Surfski Coaching Courses
Our Next Course will be 11-12 April 2026
Now that I’ve made a complete recovery from my heart surgery!
Next Course
11th-12th April 2026
at Fishguard, Pembrokeshire.
INTERMEDIATE
A two day course for people with a reasonable depth of experience of ski and/or other paddling disciplines. Weak points will be targeted – solutions offered and participants will be given a multitude of ways to enjoy and achieve more, every time they go out on the sea.
Click here for more details . . .
Sign Up or Ask for More Info
Sign up here and/or ask for a more detailed course plan, cost, etc. Please state which course you’d like to join.
One-on-One Coaching
can be arranged to suit whatever date works for you, winter or summer – so book ahead!
Background
Despite Ocean Ski paddling’s explosive growth in popularity here, our discipline has only recently been officially recognised by Paddle UK and there is, as yet, no formal coaching structure in operation. There are very few tailored training and coaching courses for beginners, improvers and intermediates. Although occasional elite clinics offered by such outstanding paddlers as Sean Rice, Oscar Chalupski and Ivan Lawler are available, there are only a handful of Paddle UK accredited ocean ski coaches – including Benjamin.
Effective Ocean Ski paddling welds together elements from several other disciplines, including sprint, marathon, white water racing, wave ski and, of course, sea kayaking. Most ski paddlers have entered from other aspects of canoe and kayak sport and find that applying their existing skills provides a firm platform their surfski adventures.
On the other hand, some of those well-established habits that are perfectly adapted to other canoe-kayaking disciplines can lead to frustrating limitations when applied to ski. For example, even a sea kayak coach’s decades of knowledge about wind, tide and weather won’t necessarily help him or her to consistently catch and work runners in these much lighter, faster and more responsive craft.
The Coach
Ben Edom has a lifetime of experience in kayak and canoe paddling, coaching and competition, including GB Sprint Team and a national championship win and 10 years of Ski paddling in Australia on Queesland’s Sunshine Coast and Sydney’s Northern Beaches. This breadth of experience, and often daily playing on those big Pacific swells, enables Ben to communicate simple, clear key principles, valuable hints and subtle techniques, all personally tested with a serious amount of sea time.
Now back in training, and one of the team riders for STELLAR Surfskis UK, Ben has earned a string of podium places in 2018, 2019 and 2020 races, competing in the 2019 and 2022 World Championships. And, to bring his coaching skills right up to date in 2020 Benjamin qualified as a Paddle UK Race Coach.
“I love the sea and want to help anyone who embraces the thrills and challenges of wind and wave on a ski to be more effective and aware so you can enjoy every trip all the more. More speed and power, less effort – If that means you can beat me – all the better!”
The Courses
There are three tiers of day, weekend, or longer courses to suit everyone except ocean ski experts:
Improvers
A general, practical introduction to surfski paddling for people with some experience of canoe or kayak who want to understand how to apply that to ski. Offers a sound foundation of principles, safety considerations and plenty of practical techniques to take home and work on.
Intermediate
For paddlers with canoe-kayak and at some ski experience who are ready to up their game on their ski. We cover a wide range of vital ski-specific seamanship and paddling techniques, while working towards a focused and proactive attitude to your paddling, the ocean, and racing.
Benjamin Edom is a Paddle UK qualified Race Coach and has full Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance through Paddle Cymru.