SA Sea Kayaking Skills Exchange (SASKSE) 2026

/in /by

Join us for a weekend of connection, learning, and adventure at the SA Sea Kayaking Skills Exchange 2026 in beautiful Victor Harbor.

A gathering designed to bring together the sea kayaking community of South Australia from Beginners to Advanced paddlers. Over two and a half days, participants will have the opportunity to:

  • Attend event dinners on Friday and Saturday night including inspiring Guest Speaker Sea Kayaker/International Adventurer, David Williamson, (Friday night).
  • Share experiences and knowledge with fellow kayakers
  • Develop and refine paddling and rescue skills. Learn new techniques on the water such as:
    • Rescues
    • Rolling
    • Re-Entries
    • Stroke technique
    • Take part in paddle trips according to skills level
    • Hear from inspiring guest speakers
    • Share experiences and knowledge with fellow kayakers
  • Sea Kayaking Equipment Exchange, bring your unwanted good quality sea kayaking kit and sell or exchange it with fellow participants.

Equipment for each participant :

Each paddler to have a;

  • Sea kayak
  • Paddle,
  • PFD
  • Spray deck
  • Paddle float (if you have one- otherwise borrow from other paddlers),
  • Appropriate on water clothing for immersion
    • Wetsuit
    • Thermals
    • Booties

Equipment Hire 

Boats and equipment can be hired from:

  • Canoe the Coorong canoethecoorong@gmail.com, Brenton 0424826008,
  • or contact event organisers Hugh Stewart, 0423283214 or Hugh MacMillan

Registrations for SA Sea Kayaking Skills Exchange 2026 are now open;

Fri March 27, from 6.30pm to 3pm Sunday March 29, 2026

Victor Harbor, South Australia 

Cost: (includes lunch on Saturday and SASKSE paddling hat )

For more info please TEXT 0415 117472.

If you’d like information on becoming an Adelaide Canoe Club – sea and river kayaking and canoe polo member please email info@adelaidecanoeclub.org.au

For any questions regarding registrations please contact Yolanda on 0415 117472.

Instructors 

Phil Doddridge Lead Instructor for SA Sea Kayaking Skills Exchange 2026, 2024 SA Paddle Life Membership Recipient,  Phil  has been involved in kayaking and the Adelaide Canoe Club since the 1980’s, making Phil part of the ‘Golden Era’ of Australian Sea Kayaking.

As an Outdoor Education teacher, he became qualified as a white water instructor and part of this process was to have a go at Canoe Polo. Phil loved the game and became a State, National and International coach and player over many years. Phil has been on the State and National Paddle Australia Education and Training technical committees and conducted training programs in several Australian states.

In recent years sea kayaking is Phil’s passion with several major expeditions. These include Coffin Bay to Port Lincoln, The Sir Joseph Banks Islands, The Neptune Islands, Pearson Island, Bass Strait, Streaky Bay to Elliston and Circumnavigation of KI to name a few. Kayaking will remain his passion until he can no longer pick up a paddle! We’s go as far as say, he’ll probably be buried with his trusty greenland paddle.

Hugh Stewart Paddle SA Instructor of the Year 2025. Hugh has been paddling for decades and still chases the same things that drew him into sea kayaking from the start: the challenge, the joy, and the friendships that come from dancing on bouncy water (aka the sea).  Known for his fluoro shirts, questionable hats, and genuinely good vibes, Hugh brings deep experience, calm leadership and a big heart to every paddle. An all-round nice guy. A seriously good instructor. And proof that you can take safety and skill seriously without taking yourself too seriously.

 

Anne Langsford    Current President of the Adelaide Canoe Club, Anne has been a member of ACC for over 20 years, enjoying river, sea and whitewater kayaking and also played canoe polo, representing South Australia in the Master’s team at several National Championships. Through encouragement and training by other club members she gained Instructor qualifications and is now an Assessor with Paddle Australia for kayaking and canoeing.

 

 

 

 

 

Simon Langsford  Simon has been paddling for many decades. He originally joined the club to play canoe polo but discovered the club did much more than that. It introduced him to white water kayaking,  extended river camping and eventually the skills needed for sea kayaking.

  • Scott Polly
  • Jim Townsend

Demonstrators 

 

Hugh McMillan  is an avid sea kayaker who has paddled and occasionally blown his roll in waters all around the world. Having both needed rescue and carried out rescues himself in some pretty tough conditions, he’s a big believer in the value of strong rescue skills for safe, enjoyable paddling. Hugh focuses on practical, no-nonsense techniques that are easy to learn and help build real confidence on the water. If Hugh’s demonstrating, you can count on getting wet.

