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OSK Rocks Course

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On April 9, 2026

In Technical, Trip Reports

Playing in the Rocks! What Does That Really Mean?

For us, playing in the rocks isn’t just a catchy phrase – it’s about safely having fun while building both skill and confidence in one of the most dynamic coastal environments sea kayaking offers. As sea kayak coaches, we’ve spent countless hours exploring rocky coastlines, honing techniques, and helping others discover the joys of this playful, challenging style of paddling.

We were fortunate to team up with Simon Osborne and James Stevenson from Online Sea Kayaking to share tips and insights on how to maximize fun and minimize risk while paddling in these environments. Their new course, Playing in the Rocks, guides paddlers through understanding the water, reading coastal features, and learning how to navigate safely close to, up, over, and around rocks. It’s designed to take you from observation to practice, helping you grow confident while still having a blast on the water.

Your Guide to Playing in the Rocks

The course starts by setting the scene, introducing the key skills, safety principles, and equipment considerations you need before heading into a rocky environment. It then moves into helping paddlers understand how water behaves around obstacles, how to spot hazards, and how to pick safe lines. As you progress, it teaches techniques for approaching coastal features like slots, caves, and rebound waves, and finally, it encourages practical exercises to turn knowledge into confident, playful action.

The beauty of this approach is that it helps you gain a deep understanding of your environment while gradually building both technical skill and self-assurance. You’re not just learning tricks; you’re learning pattern recognition and how to think and move safely in complex coastal waters.

World-Class Rock Gardens

Filming took place in some truly stunning locations, from the classic rock gardens of Cornwall and the tidal playgrounds of Anglesey, to the big swells and rugged coastlines of Marin and Mendocino in California. Each location presents its own challenges, rock types, unique coastal features and opportunities, showing how the same skills can be applied across very different coastal conditions and environments. These varied settings make it easy to see how rock gardening can be adapted to your local waters, whether near home or abroad.

Finding the Right Kayak

Navigating the turbulent waters and tight spaces in rocky environments demands the right boat. In our experience, a kayak that is responsive, stable, and comfortable gives you the confidence to push your skills safely. We chose the P&H Virgo for all of our paddling locations, and it performed beautifully. Its balance of playfulness and precision made it easy to manoeuvre through tight slots, ferry across currents, and enjoy more playful elements of the rocks without ever feeling out of control. 

We also find that it’s stable in dynamic water, providing more volume when going over pour overs and steep drops, giving you more confidence to push yourself. It’s the perfect balance of maneuverability (especially on edge) and giving you the right amount of length for days when you want to explore more distance than your local park and play. 

Boat choice matters, and while there’s no one-size-fits-all, the Virgo’s versatility makes it a great companion for both exploring and skill-building in rocky coastal environments. And it works for lots of different body types. For filming this course, Laura and Simon were in Virgo MVs while Kelly rocked a Virgo LV. 

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, playing in the rocks is about exploration, learning, and joyful engagement with a part of the coast you can really only access by kayak. With the right mindset, solid skills, and a kayak you can trust, exploring rocky coastlines becomes an incredibly rewarding (and for some of us: addictive) experience. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced paddler, taking the time to understand the environment and develop your skills transforms rocky coastlines from intimidating to exhilarating. Step out, explore, and let the rocks teach you a new side of sea kayaking.

Check out the OSK Playing in the Rocks course here and start your adventure today!

The Full-Carbon Cetus

By

On March 7, 2023

In News, Reviews, Technical

We make many boats each year between our rotomoulding facility and head office in Cheshire, and our composite workshop in Derby; both have very skilled teams using some sophisticated equipment, and sometimes quite basic skills in a sophisticated way.

In my 52 years in this industry, I have seen some exceptional skill and craftsmanship from our team, from our suppliers, and from some competitors, much of which most of our customers would never see or understand.

I am so used to it that I wrongly take it for granted, but occasionally, something I see makes me realise just how far we have travelled and just what a skilled, talented, and wonderful team of people we’re lucky to have building our kayaks.

Recently, I saw a Lightweight Kevlar/Carbon Infusion Cetus with Clear Carbon all-round that was utterly exquisite.  From 3 metres away, it looked like any full-carbon kayak, but when I got close, I was “gobstruck” (for our international friends, this means ‘overwhelmed with wonder, surprise, or shock’), speechless, and rendered immobile. I poured over the deck, stroking its form and looking for a blemish that was never found.

