saturday included calm-water paddling and instruction, ventures into the mouth of the Cape Fear River, and paddling along Bald Head Island to Cape Fear for some wave play in Frying Pan Shoals. 

•  We were privileged to have Tim Gallaway, Dubside, and David Sides lead traditional skills. We had a lot of fun learning from and participating in Greenland ropes skills.  

•  Sunday included more traditional skills, lots of folks working on rolling, and paddling out to the shoals of the mouth of the Cape Fear River.