About Us

Your Gateway to Adventure

At Atlantic Sea Kayaking, we are passionate about connecting people with the stunning beauty of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way and beyond. Since 1987, we’ve guided thousands of adventurers on unforgettable journeys, showcasing the hidden gems of West Cork’s coastline and waterways. Whether it’s a tranquil daytime paddle, a magical night tour, or an immersive international adventure, our experienced team is dedicated to creating safe, awe-inspiring experiences that bring you closer to nature. Join us and discover why we’re Ireland’s most trusted sea kayaking experts!

Why choose
Atlantic Sea Kayaking?

At Atlantic Sea Kayaking, we combine over 30 years of experience with a deep passion for Ireland’s coastline. Our expertly guided tours showcase the best of West Cork’s natural beauty, cultural heritage, and local flavours. Whether you join us for a daytime paddle or a magical night tour, you’ll leave with memories to treasure forever. Let us show you the magic of West Cork from the water!

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Atlantic Sea Kayaking etched into sand, group of tourists in background

Meet the Team

A kayaker holding seaweed

Maria Kennedy

Jim kennedy kayaking

Jim Kennedy

Viki Arato portrait

Viki Arato

Awards and Honours

Irish responsible tourism awards 2015 logo

Irish Responsible Tourism Awards

ASK were winners of Ireland’s inaugural Responsible Travel Awards in their category. We were also voted overall winners of Ireland’s Responsible Tourism Award.

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Mexican Medal

Ohtli
Award

Maria and Jim were awarded with the prestigious Othli award by the Mexican government for the support and they give to Mexican tourism and in general to sea kayaking in Mexico.

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Irish Independent logo

Most Sought after Adventure

Our Sea Kayaking adventures were voted Ireland’s most sought after adventure by readers of the Irish Independent national newspaper.

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Bank of Ireland think business logo

Top 10 West
Cork Businesses

We were named one of Bank of Ireland’s ThinkBusiness’ 10 wonderful west Cork business to watch.

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We are cork logo

Featured by
We Are Cork

We were honoured to have a short documentary filmed about Jim and Atlantic Sea Kayaking

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Clean coast logo

Featured by Clean Coast’s Waters and the Wild Podcast

We were delighted to have Jim be featured on Clean Coast’s Podcast.

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Irish times logo

Named a Top 20 Activity in Ireland by The Irish Times

We were honoured to be named one of The 20 Best Places to Go Wild in Ireland by The Irish Times.

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Blueway Logo

Bantry Bay Blueway Launch

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Blueway Logo

Skibereen to Baltimore Blueway Launch

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Top Ten
Alternative Tours

ASK’s Moonlight-Starlight trip was voted one of the top ten alternative tours in the world by Trip Advisor.

National geographic logo

Featured in
National Geographic

ASK were recently featured by National Geographic called: Secrets of the Wild Atlantic Way

Wild atlantic way logo

Developing the Wild Atlantic Way

ASK are presently developing kayaking trails and Blueways along the Wild Atlantic Way in conjunction with local authorities and local communities.

International Adventure Travel guide qualifications & performance standard logo

Part of the Global Governance Group

ASK are part of the global governance group who have come together over the past 3 years to create: Global Adventure Travel Guide Qualification and Performance Standard guidelines

Irelands Association for adventure tourism logo

Directors &
Founding Members

ASK are directors and founder members of the Ireland’s Association for Adventure Tourism.

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Failte Ireland Ambassadors

ASK are ambassadors with Failte Ireland for the Wild Atlantic Way.

Discover
West Cork

Join us, Atlantic Sea Kayaking, in Ireland’s south west, on The Wild Atlantic Way, to explore this jewel of Ireland’s coastline by sea kayak. The area stretches from the Old Head of Kinsale and encompasses the tranquil, sheltered bay of Glandore and Castlehaven, embraces Carbery’s Hundred Isles and the Fastnet Rock.