For some time, I have been proud of our team’s skill in laying down a full layer of carbon in the hull without weave distortion and folding. The painting of bows and sterns in a solid colour to disguise the cutting of fabric necessary for low-skill manufacture are not the P&H way. To see the deck laid down without such painted segments around its many complex features is an entirely different order of difficulty! There was no fabric weave distortion or any cuts around the RDFs (Recessed Deck Fittings, which hold the decklines, elastics, and handles) or hatches. Around the heavily contoured compass, sail mast foot, and split-paddle shaft recesses there was one little cut which had to be pointed out to me, but I still couldn’t see it. It was invisible.

Steven Pericleous, you are a master craftsman, but so are many more in our team whose skills aren’t so easy to see.

Graham Mackereth

Lessons Learned- Blade Awareness

By

On March 28, 2022

In Technical

This video series, titled ‘Lessons Learned’, will highlight things Christopher seas while he is on the water coaching and will give you some ideas to think about the next time you head out in your sea kayak. We hope that you will find them educational and that they help you get the most out of your days on the water.

Blade awareness will help take you’re paddling to the next level.

Understanding how your blade slices through the water will help give you more control in dynamic water. Have you ever found yourself “tripping” over your kayak paddle in challenging conditions? Well, taking some time to work on blade awareness will help you gain a better understanding and get the most out of your kayak paddle.

Key outcome:

  1. work on blade awareness in flat water
  2. Keep your wrist and forearm in line to minimize injury
  3. Allow time to develop this technique
  4. Get professional coaching to maximize your progression.

Lessons Learned

Lesson Learned- Hang onto your Kayak

By

On March 21, 2022

In Technical

This video series, titled ‘Lessons Learned’, will highlight things Christopher seas while he is on the water coaching and will give you some ideas to think about the next time you head out in your sea kayak. We hope that you will find them educational and that they help you get the most out of your days on the water.

‘Hang onto your Kayak’ is the first video in the Lessons Learned series. In this video, you will learn the importance of hanging onto your kayak with examples of what happens when you let go. One of the most important concepts after learning to wet exit your kayak is holding onto your kayak once you have a sense of humour failure and exit the kayak. It became obvious to me in 2018 that many people don’t put enough importance on this fundamental technique. Driving home the importance of this simple task needs to start at the foundation level and should carry on through the skills progression. When paddlers let go of their kayak in a dynamic environment this added a level of complexity that can be avoided. Whenever working in these environments we focus on simplifying the process and only take on more complexity if the environment demands it. During pool sessions and rescues, practice sessions in calm water reinforce the importance of staying in contact with the kayak at all times during any rescue or recovery of a swimmer. See you on the water!
Key takeaways from this video

  1. When practicing rescues in all environments maintain contact with your kayak.
  2. New paddler should be reminded of this important concept
  3. You need the kayak to put the swimmer back into. In a dynamic environment, things can become complex rather quickly.

Visit www.committed2thecore.com for more tips and professional coaching opportunities. Christopher Lockyer is a proud member of the P&H pro paddler Team Based in Nova Scotia. Sea you on the water

Lessons Learned – Rapid Acceleration

By

On March 14, 2022

In Technical

This video series, titled ‘Lessons Learned’, will highlight things Christopher seas while he is on the water coaching and will give you some ideas to think about the next time you head out in your sea kayak. We hope that you will find them educational and that they help you get the most out of your days on the water.

During the season we can build our confidence but we tend to keep missing waves and not being able to get onto the features we are trying to. This is where rapid acceleration comes into play. Get out there are use these tips to increase your enjoyment on the water. Professional coaching will help with your forward paddle stroke and the rest will come with time and hard work.

4 Key things to keep in mind when training and working n rapid acceleration

  1. Visualize where you need to take off from and how much distance you need to get your boat up to speed
  2. Increase your cadence 1,2,3,4,5
  3. Shorter up your paddle stroke
  4. Physical fitness and endurance are key to be able to reproduce this for a day on the water.

