Paul
What a great day! Matt planned and delivered the ideal day for my experience level and ability. The route visited an area of the coast I loved but wouldn’t have the confidence to visit myself and we had a great time.
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Work on closed-cockpit sea kayaking at your own pace, from a first paddle to larger surf and tide races. Matt shapes each session around your goals and mixes coaching with a proper coastal journey. You leave with photos from the day and a review email covering the main points, so you can stay focused on the water rather than trying to remember every detail.
Matt agrees the venue with you once the forecast is in, then you meet at the chosen slip, beach or cove. After a short briefing on kit, aims and the plan for the day, you get on the water. Coaching sits inside a real paddle, so you practise strokes, positioning and decision-making while you actually travel along the coast rather than drilling in one spot for hours.
Newer paddlers can cover Paddle UK Paddle Safer content, including kit, planning and staying safe. More experienced paddlers can work on technique, navigation and handling bigger water such as surf or tide races. Half days keep the focus tight. Full days give more time to join the coaching to a longer stretch of coastline. Afterwards you receive a handful of photos and a written recap of the talking points from the session.
Sessions run around South West Cornwall rather than from a single base. Regular meeting points include Porthallow, Kennack Sands, Praa Sands, Mounts Bay, Sennen Cove and Portreath. The Lizard and the wider south and west coasts offer sheltered coves on a quiet day and more exposed headlands when you want moving water, which is why the venue is chosen for your aims and the conditions, not for whoever lives nearest.
Cornwall's south-west peninsula sits between the English Channel and the Atlantic, so wind direction and swell can change which beach or river mouth is usable. That variety is the point of a mobile session. After you book, Matt will talk through where you are staying, what you want to practise, and which stretch of coast makes sense. You are welcome to suggest an area you already know.
No closed-cockpit experience is needed if you are starting out. Matt will keep the venue and the session plan matched to how you feel on the water, so a first day can stay in sheltered conditions while still teaching useful habits. If you already paddle, say what you want to improve when you book, whether that is smoother touring, rougher water, or a specific skill you have been avoiding.
Bring your own sea kayak if you have one, including spraydeck if you use it. Otherwise a kayak, paddle, spraydeck, helmet, buoyancy aid and cag can be provided. You need your own wetsuit and fully enclosed footwear. If you are unsure what to wear for the time of year, ask when you book and Matt can advise before you travel.
Matt has been guiding and coaching watersports since 2014 and holds Paddle UK Advanced Sea Kayak Leader, alongside the equivalent leadership awards for surf kayak and coastal SUP. Sessions are small, either 1:1 or a group of up to six, and they are written around what you asked to cover rather than a fixed syllabus that everyone follows.
Because the coaching is mobile, you meet where the coast will actually work that day. That keeps the learning honest: you practise in the sort of water you came for, then take home photos and a review email so the names of forecasts, kit and techniques are written down instead of lost on the drive home.
Wetsuit, fully enclosed footwear and a towel. Bring your own sea kayak and spraydeck if you prefer to paddle your own boat.
No. First-time closed-cockpit paddlers are welcome, and the session can stay in sheltered water while you learn how the boat feels, how to wet exit if you need to, and how to paddle in a straight line. Matt will ask what you have done before so the briefing and the venue match your starting point rather than assuming you already tour.
If you already paddle, treat the booking as coaching rather than a guided sightseeing trip. Tell Matt what is stalling you, for example edging, rock hopping, surf, or planning a longer journey, and the day will be built around those points. Mixed groups work when everyone is honest about ability so the plan does not leave anyone over or under stretched.
A half day is a focused block of coaching with time on the water to practise, then finish while you still have energy to take the points in. It suits a first session, a specific skill you want to tidy up, or a day when travel or tides make a longer outing awkward.
A full day gives more room to join the coaching to an actual stretch of coastline. You still get instruction, but there is time to paddle further, repeat skills in slightly different water, and talk through decisions as the conditions change. When you book, say which length you want and what you hope to cover so Matt can pick a venue that fits the hours you have.
The meeting point is not fixed in advance because the useful stretch of coast changes with wind, swell and your aims. After you book, Matt will suggest a place that fits the forecast, often around Porthallow, Kennack Sands, Praa Sands, Mounts Bay, Sennen Cove or Portreath, and confirm the time, usually a 09:30 start.
You can suggest an area you already know or that is close to where you are staying. If that spot will not work on the day, you will hear that before you travel, with an alternative nearby. Bring the postcode or what3words once it is confirmed, and allow extra time for narrow Cornish lanes and seasonal parking.
Paddling equipment can be provided at no extra charge: sea kayak, paddle, spraydeck, helmet, buoyancy aid and cag. That is useful if you are trying a sit-in boat for the first time or travelling without a roof rack. Matt has a small selection rather than a huge hire fleet, so mention sizes and any preference when you book.
You are welcome to use your own sea kayak. Bring the spraydeck that fits it, and any other personal kit you rely on. In either case you still need your own wetsuit and fully enclosed footwear. If you are unsure about thickness for the season, ask before you come rather than guessing on the morning.
Plan on a wetsuit that you can paddle in, plus shoes or boots that stay on in the water. Soft beach shoes that slip off are a poor choice around rocks. Add a towel, a warm layer for afterwards, and any snacks or a drink you want on a longer day. Sunglasses with a retainer and sun cream help on bright days even when the air feels cool.
Leave spare clothes in the car for the drive home. If you wear glasses, a strap is worth having. Matt can talk through cags, helmets and buoyancy aids so you know what is supplied. Do not bring valuables you cannot keep dry unless you have a case you already trust on the water.
These sessions need suitable sea conditions. A strong onshore wind, heavy swell or poor visibility can make a planned venue the wrong choice, which is why the location is left flexible. Matt will look at the forecast and move the meeting point if another stretch of the south-west coast will paddle better.
If nowhere nearby is sensible, you will be contacted using the details on your booking. Do not assume a grey sky means cancellation, and do not assume a sunny day means the swell will be friendly. Wait for the message about where to go, and travel only once the meeting point is confirmed.
There is no published minimum age on this listing, so talk to Matt before you book if you are bringing children or anyone who has not paddled before. Closed-cockpit kayaks ask more of you than a sit-on-top, including getting used to a spraydeck, so honesty about swimming comfort and confidence in cold water helps the plan stay realistic.
You do not need to be an athlete, but you should be ready for a half or full day outdoors, including carrying kit a short way and paddling for sustained periods. Mention old injuries, seasickness or anything that affects balance when you book. Matt can then choose a venue and a pace that still lets you learn without pretending those things are not there.
Plenty of people come to sea kayaking with that worry, especially if they have only used sit-on-tops. A first session can start with how the spraydeck works, how to wet exit, and time in water that lets you practise those skills before you head along the coast. Feeling unsure is not a reason to stay ashore if you are willing to go at a steady pace.
Say so in the booking comments so Matt does not plan a committing rock-hopping day. Confidence grows faster when the venue is chosen for learning rather than for looking dramatic. You can always return for a second session once the boat feels familiar and you want more movement in the water.
Paddle Safer is a Paddle UK award, formerly under British Canoeing, aimed at people new to paddlesport. On a sea kayak day it covers the habits that keep you safer: what kit to take, how to look after it, how to read a simple forecast, and what to do if you or someone else ends up out of the boat.
It is not a separate product on this listing. If you are a beginner, Matt can fold that content into your coaching so you leave with a clearer idea of how to plan your own short trips later. If you already have those basics, the day can skip ahead to the skills you actually asked for.
Choose a half or full day, group or 1:1, and send the request with the dates that work and a short note about your experience and goals. Booking is on request, so Matt confirms whether he can run the session and then agrees the venue closer to the time, once the forecast is useful. A 48-hour lead time applies.
After the session you receive photos and a review email so the coaching points are written down. If you want another day, you can book again and pick up from where you finished rather than repeating the same introduction. Bring the same honesty about aims on the next request so the coastline and the plan keep moving with you.
What a great day! Matt planned and delivered the ideal day for my experience level and ability. The route visited an area of the coast I loved but wouldn’t have the confidence to visit myself and we had a great time.
Matt our kayak coach was fantastic- so knowledgeable and supportive. Would thoroughly recommend him.
Operated by Matt Holyer Coaching, a partner of adventuro.
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom
From £43.15
Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
From £200