 

 

 

Karl Meyer  A South Coast paddler with 5 years of sea kayaking experience, he has undertaken expeditions to Kangaroo Island, Thistle and Wedge Island and is currently training for Bass Strait. Holding Sea Guide qualifications, he is drawn to remote, multiday journeys and the spirit of adventure found in wild coastal environments. While relatively new to sea kayaking, he brings a long history of outdoor exploration and a strong connection to landscape and community. He leads with a calm, steady presence and values thoughtful risk management, shared experience, and time spent in remote places.

Greg Adams Sea kayaking fuels Greg’s sense of adventure. Greg loves practicing skills for future expeditions and it gives him the ability to continue his  lifelong connection with the sea.

 

 

 

 

 

Bernard Goble began kayaking with a homemade slalom kayak and canoe during the 1970’s in the UK. Messing around in boats became the family’s main recreational activity with many trips with both the ACC and independently.

UK rivers, Scottish lochs, canals, Irish ,French and Australian rivers have been explored, coastal sea expeditions including many KI crossings and Bass Strait explorations.

I believe you can never stop learning and improving one’s skills and am personally very happy to share the knowledge & skills gained over many years.

 

Charlie Walker 

I joined the Adelaide Canoe Club about 15 years ago to learn how to paddle a kayak that I had built, and have been learning ever since. I have paddled in Fiji, Indonesia, Iceland and Tasmania, but am happiest when just exploring a rock garden or messing about in the surf, where more technical skills are required. I hope to keep on paddling and learning for as long as I can.

 

Program for SASKSE 26 

Venue:  Event Dinners 

  • Friday 27th March -Hotel Grosvenor, Victor Harbor
    • Registration from 6.30pm
    • Welcome & David Williamson Presentation  from 7.30pm
  • Saturday 28th March – Hotel Crown, Victor Harbour, from 6.30pm

Suggested Accommodation:

NRMA Victor Harbor Beachfront Holiday Park

114 Victoria St, Victor Harbor, SA, 5211  |   Phone: 08 85521111
Email: victorharbor@nrmaparksandresorts.com.au  https://www.nrmaparksandresorts.com.au/victor-harbor/–

Arrival information:

  • NRMA Victor Harbor Beachfront Holiday Park is located at 114 Victoria St, Victor Harbor
  • Check-in time is after 14:00 (depending on availability). Check-out time is 10:00.
  • Accommodation bookings will be required to provide a credit card as security against incidentals during your stay. If there is no credit card on the booking, a $200 cash bond will be required. This bond will be refunded on departure.
  • If you are an NRMA member, you are required show your proof of membership on arrival.
  • One car space is available per site/cabin. A visitors carpark is available to guests at the front of the park.
  • Photo Identification is required upon check in by the guest who booked in.

SASKSE Camp Ground Hub

If you wish to book next to the SASKSE Camp Ground Hub, request to be placed near Hugh Stewart’s site. This will be the camp ground’s meeting site.

Paddling Venues: – Victor Harbor

  • CM Thorpe and John Compton Reserves,
  • Encounter Lakes
  • Kent Reserve

Goolwa is a possible alternative venue if weather is bad.

Friday Night 27th March:

Hotel Grosvenor Conference Room, Victor Harbor

Registration and Welcome Dinner.

6.30 pm   Registration Opens.

7.30 pm   Welcome by ACC President Anne Langsford

8.00 pm   Invited Speaker: David Williamson: Intercontinental Paddling Adventures.

9.00 pm   Final Questions:

Saturday 28th March:

7.00am :

Breakfast available at your own cost:

Boulevard Cafe on the Lake, 41 Bartel Blvd, Victor Harbor SA 5211.

8.00am.

Move across the road to the CM Thorpe reserve and unload boats.

Introduction to Leaders  Final organising into groups.

8.30am  Group paddle to the end of Encounter Lake and back as warm up (5-6km)

Check boats and equipment as people get on the water.

Note: Novices to adjust the distance to suit their paddle speed.

9.30am

Final Group allocation and following group program starts;

  • Novice Group
  • Skills Exchange Group 1
  • Skills Exchange Group 2

Hugh Stewart: Ground support for late comers

Novice Group:

Instructors: Anne and Simon Langsford

Location: Encounter Lakes.

