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Chesapeake Bay Sea Kayaking

Photograph (above) taken by Linsay Land
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LOCATION
Mid Atlantic
EXPEDITION TYPE
Kayaking
PRICE
$2,665
PROGRAM
High School
AGES
16-18
LENGTH
8 Days
START LOCATION
Baltimore, MD
END LOCATION
Baltimore, MD
i
SEASON(S)
Summer
SKILLS

TECHNICAL

  • Basic Paddle Strokes
  • Belaying a Climber
  • Campcraft
  • Food Preparation and Cooking
  • Knots
  • Leave No Trace Methods & Ethics
  • Map and Compass
  • Natural History
  • Navigation
  • Self Care
  • Tides and Currents

INTERPERSONAL

  • Camaraderie
  • Character
  • Communication
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Empathy
  • Independence
  • Leadership
  • Positive Risk Taking
  • Problem Solving
  • Resilience
  • Responsibility
  • Self Awareness
  • Self Confidence
  • Service
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Course Stories

“Similar to an Outward Bound course, life throws challenges at you. They are not always going to be easy to walk through. It's going to keep happening. You can either persevere and be resilient and show grit, and shine when you're challenged or you can go the other way. You can give up and fall apart. People are not learning grit and resilience and perseverance at school. That is not something you can learn from a book. The only way you can learn it is through experience and to be challenged,” said Baltimore Instructor, Lindsay Land.

Read the whole story, published by our friends at the Chesapeake Conservancy to chronicle the next generation of environmental leaders.

READ MORE

More than simply a technical skills course, this sea kayaking expedition offers the chance to grow as an individual and as a leader.

Explore the historic and ecological wonder of the Chesapeake Bay from the hull of a kayak. With every stroke, work as a group to overcome expedition challenges, develop a greater belief in yourself and your crew and learn why teamwork is often more important than everything else combined. As you move through stunning natural landscapes and encounter physical, mental and emotional obstacles, you’ll discover the importance of perseverance – and identify and refine the leadership skills you already possess. Enjoy access to protected lands and campsites that enhance your knowledge of the local area and encourage stewardship of the region.

NOTE: This course requires that students submit proof of "Up-to-Date" COVID-19 Vaccination status as defined by the CDC. For questions regarding this policy please see this page or call us at 866-467-7651.

UPCOMING COURSES

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For detailed information on course availability statuses and what they mean, click here.

COURSE # DATES DAYS AGE COST
BBTK-221 6.18.22 - 6.25.22 8 16 - 18 $ 2,665 COURSE IS FULL
BBTK-222 7.27.22 - 8.3.22 8 16 - 18 $ 2,665 JOIN WAITLIST

Thank you for your interest in Outward Bound! 

This course starts within the next week. Please call us at 866-467-7651 to assess the possibility of applying for this course!

APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.

APPLY NOW – Almost Full
This means there are three or fewer currently available spots left on a course. To secure your spot click Apply Now to begin an application!

JOIN WAITLIST
Once a course has reached capacity, three waitlist positions become available. To join a course’s waitlist, click “Join Waitlist” to begin the application process. A $500 deposit is required. This $500 deposit includes a $150 non-refundable application fee and a $350 tuition payment. The $350 tuition payment is refundable only if you cancel your waitlist application or if an open position does not become available. If a position does become available, the applicant will be applied to the open position and the Application and Cancellation Policies of the Regional Outward Bound School will be followed, including forfeiture of the $500 deposit if you cancel 90 days or less prior to the course start date. 

Waitlist applicants are encouraged to complete all required admissions documents while awaiting an open position. Positions may become available up to two weeks prior to the course start date. Applicants may only apply to one course. We recommend applying to a course with open positions instead of a course that is accepting waitlist applications. If you have questions, please call 866-467-7651 to speak with one of our Admissions Advisors.

CALL TO APPLY
This means a course is very close to its start date. Although it is unlikely to secure a spot this late, you can call the National Admissions office at 866-467-7651 to discuss your options.

COURSE IS FULL
When a course has reached maximum capacity, meaning all spots and the three waitlist spots are occupied, a course will read “Course Is Full.” This means applications are no longer being accepted.

CLOSED
As a course nears its start date, the availability status may read “Closed.” In this event, a course roster has been finalized and applications are no longer being accepted or processed.

Classic Courses

Are you ready to take a journey that will change your life? You won’t look at day-to-day drama the same way after you’ve conquered a high mountain ridge, made a boat obey your command in windswept waves or slept under the stars watching bats swoop overhead. Joining an Outward Bound expedition changes you. Your crew, your Instructor, your route and your adventures will have a profound and lasting impact on you as you rise to meet exhilarating natural challenges in some of the country’s wildest places.

