Diversify Whitewater Paddling Skills Day - Pacific Northwest

Join Diversify Whitewater for a fun and free Paddling Skills Day at Oxbow Regional Park near Portland, Oregon. Participants will be able to take lessons in kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddling, and rafting with experienced instructors. No experience or equipment is required to participate!

The Diversify Whitewater Paddling Skills Day - Pacific Northwest will be organized by Carla Danley, Jim Good, and Adam Edwards and sponsored by Next Adventure, Trail Butter, PDX Girlpaddler, Lower Columbia Canoe Club, Immersion Research, Paddle Trails Canoe Club, iUrban Teen and the American Canoe Association.

The Plan: Participants and volunteers will meet at Alder Creek Shelter (map available here) in Oxbow Regional Park at 8:00am PT for a morning session and at 12:30pm for the afternoon session.  Participants will take two 1.5 hour lessons of their choosing in kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddling, or rafting throughout each session (see below for details). Lunch will be provided between 12:30-1:30pm for all participants and volunteers. This event is 100% FREE for all attendees! 

Lesson descriptions:

Whitewater Kayaking: This lesson will include 30 minutes of on-land instruction and orientation, inluding learning how to outfit, enter, and exit your kayak. This will be followed by 1 hour of introductory paddling instruction with a focus on building confidence and control in both calm and moving water.

Stand-up Paddling (SUP): This lesson will include 30 minutes of on-land instruction and orientation, followed by 1 hour of on-water instruction. Participants will learn proper technique for standing up and navigating through calm and moving water, and build confidence and control of their SUP board.

Canoeing: This lesson will include 30 minutes of on-land orientation about proper packing, positioning and outfitting followed by 1 hour of on-water instruction. This portion will be focused on maintaining balance, learning transport and portaging skills, as well as proper and efficient packing of the craft.

Rafting:  This lesson will include 30 minutes of on-land orientation focusing on safety while in the craft, proper spacing and seating, and best practices for carrying your raft to the water. This will be followed by 1 hour of on-water instruction focusing on team paddling, reading water, entry level paddle rafting team techniques, and righting a flipped raft.

Please contact Adam at amichaeledwards@gmail.com with any questions or to cancel your reservation. We can’t wait to paddle with you!

Photos by Evan Stafford from a Paddling Skills Day in 2020