Recapitulation of the Basic Skills of Kayaking:

  • Basic equipment
  • Basic strokes
  • Boat control
  • Wet exit
  • Assisted T rescue (heel hook)

Skills Exchange Group 1

Instructors: Scott Polley, Jim Townsend, Hugh Stewart, Charlie Walker

Demonstrators: Bernard Goble, Hugh Macmillan

Location:

  • Hugh Macmillan to introduce and brief
  • Demonstration and practice of self rescue techniques
  • 4 on the water stations
    • Cowboy Scramble
    • Paddle Float Heel Hook
    • Paddle Float Outrigger
    • Assisted T Rescue Heel Hook (rescuer and rescuee)
    • Up to 4 people per station (30-40 mins per station)
    • Variants on each skill, paddle float re enter and roll.

Skill Exchange group 2:  Max of 10 people,   

Instructor: Phil Doddridge 

Location: John Compton Reserve, Encounter Lakes.

Rolling and Re-enter and roll

12.30 Lunch: Lunch provided and delivered to CM Thorpe reserve.

2.00pm Re-Group

Novice Group

Encounter Lakes

  • ( Rescues) recapitulation and further practice.
  • On water games to develop paddle skills eg ball toss,

Skills Exchange Groups 1 and 2 :

  • Sea Kayaking Games and Play.
    • Fastest rescues
    • Most novel rescues
    • Mass rescues,
    • Try another kayak.
    • Try another paddle.

5.00pm Finish paddling

7.00pm Dinner at Hotel Crown Bistro (Individual Cost).

Sunday 29th March:

8.00am  Breakfast at the Caravan Park (BYO)  or Cafe to be organised (Buy your own)

9.00am  Equipment Exchange – Kent Reserve

  • This is an opportunity to sell your unwanted or surplus sea kayak gear.
  • Boot sale in the carpark,  (open to public )

10.00am Organise into Paddle Groups – Kent Reserve

Novices – (bring lunch)

Instructor/Leaders: Anne and Simon Langsford

  • Paddle to Granite Island and back.
  • Lunch on a destination Beach

Skills Exchange Groups– (bring lunch)

Instructor/Leaders: Jim Townsend, Scott Polly, and Hugh Stewart

  • Paddle to West Island from Kent Reserve
  • Lunch on Kings Beach or Victor Harbour foreshore
  • Paddle around Granite Island (if time).
  • Practice rescues when closer to shore.

3.00pm:

Close on beach at Kent Reserve:

  • Group Photo
  • Awards and Thank you’s

To register for this event go to:

For Adelaide Canoe Club Members go to:  https://paddleaustralia.justgo.com/…/D832E53E3F2260E41…/

For Paddle Australia Members go to: https://paddleaustralia.justgo.com/workbench/public/events?ref=13D8E4B5A77B4DEE423B74A1D179AA966C8392B9

For Non Paddle Australia Members go to https://paddleaustralia.justgo.com/workbench/public/events?ref=13D8E4B5A77B4DEE423B74A1D179AA966C8392B9

South Australian Sea Kayak Skills Exchange (SASKSE26)

Places are Limited 

Please follow us on to be kept up to date SASKSE 2026

If you have any questions about the trip get in touch with the organisers. You must register via JustGo online prior to the closing date – see booking link below. Ticking the ‘I am going’ box on the Facebook Event page does not constitute a booking.

Be COVID Safe – Do not book if you’re sick. Get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms. Follow the SA Health advice if you test positive to COVID-19 or are a close contact.

The Pages Island Expedition. 21st – 24th April 2023

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

By Greg Adams

The Pages islands expedition was the brainchild of Phil Doddridge, an ambitious adventure starting at Victor Harbor and ending at Second Valley via Tunkalilla Beach, The Pages, Pink Bay, KI, Antechamber Bay, and Cape Jervis.

The weather gods needed to be on our side, and they were, providing the perfect wind and weather conditions for this epic adventure. The only real problem was a strong ground swell.

Day 1 – Victor Harbor to Ballaparudda Beach

Seven paddlers, Phil and Pat Doddridge, Tresh Pearce, Karl Meyer, Giresh Chandran, Gordon Begg, and I met at the Bluff boat ramp, Victor Harbor at 8am on Friday the 21st of April.

Conditions were perfect, the sun was shining, and the wind was absent. We managed to be on the water and left by 9am passing The Bluff, West Island and rounding Newland Head after 2 hours paddling.

Beach Ballaparudda

Waitpinga and Parsons beaches had a large oily swell rolling in and a grey sky above, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Karl and Tresh paddled in close near the surf zone to experience the power of the swell as we continued approx. 1 km out to sea, waiting for them to join us again at Parsons beach.

