What’s the difference?

With so many sea kayak companies out there why should you choose Paddlers’ Realm?  

As potential clients/paddlers, research is your greatest tool in choosing who to go paddling with. 

What's behind the name?
 

Guide Experience:

Whittier has been my base for the past 14 years.  Extended and day trips within Passage Canal, Blackstone Bay, Harriman Fjord, Icy Bay, Port Nellie Juan, College Fjord, and Unakwik Inlet have been my staples.  These trips along with personal exploratory journeys, both solo and with friends, from Valdez to Whittier and Whittier to Cordova have allowed me to observe the spectrum of weather and sea conditions from flat water and blue bird skies, to gale force winds, massive seas and days of relentless rain.  
Living and traveling in these conditions for weeks at a time has provided me with the insight of how best to care for myself and others within these conditions.  

Paddling in truly remote regions of the Sound illuminates the necessity to acquire the Wilderness First Responder certification and persue personal kayaking skills/leadership training and certification and instructing/leadership certification.     

Instructing Experience:

Through the British Canoe Union I have attained the 4-Star Leadership Award and the Coach Level 2 awards, and particiapted in Coach Level 3 training, as well as four 5-star training programs and the 5-star assessment.
Through the American Canoe Association I have acquired the Level 4 Instructor certificate as well as their Trip Leading Certification and most recently their Adaptive Paddling Endorsement. 
I am also a guide with the International Sea Kayak Guide Association.  This is a fantastic hybrid of coaching and guiding which no other association offers.  Please view my profile!

Pursuing these credentials has allowed me to train in Washington: Neah Bay, the San Juan Islands and Puget Sound; California: Bodega and San Francisco Bays; Georgia: Tybee Island, Alaska: Cook Inlet, Kachemak Bay, Kenai Fjords, Shuyak Island and of course Prince William Sound; and most recently Cornwall UK.

Trips include: Valdez to Whittier, Whittier to Cordova, Shuyak Island Circumnavigation,
a portion of the coasts of Belize and Nova Scotia.

For 12 years I worked as an instructor for the Alaska Kayak School offering beginner through advanced instruction throughout the summers and innumerable pool sessions throughout the winter.  We also ran yearly guide American Canoe Association guide certification programs.

I continue to provided instruction and certification for guiding outfits throughout Southcentral Alaska as well as beginner through advanced courses, instructional expeditions and certification for the public.

Ownership:

As the owner of Paddlers’ Realm I am afforded the opportunity to operate this company based on first hand research done throughout my personal and guided trips, instructional sessions, as well as working with many different outfitters and instructors/coaches.  This integrated exposure provides me with the knowledge of how best to operate a sea kayaking business from the perspective of client, guide, instructor and owner.  
 

It's personal!

What all of this means most to me is a dedication to and intimacy of sea kayaking.  With this combination I hope to offer the safest and most memorable experience possible, providing a positive introduction and springboard for those who've never experienced sea kayaking before and to continue to stoke the fire for those more experienced.  
My passion for getting people onto the water, showcasing Alaska's natural beauty and revealing the richness and depth to be discovered and acquired within this sport, are what compelled me to start my own business, and thus perpetuate this lifestyle.