  • Build skills, form connections: Learn and practice wilderness, teamwork and leadership skills. Find connections with your crewmates based on support and respect (and fun too!), and in the thick of challenges, discover there is more in you than you know.
  • Value strengths and strengthen values: Uncover your unique character strengths, develop your leadership abilities and learn how to let compassion in to everyday life by pushing your own limits and working alongside your peers.
  • Demonstrate mastery: As you gain confidence in new skills, take on more decision-making responsibilities. Work together to achieve team goals, solve problems and succeed both as individuals and as a group.
  • What you’ll learn: For High School students, the opportunities to carry more weight (literally and figuratively) and make impactful decisions with accompanying consequences fills the expedition as you go through numerous trials and triumphs. It’s all about independence.

After you come home, many of the character, leadership and service traits you uncovered on your expedition stay with you, helping you navigate your daily life with more resilience and success.

sea kayak adventures for teens
Photo courtesy of Zach Shenal
Sea Kayaking Chesapeake Bay
Photo courtesy of Zach Shenal
sea kayaking trip for teens
Photo courtesy of Zach Shenal
Sea Kayaking class for high schoolers
Photo courtesy of Peter Turcik
sea kayaking course for high school students
Photo courtesy of Zach Shenal
teens learn sea kayaking skills in mid atlantic
Photo courtesy of Zach Shenal
sea kayaking trip for teens in the mid atlantic
Photo courtesy of Zach Shenal
teens learn leadership skills on outdoor course
Photo courtesy of Zach Shenal

Sea Kayaking

Students paddle throughout the Chesapeake Bay, camping each night along the shoreline. Instructors teach proper sea kayaking techniques such as paddling, rolls and wet exits. Students also learn marine navigation and campcraft and face challenges that develop advanced leadership skills in addition to the technical skills they will be mastering.

service day for teens
Photo courtesy of Ben Worden
service project for high schoolers
Photo courtesy of Ben Worden
service learning with outward bound
Photo courtesy of Ben Worden
teens gain leadership skills on outdoor course
Photo courtesy of Ben Worden
service project on outdoor leadership course
Photo courtesy of Brock Jones
service learning for teens
Photo courtesy of Brock Jones

Service

Service to others and to the environment are core values of Outward Bound and they are integrated into each course. Participants follow Leave No Trace ethics as part of their service to the environment. Students develop an ingrained appreciation of service, seeing the impact of their actions firsthand, by multiple small acts of service with and for their crewmates while leading and supporting each other throughout the journey.

Solo

In order for profound learning to take place, there must be time to reflect on the experience. Solo is that opportunity, and that time can range anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours. It is a chance to experience solitude in the wilderness without distraction while also taking a break from the physical rigors of activities. Students experience short periods of time away from their group throughout the course for reflection.  These “mini-solos” are at solo sites chosen by Instructors to provide as much solitude as possible (within emergency whistle-signaling distance of other group members). Participants have all necessary equipment, food and water during their Solo time, and safety is always the top priority.

Photo courtesy of Jay Fleming
Photo courtesy of Peter Turcik
Photo courtesy of Jay Fleming
Photo courtesy of Peter Turcik

Course Area

Chesapeake Bay, Nanticoke River

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the nation - the meeting point where 400 rivers, creeks, and streams spanning from New York to Virginia all travel to the Atlantic Ocean.  It boasts 4,600 miles of tidal shoreline perfect for kayaking. Outward Bound courses use a section of the historic 3,000-mile Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail which traces the 1607–1609 voyages of Captain John Smith to chart the land and waterways of the Bay. Along with the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail, it is one of two water trails designated as National Historic Trails. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Nentego (Nanticoke) nation.

SAMPLE ITINERARY
DAY 1
Course start, introductory lessons in sea kayaking and water safety, begin paddling
DAY 2-5
Kayaking, lessons in advanced paddling techniques and Chesapeake Bay ecology
DAY 6
Kayaking final challenge, solo
DAY 7
Return to base, clean and de-issue gear, service project
DAY 8
Personal challenge event, graduation, depart for the airport

Course Stories

“Similar to an Outward Bound course, life throws challenges at you. They are not always going to be easy to walk through. It's going to keep happening. You can either persevere and be resilient and show grit, and shine when you're challenged or you can go the other way. You can give up and fall apart. People are not learning grit and resilience and perseverance at school. That is not something you can learn from a book. The only way you can learn it is through experience and to be challenged,” said Baltimore Instructor, Lindsay Land.

Read the whole story, published by our friends at the Chesapeake Conservancy to chronicle the next generation of environmental leaders.

READ MORE

OTHER COURSES YOU MAY LIKE

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Getting Started

If you are ready to enroll on a course click the enroll button next to the course you wish to select or you can enroll over the phone by speaking with one of our Admissions Advisors (toll-free) at 866-467-7651.

To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $500 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee. 

OR
ENROLL TODAY