Looking for a place to land

Leaving Parsons beach, we realised that landing at Tunkalilla beach with this size swell would be very difficult. There were two options, Callawonga and Ballaparudda beaches, just prior to reaching Tunkalilla. Arriving at Ballaparudda, the closest, 23km from Victor Harbor, it looked quite manageable. We decided that this would be tonight’s camp.

Tresh, Gordon, and Pat successfully made the first landings. Then Karl, I, Giresh, and Phil attempted landing. All capsized in the difficult conditions. Phil’s kayak nosedived into the sand bar causing a fatal fracture in the bow. The kayak was then swept into the rocks on the western shore. All in all, with four in the water it was a disastrous landing attempt. No one was hurt and all gear was salvaged beside the fatally damaged kayak.

Thoughts were with Phil as he had planned the expedition and now, he would have to abandon after only one day on the water.

With Karl’s local knowledge, he managed to wrangle access for his daughter, Sahara to drive down the beach through paddocks to extract Phil and Pat and their kayaks the following morning. Once things settled down, a comfortable campsite was established, and much discussion of the days adventures was had around the campfire.

Day 2, Saturday – Ballaparudda Beach to Pink Bay via The Pages

North Pages

With a healthy respect for Ballaparudda’s sandbar, the remaining paddlers said their farewells to Phil and Pat and headed out through the surf zone one at a time, Tresh leading.

Within 30 min all were out and prepared for the 16km paddle to North Pages Island in calm conditions with virtually no wind. We were heading slightly east of the islands to counter the flooding tide which worked perfectly, paddling in a tight group, and chatting, we headed south. The closest island was reached in 3 hours and there was a reasonable swell running. A fishing boat was anchored nearby, and we explored the lee of a barren, guano covered, granite island. Australian Sea Lions, screaming Gannets and Terns greeted us, this is a wild place!

Heading around the eastern side to the southern islands, we encountered clapotis waves which kept us very alert. As we paddled between the islands, large boils were appearing indicating submerged bombies. Not a place to hang around. The southern island had a lighthouse and tower. It seemed smaller but just as inhospitable. There is meant to be a place to land on one of the islands, but it was not obvious. A quick feed and discussion and we then headed to Cape Willoughby, 16km away.

To Cape Willoughby

For the first hour we had amazing conditions, blue sky and oily seas and paddling with a flood tide, 7 kph was a comfortable pace. We noticed the tide was drawing us towards Antechamber Bay and on this course, we were potentially going to run into a dangerous shoal called “The Scraper”. Gordon made the decision to head for Cape St Albans. The sea and wind picked up as we got closer to St Albans. We were then working hard against the flood tide to try to get to the cape. The tide was about to change but we were fighting a strong current. My computer was telling me we were not making much headway.

Once we got close to Cape St Albans the tide went slack and we had a beautiful 4km paddle along the cliffs to Pink Bay in the late afternoon. A 16km paddle turned into 24km taking 4.5 hours.

Pink Bay is paradise! (don’t tell anyone). Camp was set and I found out that I had left my tent poles and pegs back at the previous camp. Ben Weigl joined us, paddling from Cape Jervis to Pink Bay in 4.5 hours. He, Tresh, and Karl were going to leave us and explore the south coast of KI the following day, Giresh, Gordon, and I were heading to Antechamber Bay. A beach campfire rounded out a big eventful day.

Day 3, Sunday Pink Bay to Antechamber Bay

Pink Bay from Gazebo

We bid farewell to Tresh, Karl, and Ben at 9am the next morning and we went for a walk to Cape Willoughby. From the lighthouse we could see the trio sailing towards Cape Hart, an awesome sight.

We spent a leisurely morning exploring the lighthouse and surrounds returning to camp for lunch and a departure to Antechamber Bay by 1pm to catch the end of the flood tide. It was nice to have a bit of a rest day and only a couple of hours on the water. Passing Cape St Albans was exciting with lots of turbulence and at times travelling with the flood tide at up to 9.5 kmph. An awesome beach camp was made in Antechamber Bay on a glorious afternoon. A walk up the river and through the campground then back along the beach was the end to another perfect day.

Day 4, Monday – Antechamber Bay to Second Valley

Steam rises from the sea at sunrise, Antechamber Bay

Phil had contacted us and had decided to paddle down to Cape Jervis (from Second Valley), wait for us and complete the final leg together. The tide was due to flood at 10.30am. Gordon recommended that we head off at 9am and get as far across Backstairs Passage before the flood tide kicked in and assist us to Cape Jervis and beyond.

