Kayaking in Seattle

If you live in Seattle and you’re a paddling enthusiast, you probably know about Seattle Raft and Kayak (SRK). If you are like me, however, and don’t know anything about paddling, you may have never heard of them.

Founded in the mid nineties by paddler Tim Leary, SRK is kind of a one stop shop in the Seattle area for all things paddling, including sea kayaking, whitewater kayaking, and rafting. Their headquarters in Magnusun Park (perhaps you’ve seen the colorful kayaks driving along Sand Point Way?) is a great place to rent a boat and spend an afternoon paddling around Lake Washington, but the best thing about SRK is the network of kayaking enthusiasts who are both knowledgeable and welcoming of newbies.

Picture: Creative Commons Davichi

The other night I got to paddle around with some of their instructors at their weekly Monday night pool session. It was great fun. Though I have quite a bit of work to do on my rolls (really, it’s harder than it looks), I had a great time splashing around and watching the guys who really know what they’re doing do front flips and some other pretty impressive maneuvers. For $10 anyone can go learn a little something from Tim, Malena, and the rest of the SRK. They have all the gear, all you have to do is show up on Monday nights from 9:00-10:30 pm at Meadowbrook Pool in North Seattle.

So if you live in Seattle and you’re interested in learning anything that involves the use of a paddle, check out their site: Seattle Raft & Kayak.

• Deals on new and used gear, which you can demo.

• SRK offers numerous trips from weekend excursions around Western Washington to sea kayaking and yoga adventures in Patagonia.

• You can get kayak rentals at their store on Lake Washington.