Transition Year breaks are based on the same format as the Gaisce Awards two and three day programmes.

 

Gaisce / Presidents Award.

Gaisce Awards

This is Atlantic Sea Kayaking’s 7th year involved with the Gaisce / Presidents Award Scheme.
We were very impressed last year by the number of participants who tried sea kayaking successfully as part of their award qualifications.

We run two types of Bronze awards and two types of Silver awards (please see below)

We base our Sea Kayaking award training in West Cork. This beautiful area is the doorway to one of Irelands gems: Roaring Water Bay or Carbery’s 100 Isles. With its hidden beaches and incredibly beautiful remote coves, its wide diversity of marine life, its castles, towers, and fishing villages, and all of this combined with comfortable accommodation and exquisite surroundings and you are assured of a great adventure. During your visit,  while we teach the finer points of sea kayaking, we will be emphasising safety at all times. We encourage the participants to take responsibility and be members of a team. Each member also gets a chance to be the leader. During your visit to us you are guaranteed fun, learning and achieving your goals.

 

 Bronze Award   Expedition based:  
This programme is also designed to suit Transition year students.

Two days of sea kayaking  
In our kayaks we will explore around Sherkin Island and Carbery’s 100 Isles.

Day1.

Introduction Day.

Including introduction to sea kayaking skills and development on the water.

To day we should cover about 4 - 6 miles in our kayaks.

Topics covered: Paddling technique, safety, trip planning, navigation, tides and weather.

Evening: Self-catering accommodation: meal planning and cooking.

 

Day2:

To day we will cover about 4  miles on the water.

Packing for an expedition. - Safety equipment, more paddling techniques, dressing for the elements, food for the journey. 

Allocation of individual responsibilities within the group, i.e. Pairing off, leader rotation, decision-making and results of it.

Course finishes up with debriefing and signing off of logbooks.

It would be hoped that participants would achieve their Level 1 or 2 Irish Canoe Union Proficiency awards over the two days

Price Based on group of Minimum of 6 participants.

Sea Kayaking:  Є 35p/p per day.  ICU certificate if required is €6

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Bronze Award. Investigative / Exploration based  
This programme is also designed to suit Transition year students.

Two days of sea kayaking with an overnight stay. Based in Baltimore West Cork.  
In our kayaks we will explore around Sherkin Island and Carbery’s 100 Isles.  

 Day1: To day we learn the basic skills of sea kayaking and cover about 6 miles on the water. Introduction to sea kayaking skills and safety. Gathering and using maps and books to make a list of historical sites or marine life we may encounter during the trip on the second day of our exploration. Paying special attention to weather, safety, and expedition planning.

Evening: Self-catering accommodation: meal planning and cooking. 

Day2:

To day we will use our sea kayaks to get to areas that abound in wild life or historical sites. During the trip we will record and discuss all the marine life/ historical or archaeological sites we may encounter along the way as well as travelling about 8 miles. Some of the marine life we may encounter include; seals, lots of different types of fish and birds. In the past we have seen, amongst other things, turtles, sunfish, dolphins, whales, seals.

 People going for the award through the study of archaeology and history will be kayaking the same area but on the way we will be looking at archaeological and historical sites At the end of the second day we will have a debriefing and signing off of logbooks.

Price Based on group of Minimum of 6 participants.

Sea Kayaking:  Є 30p/p per day. ICU certificate €6

Self-catering accommodation: available  

Dates available: Please contact us to arrange dates; We will do our best to facilitate your group.

 
Silver award: Expedition based ( See Below.)

Three days of sea kayaking with 2 overnights based in West Cork.

In our kayaks we will explore around Sherkin Island and Carbery’s 100 Isles.

Day1.
Preparation day,

Including sea kayaking skills development on the water.

Today we should cover about 4 - 6 miles on the water.

Introduction to: safety, trip planning, navigation, tides and weather.

      We will appoint leaders and rotate them through out the expedition. Over the 3 days we hope to travel about 12 miles along the West Cork coastline honing our kayaking skills as we go and becoming aware of the environment and all of its magical features. Over the day we kayak different parts of the hidden West Cork coastline.

 Evening: Self-catering accommodation: meal planning and cooking.

 

Day2

Again with an emphasis on improving our skills and safely enjoying the Atlantic coast, we take to our sleek kayaks and head West towards a

 remote shale beach.  During the expedition we will be visiting Islands  which are about one mile off shore.                                                                

          Here we kayak with a large seal colony and see where some monks used to come and stay as part of their pilgrimage.  We have lunch on the islands.

and  then move on through the island area exploring as we go.  We circumnavigate Spanish Island where we should encounter a colony

 of harbour seals, before heading back to base at Baltimore.

 Once again we relax in our self-catering accommodation: where we plan and cook our well deserved meal.

We relax for the evening and plan tomorrow’s expedition. 

 

Day 3

 Having checked the forecast,  made a safety plan, and organised our packed lunch, we are again heading off  for an adventure in our kayaks. This time we relocate to the famous Lough Hyne and its sea rapids and caves. This is a unique sea lake fed by the Gulf Stream and famous for its marine bio diversity.  Here we get a chance to kayak in moving water on the famous Lough Hyne rapids. Exploring the caves at the mouth of the Lough (weather permitting), we spend the day honing our skills and are assessed for an Irish Canoe Union certificate.   We return on the tide and after loading the kayaks and changing we de brief and get our logbooks signed.

It would be hoped that most kayakers could achieve an ICU level 2-proficiency award at this stage.

Price Based on group of Minimum of 6 participants.

Sea Kayaking:  Є 30p/pper day.  ICU certificate €6

 

Silver award: Investigative / Exploration based.

 During the next three days participants while using their sea kayaks get an opportunity to explore the marine life and the historical treasures of West Cork (depending on which award they are going for)? We will do about 12 miles on the water.

Each day will bring us to a different part of the coast where we will get an opportunity to study and be with some amazing wild life, experiencing nature as one with us from sea level. Silently gliding amongst the hidden caves disturbing a basking seal. Shags screeching down on us from the loft on the vertical cliffs. The occasional porpoise or dolphin cutting it’s way along the Ocean in pursuit some unsuspecting meal. We will visit Martello towers on hidden islands.  Whichever award you are going for it will be an exciting and very informative few days .In the evening we will stay in a  comfortable  hostel in Baltimore where we will swap notes cook our dinner and prepare for tomorrow's exploration.

On the last day we will be assessed while on the water and afterwards will finish with a de briefing and signing off of logbooks.

Price Based on group of Minimum of 6 participants.

Sea Kayaking:  Є 30p/p per day. ICU certificate €6

 

Dates available: Please let us know what date you require and we will do our best to fit you in.

 

The Gold Gaisce award.  

We are presently developing our Gold Award.

The venue for this award in 2007 will be Ireland

Contact us for details or  to arrange.