Visit www.committed2thecore.com for more tips and professional coaching opportunities. Christopher Lockyer is a proud member of the P&H pro paddler Team Based in Nova Scotia. Sea you on the water

Lessons Learned – Trim and posture

By

On March 7, 2022

In Technical

This video series, titled ‘Lessons Learned’, will highlight things Christopher seas while he is on the water coaching and will give you some ideas to think about the next time you head out in your sea kayak. We hope that you will find them educational and that they help you get the most out of your days on the water.

Posture and Trim – Lessons Learned

When it comes to posture and trim we all need to work on flexibility and also be aware that we are always moving in our kayak. Regardless of the environment, you are working in try and key your torso moving at all time. It will give you an increase in your range of motion but more impotently will increase blood flow to your entire body. Regularly moving your joints can help reduce pain, keep your joints flexible, and improve strength and overall balance.


Keys to Posture
• Try and sit up tall when performing forward paddling
• When in bumpy water try and change your posture to a slight forward lean
• Work on bracing and recovery stokes in your forward posture
• When working on rolling practice your forward finishing roll
• Posture is key to overall body health. Back fatigue can be a result of weakness in your core

Here is a link to 8 stretched that will help you touch your toes. These tips will help with posture and help you put your socks on as well.

Sea you on the water ~Christopher Lockyer

Lessons Learned – Lean Forward

By

On February 28, 2022

In Technical

This video series, titled ‘Lessons Learned’, will highlight things Christopher seas while he is on the water coaching and will give you some ideas to think about the next time you head out in your sea kayak. We hope that you will find them educational and that they help you get the most out of your days on the water.

So often we sea students putting themself in awkward body positions while on the water. So many tend to forget to lean forward which can increase opportunities to hurt yourself and also move you farther away from being able to reach your grab loop to get out of your kayak. When in the pool or practicing in flat water reinforce the home base potions tuck forward as if you are going to attempt a roll if for no other reason but to protect yourself and be close to your grab loop.

Hope this helps. Sea you on the water.

Visit www.committed2thecore.com for more tips and professional coaching opportunities. Christopher Lockyer is a proud member of the P&H pro paddler Team Based in Nova Scotia. Sea you on the water

Committed 2 the Roll

By

On February 21, 2022

In Technical

Often when learning 2 roll or working 2 better our roll, we find ourselves in moments of challenge or defeat.

We have compiled a list of 5 tools and Tactics that are intended to be agnostic of the style of sea kayak roll that you are working on.

6 Simple Tools and Tactics 2 sea kayak rolling

1 Mental Setup
2 Physical Setup
3 Slow things down
4 Stretching/Strength/Separation
5 Project Post Recovery
6 Introduce variation

Click on the image to download the PDF.

Cleopatras Needle Flooded Sea Kayak Rescue

By

On November 22, 2018

In Technical

This time we are showing you how we fix a worst-case scenario, as in “my kayak is sinking”! We are 4 kilometers offshore and we pulled of one of our hatches, leaving the front compartment exposed to the sea water. With a little leaning our kayak is flooding. It’s scary when doing this training exercise for the first time. We trained on this a lot in the safety of the harbor, and we advise you to get started in a safe environment when doing this training for the first time. You will be surprised how easy this rescue is. Of course, the harder the conditions, the harder it will get. But most important, we know that it is still possible to rescue ourselves when the worst thing happens. Follow up the top tips that we are giving in the video and you will do just fine. Make sure to carry a grab bag at all times, and make sure that you have duct tape with you. Trust us, this can happen (we have seen this happen only once, but still…) in real life.

The Deck Lines – Upgrading the Rescue Handles

By

On June 14, 2018

In Technical

Let us talk you through a small upgrade on the deck (or perimeter) lines of your sea kayak. In the video you will see Sylvie putting some flexible tube (from the DIY store) over the deck line near the cockpit. The benefit of this is very simple and convenient. It allows you to put good tension on the deck lines as it should be, and still be able to put your fingers (even when wearing gloves) underneath it at the right place. This is where the rescuer will grab, and stabilize, your boat when performing an assisted rescue during your re-entry. Also, another kayaker can grab them to stabilize you in rough water when you want to pick something out of your day hatch. It’s also easier for you to operate your short tow line with the carabiner hooks. It’s nothing revolutionary but it comes in very handy!! Feel free to share your own “sea kayak upgrades”, we’re always on the lookout for new ideas! Paddle safe and take care of each other on the water!

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