The sea was like a mill pond and the first 2.5 hours were a dream. But nothing is ever that easy. 8km from Cape Jervis, a 15kt (27km) northerly head wind blew against the flood tide. The sun was in our eyes and the sea was a crazy mess. It was a tough 1-hour + slog to the shelter of Cape Jervis. It felt like we were not moving but with the flood tide we were easily travelling at over 7kph and at one stage at 10.5kph. What a relief it was to paddle into the harbour and meet Phil, who was lounging on the beach in glorious sunshine. A stark contrast to where we had been.

After a 1-hour break, we headed around the corner and into the gulf. The plan was to camp on Morgan’s beach or a smaller one further north but because of the long weekend, Morgan’s was crowded with car campers. So, we decided to press on and with light winds, sunshine and a following tide, paddling cannot be better.

Because of the high tide the second beach option was not suitable, so decided to press on to Second Valley. We landed at 5.30pm on a balmy evening, finishing the expedition with the final night spent in Giresh’s holiday shack. Perfect.

Overall Statistics

  • Day 1, Friday – Victor Harbor to Ballaparudda Beach – 4 hrs, 23km
  • Day 2, Saturday – Ballaparudda Beach to Pink Bay via The Pages – 7.30 hrs, 40km
  • Day 3, Sunday Pink Bay to Antechamber Bay – 2 hrs, 10km
  • Day 4, Monday – Antechamber Bay to Second Valley – 7.30 hrs, 40km
  • Total distance travelled 113km,
  • 21 hours paddling including breaks on the water.
  • Average moving speed 5.8kph over the 4 days.

Day paddle from Victor Harbor to Port Elliot return — 1 October 2022

/in , , , , , , /by

Finally some sunshine!

Port Elliot

After months of cold and rainy conditions, the weather gods finally smiled on us. We had a warm sunny day as we launched our kayaks from the Kent Reserve at Victor Harbor for a trip to Port Elliot and back.

The water was fairly calm while we were sheltered behind Granite Island. We could see though lots of spray and white water out to sea, indicating that the forecast of 2m swells was probably correct. Sure enough as we emerged out into the open ocean the swells started to pick up, luckily they were big lazy, slow moving swells that gently picked the kayak up and lowered it as it passed underneath.

That changed as we approached Port Elliot and navigated the entrance between Pullen Island and the rocky headland. The breaking swell was creating lots of rebound waves and interesting conditions, compounded by the swell picking up in the shallower water and creating some surf-able waves. Luckily no-one was brave enough to try, and we landed safely near the new lifesaving club for lunch.

Visitors

Victor Harbor

Mark Loram, the club president, joined us for lunch as he was in the area visiting friends. He was unable to join the paddle due to family commitments. After a nice relaxing lunch and chat in the warm sunshine on the beach we climbed back into the kayaks for the return trip.

This time we went around the outside of Pullen Island for a change of scenery, which was interesting due to all the rebound waves on the ocean side of the island, even worse than when we came in. Nothing too serious, but not conducive to taking your hands of the paddle to take photographs!

We were expecting the conditions to improve as we moved away from the rocks into the more open sea.  But, for some reason, the unsettled conditions persisted all the way back to the shelter of Granite Island, resulting in frequent correcting strokes and bracing. We were all very glad to get out of the kayaks after getting back to Victor Harbor after 3 ½ hours, having done a round trip of 18 kms.

Day paddle at Victor Harbor — 22 May 2022

/in , , , , /by

Five paddlers took advantage of the glorious weather to go for a paddle out of Victor Harbor, around the Bluff and out to West Island

Paddling around Victor Harbor

The swell was a manageable 1-1.5m as predicted, but the weather forecast did not mention the chop, which made conditions a bit challenging, especially around the Bluff where there was a lot of rebound.

After launching from the shelter of Kent Reserve we made slow, steady progress to West Island, where some of the group chose to go around the exposed seaward side for some excitement while the rest chose to go on the sheltered side to check on the seal population, which is looking very healthy.

Kings beach looked inviting, so we stopped there for lunch and a leg stretch and a chat with the passing hikers. Launching should have been easy except for a sneaky rebound wave coming in from the side which resulted in one swim and a few near misses.

Choppy water around Victor Harbor

Pushing back into the 10 knot wind made things a bit chillier, but we were soon around the Bluff into some more sheltered water. We stopped in at Wright Island to check out the bird population which is also looking very healthy.

Some dolphins made an appearance, but were not feeling social and moved off following a school of fish.

Landing back at Kent reserve we left the kayaks on the beach while we went to retrieve the wheels from the cars. Unfortunately someone in the group neglected to pull up his kayak far enough, and by the time we got back to the water it was upside down in the surf a fair way down the beach. It is going to take me a while to get rid of all that sand in the kayak.