Exumas Bahamas Sea Kayaking

North Carolina Outward Bound
Asheville, NC, United States

Course Format: Classroom | E-learning | Virtual Class | Online | On-site | Blended | Self-paced

Course Description:

'' Paddling from shore into the sound, the water color quickly changes from opal to celadon to jade. Welcome to the Exumas - an area offering 365 cays spanning 150 miles of the Bahamas.

Chart your course through glorious Bahamian waters. Perfect your strokes while navigating through hundreds of undeveloped islands. Learn to read currents and tides and apply that knowledge to your expedition. Listen to the weather report on a VHF radio. Practice your ¡°wet exit¡± in warm, Gulf Stream waters. Learn self-rescue techniques such as T-rescue, paddle float and Eskimo roll. ¡°Raft up¡± on the open water for group discussions. Paddle past a mysterious blue hole. Listen to island birds chattering from nesting refuges along the shore. Snorkel through exotic coral reefs for close-up views of butterfly fish, moray eels and dolphin while learning about our earth¡¯s endangered reef system. Camp on tropical beaches. Participate in meaningful service projects. Journal under the shade of a palm tree.

Expeditionary travel with Outward Bound, you learn strong technical skills, while also building important teamwork and leadership skills. Together, you and your crew create a one-of-a-kind journey of exploration through unspoiled areas of the Bahamas. By sea kayak, you see the wildlife, waters and beaches of the Bahamas in a way that many tourists never will.

Bahamas sea kayaking course include technical skill building, team building, environmental learning, solo, a service project, leadership training, a student-led final expedition and a personal challenge event.

Skills include paddling techniques, wet exit, self and group rescue, snorkeling, chart reading, navigation, equipment maintenance, use of VHF radios, expedition planning, reading currents and tides, and Leave No Trace minimum-impact techniques.

Exuma Cays Adventure Area
This sea kayaking expedition takes place along a chain of islands called the Exuma Cays. The 365 Exuma islands are sparsely populated - only 3,500 people live on the islands year round. Some islands are completely uninhabited and undeveloped.

Virtually free of pollution, the waters surrounding the Exumas are among the clearest and most colorful on Earth. The depth of the water, coral heads and sunlight are responsible for the incandescent colors of aqua, turquoise and emerald. Crossed by the Tropic of Cancer, the Exumas have average ¡°winter¡± temperatures ranging from the mid 70s to mid 80s.

The Bahamas are fairly simple geologically and visitors often make the mistake of thinking the islands are volcanic in origin. They are really composed of Tertiary limestone deposits formed approximately one to two million years ago. The cays themselves are low lying with few hills over 100 feet high.

The sea temperature is ideal for coral formation, and the reefs of the Exumas provide dwelling places for a variety of sea creatures. Crustaceans such as shrimp, crabs and lobsters are prevalent. Echinoderms, such as starfish, sea urchins, sea biscuits, sea cucumbers and sand dollars are also common.

While snorkeling, it is not unusual to see butterfly, angel and parrot fish, as well as barracuda and eels. The conch, which is a mollusk, is also found extensively along the shore line. The three types of sea turtles that inhabit the area are the green, loggerhead and hawksbill.

The silver top and thatch palm trees can be found growing on almost every cay. These trees provide a cornerstone to Bahamian culture and economy. For more than 250 years, the Bahamians have used the leaves of the palm to make baskets, hats, ropes, shoes, mats and thatch roofs for their homes.
The Exumas are a part of the Bahamas -- an independent country and a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Lucaya Indians are believed to have been the first settlers in the Exumas. Their presence diminished in the 16th century as Spanish explorers captured and traded them in the slave market. The 17th century brought salt-rakers by the hundreds as well as pirates looking for a safe place to store their booty.

Following the independence of the United States, a number of English Loyalists fled to the Exumas. Throughout the 18th century, cotton and salt became major industries and a large number of West African slaves were brought in to work on the plantations.
Much of the land in the Exumas was granted by the British Crown in the late 18th century to Lord John Rolle. After Britain abolished slavery in all of its territories in 1834, Rolle turned over his plantations to his former slaves. Many of the freemen took Rolle¡¯s name. Today, most of the land cannot be sold. It continues to be passed down through generations of islanders, many who still bear the Rolle name.


Region: Bahamas

Activities: Sea Kayaking

School: North Carolina Outward Bound School

...''

Phone:888-75-NCOBS

School Address:

North Carolina Outward Bound
2582 Riceville Rd.
Asheville, NC 28805
United States

PHONE: 888-75-NCOBS
info@ncobs.org


Jobs & Resumes: Asheville
Houses & Roommates: Asheville

Appalachian Mountains Backpacking and Rock Climbing Expedition - Community Leadership
Appalachian Mountains Backpacking, Rock Climbing & Whitewater Canoeing Classic
Appalachian Mountains Backpacking, Rock Climbing & Whitewater Canoeing Classic - Girls Only
International Leadership Semester
Outdoor Leader Course
Patagonia Leadership Semester
Appalachian Mountains Rock Climbing
Outer Banks Sea Kayaking
Florida Ten Thousand Islands Canoeing Challenge - Parent/Child
Florida Ten Thousand Islands Sea Kayaking
Patagonia Mountaineering Classic
Wilderness

Notice: The course description on this page was captured from the Internet as historical reference or submitted by visitors. It was archived statically and not updated from day to day.
 

Tips: If you can not find a training course suitable for you instantly, you can leave your training request here and let trainers contact you later.