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Four women posing together on a stone pier by the ocean, with the text 'WOMEN'S Coastal Development' overlaid at the top. The background shows a scenic coastal landscape with blue water, distant green hills, and a bright sky.
Women's Coastal Development Program 2027

Women's Coastal Development Program 2027

$2,195.00 CAD

Six coached sessions, two pool nights, one cohort of women, coached on the water entirely by the women of Kayak Ontario.

The Women's Coastal Development Program is a full-season progression running June 2027 through January 2028. The first four weekends build your skills on the Saugeen Peninsula: refresher, navigation, and Level 2 work on Georgian Bay. The season then moves to the Niagara Peninsula for moving current and cold water, and finishes with two coached pool sessions in Hamilton that carry your roll and your momentum through the winter.

You paddle with the same small group all season, work toward certification, and finish more confident on big water. This is not six separate courses. It is one continuous season, built as a progression, with the same coaches beside you the whole way.

Limited to 6 participants.

Who this program is for. This is a women's program: coached by women, built for women, and centred on women's experience of the water. If that is a space you belong in, cisgender or transgender women, Two-Spirit and non-binary paddlers, you are welcome here.

We operate on self-identification. You will never be asked to prove or explain who you are, to us or to anyone else here. Women of every background, body, age, and ability are welcome. If you have access needs or want to talk anything through before registering, reach out in confidence and ask for our head coach, Iza Paixão. She will be the one who replies. Kayak Ontario is a Safe Sport organization, and this space is held to written conduct policy.

6+2Sessions + Pool
June to JanSaugeen + Niagara
6 MaxCohort Size
CampingSaugeen Weekends
KO Training Partners

The Season

Something every month for eight months. Each session builds on the last.

  • Jun 12 - 13, Saugeen Peninsula Refresher and intake. Shake off the rust, meet your cohort and coaches, set your goals for the season.
  • Jul 10 - 11, Saugeen Peninsula Introduction to navigation. Charts, compass, and trip planning fundamentals.
  • Aug 7 - 8, Saugeen Peninsula Level 2 strokes and re-entry techniques. The core skills, coached deep.
  • Sep 11 - 12, Saugeen Peninsula Navigation 2. Applied coastal navigation on real crossings.
  • Oct 16 - 17, Niagara Current clinic. Moving water, ferries, and eddy work in a sea kayak.
  • Nov 13, Niagara Cold water paddling, one day. Real cold water conditions, real judgment, and the confidence to paddle year-round.
  • Dec 9 evening, Hamilton Pool session 1. Rolling instruction in warm water.
  • Jan 13 evening, Hamilton Pool session 2. Rolls, rescues, and finishing the season sharp.

Your Coaches

You are coached by the women of Kayak Ontario: Iza Paixão, Kathleen Stevak, and Jill Graham. One team, one cohort of six.

We coach as a team, and you work with that team all season. Who leads which weekend shifts across the year, but the team around you stays the same, and every one of us knows where you started and where you are going. By the time the season reaches Niagara for current and cold water, you have paddled with all of us and we know how you paddle.

What's Included

  • Five coached weekends and one cold water day, June through November 2027: four on the Saugeen Peninsula, two in Niagara
  • Camping included on the four Saugeen Peninsula weekends
  • Two coached pool sessions in Hamilton, December and January, including rolling instruction
  • Assessment toward Paddle Canada Level 2, ORCKA Coastal Kayaking Level 1, and Level 3 Prep standing, each awarded upon meeting the standard
  • Your own cohort and coaching pod, running alongside our regular season

Paying over the season → Shop Pay Installments is available at checkout, subject to approval. If you would rather spread it further than that allows, email us before you register and we will work out a schedule with you.