Discover West Cork
Two kayakers in a single kayak over mirror like water

Reviews

blankJoyce Zethof
12:23 01 Sep 24
We had an amazing day on the lake and sea. It was the best thing ever. The tour guides were funny, experts in Kayaking and the surroundings of the lake and see. They made us feel very safe on the water and gave us all the equipment needed. Kayaking in the cave was really cool as well as going through the rapids. Lots of fun. We even saw a seal and kingfisher.Highly recommend this trip! Could have stayed on the water for at least 4 more hours with these guys.
blankJohn Swinbank
18:03 02 Sep 22
A really magical trip! The bioluminescence was beautiful — much more striking than I had expected — and the whole experience of being out on the lake at night was fantastic.The guides were professional and entertaining, and they really do assume no prior knowledge — kayaking is explained completely from scratch (so much so that we found it rather a slow start given that we've done a bit of kayaking before... but we soon forgot this once we were out on the water).The group was rather big — eight two-person kayaks, plus the two guides — which was fine, but did mean a bit of congestion out in the water. We spent a lot of time weaving between the other boats, especially when it got dark.Highly recommend this wonderful experience.
blankAnneMaria Morrin
23:30 16 Aug 22
Stunning location. The moon was up, we heard owls and a fox in the surrounding woods. The guides were professional and as a novice on the water I felt very safe and comfortable. If you have the time, this is worth doing! Highly recommended.
blankana collins
18:11 06 Aug 22
Our guide and assistant were punctual and organised. The evening was sunny. Once forms were filled in and waterproofs were on we had some instructions on safety and technique. Our kayak around the lake was magical. It started at 9pm so it was bright. As the time went on the darkness enveloped us. The half moon and stars just added to the experience. Our guide would regularly stop to give us some history or science fact and also do a head count, he was very informative. On one side of the lake we were very sheltered from the moon so it was pitch dark, and the bioluminescent sparkling was utterly stunning here. Between looking up at the stars and down at the sparkling water I was in awe of what nature can look like when left alone. It was a most wonderful magical experience. Highly recommend it. Please keep Lough Ine clean, leave no trace of your visit behind. It's a special place.
blankalvara duggan
12:27 05 Aug 22
We did the night kayaking in lough Hyne it was an amazing experience!! The bioluminescence was like something from a dream! Our guides were especially class Andrew & Sebi! I would recommend this experience to anyone
blankSt. Aäron
06:58 01 Aug 22
Amazing experience!Finally managed to do this while in Ireland as the previous 2 years it was fully booked for the periods we were over!We arrived a few minutes late, but were reassured that it wasn't a problem and indeed, when we got there there was no fuss! We got equipped with waterproof pants and jacket straight away and joined the group for a short crash course on how to kayak! We both have quite a bit of experience, but it was still nice to see it all being explained as most rental companies don't, which results in lots of rotating kayaks.The guides were really friendly and chatty, with Guido having loads of knowledge about the lake and the ecosystem and just being a great storyteller!Weather conditions were pretty much perfect, with virtually no wind and a pleasant 18° 👌Going past the rapids in the dark sounded really cool and seeing the first pinprick sized flashes of white light in the water is something I'll remember for a long time!Normally you would hope for a completely dark night to experience the bioluminescence to the fullest but we got treated to another spectacular phenomenon in the form of a bright-as-day super-moon that came up after 2 hours or so, giving us plenty of time to experience the bio lightshow first!Seeing the moon rise like that over the hills was pretty unique though!The tour was over too soon, but soo worth the 2 year wait! 😁
blankColm Farrell
17:58 18 Jul 22
I did the night kayaking on Lough Hyne in July 2022. It was a very enjoyable experience. It was well run, felt very safe, was interesting and really fun. The bio luminesce was amazing! If you are in the area, don't miss it! It's not to be missed!
blankWendy Hickey
13:35 12 Jul 22
We did the night kayaking on Lough Hyne last night and WOW!! What an amazing experience! Seeing the bioluminescent Plankton light up with every touch to the surface of the lake, magical.The 2 guides we had were fantastic, Andrew & Sebi. They both were very professional and friendly and I felt very safe with them. Andrew with his calm way of explaining everything and his knowledge of the lake and it's history made for a very interesting trip.The water was so calm and the experience of kayaking in the night sky was surreal.I would highly recommend booking with Atlantic Sea Kayaking and experiencing it for yourself!Thank you lads for an amazing adventure and creating a space of calm, fun and feeling save, a space to allow the interest for kayaking to grow.
blankHelena Ronan
17:32 02 Jun 22
Great experience with Declan while kayaking on Lough Hyne! Gave us a wealth of knowledge about the marine and its rich history. Would recommend!
blankGraham Smyth
09:10 21 May 22
Travelled from Dublin for this and it was amazing! The two guides (Guido and Tadgh) were fantastic, the stories, history, facts were so interesting, they pointed out various constellations and the space station in the sky. They were witty, helpful - I can't compliment them enough. The kayaking itself was great fun and there are no words for the magic of the bioluminescence when the sun fully went down. Once in a lifetime experience. Do it!
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