Fluid Adventures Ltd

I had booked two days of kayaking with Fluid Adventures to go around Old Harry Rocks and Durdle Door. They advertise these as amber level (intermediate) courses for people with kayaking experience. The day before the course was due to run, I received an email from Fluid Adventures, saying that because there was a force 3 wind (with gusts) they were cancelling both trips. A force 3 wind is described on the Beaufort scale as a gentle breeze. They noted that there would be gusts of up to force 5 (a fresh breeze) coming from an easterly direction, from which we would be unable to get any shelter. I stayed on the Isle of Purbeck for the two days when the courses were due to run, and went walking around the locations where we had planned on kayaking. The weather was lovely on both days-albeit, there were gusts of wind while stood on the cliffs looking over old Harry Rocks. The sea however, around Old Harry Rocks, was calm and settled. In my opinion (and make your own judgement of this) even a relatively inexperienced paddler could have handled the conditions. I understand that kayaking trips need to be cancelled sometimes due to weather, however, I would suggest that: (A) The conditions were fine for paddling, and it is likely that their coaches are just not qualified to an appropriate level, e.g. they need more coaches with Advanced Sea Kayak Leader qualifications. If they are offering intermediate/advanced trips, then they should ensure they have qualified backup coaches lined up for these trips. (B) The first choice should be to suggest alternative paddles. E.g. in this instance, we could have gained shelter from the wind by paddling around the Poole Harbour area, or on the Western side of the Isle of Portland. Alternatively, they could have offered to do skills training in one of the sheltered bays. Instead they just immediately cancelled the trip and offered gift vouchers. I am very unimpressed with the company and do not plan to book with them again. I do encourage you to read the above though and form your own judgement: perhaps others may feel it is appropriate for courses to be outright cancelled due to mild weather, without offering alternative paddling plans.
May 2nd, 2023

Just completed the Sea Kayak Award course with this company. Our experience was excellent from start to finish. Easy booking, a good choice of boats to try out, all the necessary kit supplied as part of the course fee. But the best aspect of the course was our coach Fred. He delivered the course in a very professional, yet relaxed manner. He chose a variety of locations, activities and drills that helped us learn a lot, and at the same time kept us engaged for the whole three days. Can't recommend Fluid Adventures and Fred highly enough!
Apr 16th, 2023

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Sep 10th, 2022