Equipment Needed

  • Sea kayak with two bulkheads. Rentals available for the season
  • Drysuit for the current and cold water sessions. Rentals available
  • PFD, mandatory, bring your own
  • Paddle. Rentals available
  • Pump, whistle, tow belt. Available for purchase

Good to Know

  • This program is sold and run as one continuous season. Individual weekends are not available separately
  • Your cohort paddles and learns as its own group with its own coaches. Camp is shared with the broader KO community on Saugeen weekends
  • Camping is included on the four Saugeen Peninsula weekends only. Accommodation in Niagara is not included and is yours to arrange
  • The November cold water session is a single day in Niagara. There is no camping and no overnight on that date
  • Pool sessions are evening sessions in Hamilton. They do not include accommodation
  • Food, parking permits, and personal snacks are the responsibility of participants
  • November is real cold water. We prepare you for it all season, and drysuit rentals are available
  • Because this is a small cohort that runs as a progression, please talk to us before registering if you already know you have a conflict with one of the dates
  • Cancellations, transfers, and credits, including sessions cancelled by Kayak Ontario, are covered by our cancellation and refund policy

Prerequisite: Paddle Canada Level 1 or equivalent experience. Not sure where you fit? Get in touch and we will figure it out together.

Where this leads → Meet the standard and you finish with Paddle Canada Level 2 and ORCKA Coastal Kayaking Level 1. It opens the rest of what we do: expeditions, instructor courses, and Level 3 the following season.

Questions

I'm nervous I'm not good enough for this.
That feeling is exactly why this program exists. If you have Level 1 basics, you belong here. The whole point of a season-long cohort is that you grow into the harder months together, with coaches who know you.
What if I have to miss a session after I have registered?
Tell us as early as you can and we will work out how to catch you up, whether that is joining the same content with another group or extra coaching time within the season. If you already know about a conflict before you register, talk to us first so we can plan around it together.
Can I pay in instalments?
Shop Pay Installments is offered at checkout and is subject to approval, so the terms you are shown depend on your own application. If you would rather spread the cost over a longer window than that allows, email us before you register and we will work out a schedule with you.
Are the coaches all women?
Yes. Every coach on the water is a woman: Iza Paixão, Kathleen Stevak and Jill Graham coach the program as a team across the whole season, June through January.
Can I talk to one of the women on the coaching team instead?
Any time. Write to info@kayak-ontario.com and ask for our head coach, Iza Paixão, and she is the one who will get back to you. Before you register, during the season, or after it. You never need to give a reason for asking.
Do I get certifications from this?
The program includes full assessment toward Paddle Canada Level 2 and ORCKA Coastal Kayaking Level 1, and Level 3 Prep standing. Assessment happens across the season rather than as a separate exam at the end, so you are coached toward the standard the whole way through. As with every certification we deliver, the award is made upon meeting the standard. If you are not there by January, we will tell you what is outstanding and how to finish it.
Could this lead to instructing?
Yes. Level 2 and Coastal Kayaking Level 1 are the foundation the instructor stream is built on. Tell us during the season that teaching interests you and we will build toward it with you.
Where do I stay?
Camping is included on the four Saugeen Peninsula weekends. Accommodation for the October weekend in Niagara is not included, and we will send you options nearby. The November cold water session is a single day with no overnight, and the pool sessions are evenings in Hamilton. If you would rather stay indoors on a Saugeen weekend, that is up to you to book and arrange.
Cold water in November? Really?
Really. Cold water paddling is where skills become judgment, and late fall on the Niagara shore is some of the most beautiful paddling of the year. It is a single day, you will have trained toward it all season, drysuit rentals are available, and your coaches paddle year-round. You will be ready.

Our Saugeen Peninsula weekends take place on the Traditional Territory of the Anishinaabek Nation: the People of the Three Fires, known as the Ojibway, Odawa, and Pottawatomie Nations. We give thanks to the Chippewas of Saugeen and the Chippewas of Nawash, now known as the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, as the traditional Keepers of this land and these waters.

Our Niagara and Hamilton sessions take place on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe, and the Attawandaron peoples, lands protected by the Dish With One Spoon wampum agreement.

In the spirit of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we recognize the enduring rights and relationships of these Nations to these lands and waters.

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