The Wilderness Kayak Institute* is a sea kayaking school offering instructional programs in a wilderness settings in British Columbia, Canada and Baja California, Mexico. Grant Thompson, the founder and president of Tofino Expedition and Author John Dowd, started the institute. Grant Thompson has been paddling personally and professionally for over 20 years in such locations as Canada’s west coasts, Baja and mainland Mexico, Honduras, the Caribbean Windward Islands and Norway. He is also one of a handful of paddlers who has had the opportunity to paddle on the BC Central Coast for the last 10 years; his local knowledge is an invaluable asset to WKI courses. John’s “Sea Kayaking: A Manual For Long Distance Touring” first published in 1981 defined the sport in its modern form and whose personal paddling career went a long way towards showing its potential. John continues to lead the way in the industry with his new video series “Seamanship for Kayakers” in which he advocates an understanding of seamanship as the key to safety in the marine environment.
They agreed that to have safe on the water adventures the necessary boat handling and decision-making skills are most effectively learned through experience. WKI provides a rewarding experiential learning opportunity by designing courses, which have combined the best of sea kayak tours with instructional courses. This new expanded series of programs is full of comprehensive skill builders in boat handling and the art and science of seamanship.
WKI provides a multi-level course structure where a person with no previous paddling experience can learn the basics in the first level and progress up to a challenging expedition experience in the Master Class. Expedition Skills I is geared as a confidence builder and comprehensive introduction to navigation, weather and wilderness skills. Expedition Skill II builds on the skills taught in the first course to include paddling the dynamic environment of headlands and surf beaches with more challenging distances and crossings. The Master Class is for paddlers who have extensive previous experience or graduates of Expedition Skills I and II and are ready to journey down a complex and challenging stretch of coastline with experienced expedition paddlers where a firm foundation in seamanship and paddling skills is essential. The Guides course is a comprehensive leadership curriculum covering sea kayak touring and group logistics from the risk management weighted perspective of the professional guide or group leader. And the Women’s Sea Kayaking courses offer the same content as the coed courses with the added supportive learning environment created by female instructors working with a group of women paddlers.
WKI’s instructors are outdoor professionals that make up a team of talented and enthusiastic educators. They are the sea kayak industry’s best trained and committed instructors who all share a passion for teachable moments, wilderness preservation, and living life to its fullest.
*Wilderness Kayak Institute is a division of Tofino Expedition Limited.
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