Maine Sea Kayaking
Venture into the heart of Maine's coastal beauty. Sea kayak through breathtaking landscapes, build resilience, and uncover your inner strength.
Embark on an unforgettable 8-day sea kayaking expedition through the stunning waters of Maine. Paddle alongside your instructors and crewmates as you explore the beauty and tranquility of the coast and its many remote islands.
While in a sea kayak, you will build the basic skills of travel, planning, leadership, navigation, and weather observation while traveling between undeveloped islands and wild peninsulas. Each day you will learn the skills necessary to safely traverse the rugged Maine coast, and at night you will sleep under tarps or in tents, developing backcountry cooking and campcraft practices. Sharing your goals and concerns, your group will work as a team to plan each day’s activities and choose an appropriate itinerary based on the conditions of the day.
Experience the thrill of wilderness living and immerse yourself in this unique opportunity to connect with nature and develop essential life skills.
UPCOMING COURSES
Course # HWTK-2521
Age 16 - 18
Days 8
Cost $3,370
Dates 7/21/2025 - 7/28/2025
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This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
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This means there are three or fewer currently available spots left on a course. To secure your spot click Apply Now to begin an application!
JOIN WAITLIST
Once a course has reached capacity, three waitlist positions become available. To join a course’s waitlist, click “Join Waitlist” to begin the application process. A $500 deposit is required. This $500 deposit includes a $150 non-refundable application fee and a $350 tuition payment. The $350 tuition payment is refundable only if you cancel your waitlist application or if an open position does not become available. If a position does become available, the applicant will be applied to the open position and the Application and Cancellation Policies of the Regional Outward Bound School will be followed, including forfeiture of the $500 deposit if you cancel 90 days or less prior to the course start date.
Waitlist applicants are encouraged to complete all required admissions documents while awaiting an open position. Positions may become available up to two weeks prior to the course start date. Applicants may only apply to one course. We recommend applying to a course with open positions instead of a course that is accepting waitlist applications. If you have questions, please call 866-467-7651 to speak with one of our Admissions Advisors.
CALL TO APPLY
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When a course has reached maximum capacity, meaning all spots and the three waitlist spots are occupied, a course will read “Course Is Full.” This means applications are no longer being accepted.
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Sea Kayaks are an intimate and accessible means of traveling the coast, creating opportunities for both independent skill development and teamwork. Students will have the opportunity to paddle both single and double kayaks, learning the techniques necessary to handle each craft.
Students will:
- Maneuver and propel a sea kayak using paddles and foot rudders
- Navigate and plan routes using charts, compass, and other navigation materials
- Learn to understand the impact of weather, tides and currents on both navigation and travel
- Camp in rugged wilderness maritime environments
- Follow Recreate Responsibly ethics.
- Develop skills as part of an expeditionary team including: campsite management and upkeep, kayak and gear management on shore, food preparation and cooking for the whole team, and cleanup, maintenance and repair of gear.
The granite that made the Maine Coast famous as a source of building material a century ago now provides the setting for some outstanding rock climbing or rappelling from the sea cliffs. Students learn to use climbing equipment, tie knots, climb and belay each other, while Instructors provide overall supervision of the site. Climbing hones and develops balance, coordination, flexibility and grace on the rock and presents many individual challenges for student. The team must also work together to set systems up, communicate clearly and support each other throughout the climb. Rock Climbing is offered as part of the curriculum on our 15-day Sea Kayaking course only.
Rock climbing on sea kayaking courses is dependent on the weather.
Service projects are often incorporated into Outward Bound courses through coordination with local land managers, conservation groups, and government or social service agencies. While on expedition, students are encouraged to practice service to the environment and their team by sharing responsibilities and following Recreate Responsibly ethics throughout the course.
The Solo experience provides an important break from the rigors of the expedition and gives students the opportunity to reflect on their Outward Bound experience. With sufficient food and equipment, students will set up camp at sites of their own, using the wilderness skills learned during the first half or two-thirds of the course. The time students spend on Solo depends on the length of the course. On one-week courses, Solo is four to12 hours long; on two-week courses Solo will likely be an overnight.
Often located along beautiful shorelines or on an island, campsites are chosen to offer as much solitude as possible (yet be within emergency whistle-signaling distance of other group members). Most students spend their Solo time journaling, drawing, or just thinking and resting as they process lessons of the course to focus on their goals for the future. Instructors check on each participant at least daily and are within whistle-distance at all times.
The coast of Maine, with its intricate and indented shoreline, is a unique segment of the North Atlantic seaboard. It is known among ocean travelers for its picturesque beauty, iconic lighthouses, abundant bays and harbors, rocky islands and quiet coves. We sea kayak in an area that covers roughly 200 miles of the Maine coast –– with countless rivers, bays and islands to explore.
The rocky, spruce-covered islands are the summits of a prehistoric mountain range; many generations of inhabitants have made their livelihoods here. Evidence left behind on the islands reveals the historic presence of indigenous Abenaki camps, pre-colonial fishing communities, post-colonial timber and farming operations and early 20th-century granite quarries. Cold, nutrient-rich waters flow from the Canadian Maritimes and make the Gulf of Maine home to a wide range of sea birds, seals, porpoises and whales. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, which includes the Abenaki/Abénaquis, W∂last∂kwiyik (Maliseet), Penobscot, and Passamaquoddy nations.
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Getting Started
If you are ready to enroll on a course click the enroll button next to the course you wish to select or you can enroll over the phone by speaking with one of our Customer Success Specialists (toll-free) at 866-467-7651.
To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $500 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee.