Paddlepalooza – Georgian Bay’s Kayak Festival

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Paddlepalooza is Ontario’s Sea Kayaking Symposium hosted by Ontario Sea Kayak Centre at Killbear Provincial Park. What makes this event so special is all of the professional instructors and enthusiastic attendees who come together each year to learn, share, and celebrate a love of kayaking together.

We bring together the best sea kayak instructors from some of the top paddling schools in North America and expert Greenland paddling mentors for this event. All of us at Ontario Sea Kayak Centre love hosting Paddlepalooza. For 2025, Paddlepalooza will be in it’s thirteenth year of gathering kayakers from across Canada and America. Parry Sound’s proximity to the open waters of Georgian Bay, and the sheltered inlets of the Sound make Parry Sound the ideal location for hosting Paddlepalooza.

We welcome paddlers of all skill levels to Paddlepalooza and offer skills clinics for every level of paddler from complete beginners to seasoned experts. Paddlepalooza is a two or three-day event, depending on how much time you have to commit. The main event is Saturday and Sunday and when you sign up you can choose to add Friday to your weekend of learning, fun, and socializing.

Arrive on Friday at Killbear Provincial Park or Thursday if you are taking the Friday sessions. Check-in at the OSKC organizer’s tent where there will be staff on hand to point you to an available campsite. You can set your tent up and if you like move your kayak down to the beach area. Attendees make their own food at their campsites but it is a very social event, so feel free to wander around and meet other paddlers. The best part is, camping fees are included!

Saturday night we will be hosting the Paddling Film Festival again! Bring a camp chair for these inspirational

What clinics are offered at Paddlepalooza?

We work closely with our Coaching team once we have everyone confirmed and come up with a list of clinics that best suit the skill sets of the coaches and also allow us to teach to all levels. We run around 10 clinics at a time so there is lots of choice. Once we have the confirmed clinic list, we email them to you and you can choose which session you want to take on Friday and Saturday and Sunday morning and afternoon.

Some of our previous clinics have been:
Basic paddling strokes
Self-rescues or partner rescues
Navigation and Trip Planning
Kayak camp cooking skills
Maneuvering tricks, edging, and kayak ballet
Kayak play for improved balance
Learn to roll a kayak
Intermediate/Advanced Greenland skills
Sculling for support and re-enter and roll
…and many others

Ontario Greenland Camp and Traditional Skills.

Traditional paddling skills are where all of the knowledge we share today started and we love to celebrate this important fundamental skill set. From bracing and rolling to forward paddling or simple blade awareness, refining these skills will benefit every paddler. If you are looking to learn some Traditional or Greenlandic paddling skills this is the event for you. We have been sharing these skills since 2007 and have traditional skills and learn-to-roll classes throughout Paddlepalooza. Take a class with one of our expert traditional skills coaches.

Friday optional extra day!

Paddlepalooza works best as a three-day event, to make this happen, add the optional Friday training to your cart during checkout. 

Your Instructors

Our certified instructors are some of Canada's best!

James Roberts

James started kayaking at 18. Since then his paddling career has taken him all over the world as an expedition leader and senior kayak instructor.

Jarrod Gunn McQuillan

Jarrod Gunn McQuillan is the owner/operator of Cloud 9 Adventures and lives in St. Peters Harbour, PEI with his wife Heather, and their two children Finlay and Emma.  Cloud 9 Adventures focuses on offering high quality sea kayak coaching and instruction to all levels and abilities throughout the Maritime Provinces

Greg Mason

Greg has been paddling and teaching kayaking on Georgian Bay for around 25 yrs… since he was not but a wee grasshopper.

Lee Richardson

Lee is an inspirational business leader and professional sea kayak instructor with over 17 years combined in the educational and sea kayak industry. He has taught at Symposiums all over North America and teaches and guides regularly on the East Coast and West Coast. 

Erik Ogaard

Erik is forever drawn to the water and is truly in his element when paddling and coaching. He is equally passionate about sharing the paddling experience through instruction, coaching, guiding, mentoring and building a healthy paddling community.

Karl Vollmer

Karl is a Paddle Canada Sea Kayak Instructor Trainer. He has also been a volunteer member of the Paddle Canada board and skill development committees for years.

Jeff Arbing

Jeff is drawn to the dynamic side of kayaking and thoroughly enjoys working with people to embrace the psychological challenges presented with paddling.

Jeff Phaneuf

Jeff has been a teacher/coach (volleyball & rugby) at Ursuline College in Chatham for almost a quarter of a century. He is now combining his passion for teaching/coaching and the outdoors.

Joedy Ebert

Joedy has been teaching teenagers for 25 years but she has always recharged at and on the water. She got her Paddle Canada start with OSKC 10 years ago, spending the years since padding the shores of Lake Ontario and the Niagara waterways. She is thrilled to be joining the team at OSKC.

Melissa Heaman

Melissa grew up visiting Parry Sound every summer, where her love of being on the water began.

Mike Fairburn

Mike’s passion for sea kayaking began about 15 years ago. In the years that have followed Mike has become a Greenland rolling and skills enthusiast. While Mike has always loved the great outdoors, Sea Kayaking has intensified this love and brought him closer to nature through back country camping.

Tim Gallaway

Tim began his kayaking career as a guide and ACA instructor at Woods & Water Ecotours in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan when he was in college. He cut his rough water teeth on the rocky shores of Lake Superior.

Ray Boucher

Ray Boucher lives in Wawa Ontario with his wife Patty. Ray has been a school teacher and an x-ray technologist, and enjoys spending his time working and recreating in the outdoors.

David Johnston

David Johnston has been introducing people to the sport of sea kayaking for the past 20 years. He is a senior instructor trainer with Paddle Canada.

Expand Instructor List