
Clinic
Rock Gardening Clinic - Hobuck Beach & Neah Bay
Open coast Rock Gardening skills, rescues and safety, dynamic conditions.
- Sun, Sep 14, 2025
- Tacoma Branch Sea Kayaking Program
- Sea Kayaking
- Adults
- Sea Kayak IV/V
- Moderate
- Mileage: 7.0 nm
- Maximum Wind: 15 kts
- Maximum Waves: 4 ft
- Maximum Currents: 2 kts
- Pace: moderate
- FULL, 2 on waitlist (18 capacity)
- FULL, 1 on waitlist (8 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
This is day-2 of our yearly 3-day coastal event. Most participants will be camping at Hobuck Beach resort.
This clinic is Introduction to Rock Gardening; and will cover the skills, rescues, and safety utilized in playing in the inter-tidal zone. It is very useful when open coastal paddling, when you need to paddle through slots and around rocks to avoid more dangerous paths.
An incident management clinic, which covers rescues and towing is required prior to taking this clinic. We will be practicing rescues as conditions permit. I highly recommend a strokes and maneuvers clinic prior to taking this clinic, as you will be paddling in dynamic water and utilizing many of your directional control strokes and bracing strokes "reflexively".
This clinic may be taken using a fiberglass or thermoform boat, but using a plastic boat is strongly advised, as you may be bouncing off and scraping along rocks and barnacles.
Be sure to look over the required equipment list.
Warmhouse Cafe jetty, Neah Bay, Boats on the beach, suited, and ready to paddle at 9 AM.
I'm listing this trip with a large number of participants, and will likely split out some students and some instructors into a second trip as the numbers settle down. The second group may go to the same venue, or a different one in the same general area.
Hobuck Beach & Neah Bay
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Custom Correct North Olympic Coast
Green Trails Cape Flattery No. 98S
MapTech Cape Flattery to Whidbey Island No. 103
Sea Trails Strait of Juan de Fuca & Crescent Lake WA301
Sea Trails Roadless Coast, Neah Bay to Ruby Beach WA302
NOAA Cape Flattery No. 18485
Green Trails Olympic Coast Beaches No. 99S - See full route/place details.
Required Equipment
Mountaineers 10 Essentials. What you'd bring on a day paddle.
Sea Kayak with flotation both ends, deck lines required, plastic preferred
PFD
Sprayskirt
Paddle
Drysuit
HELMET
Extra clothes
First Aid Kit
I highly recommend gloves.
Sand wheels are useful, but not required, as the haul to the beach is shorter than at Hobuck.
2025 Makah tribal activity permit ($20), available at the gas station in Neah Bay and Hobuck campground office.
Repair Kit
Lunch and snacks