Derek Hairon

Director. British Canoe Union level 5 coach (sea). A trained teacher who has taught outdoor pursuits in the UK. He worked with young people with special needs and challenging behaviour. Derek has first aid certificates, Mencap and Autism training. A Wildlife Safe (WiSe)  and Jersey Heritage Trust Seymour Tower accredited guide.

Over 40 years sea kayaking experience. Expeditions to circumnavigate Ireland by kayak, Outer Hebrides, Aland Islands, Faeroe Islands and Alaska.  Extensive sea and surf kayaking in the UK. White water-kayaking expeditions in Nepal to paddle the Tamur and Marsyandi Rivers.

Derek wrote Sit-on-top Kayak. A Beginner’s Manual (Pesda Press), when he discovered that this area of paddle-sport was ignored by traditional kayaking. It is now in its second reprint and is also translated into French. He was influential in getting the British Canoe Union to change the personal performance awards (star tests) to include sit-on-top kayakers.

Derek regularly presents training/safety clinics to enable people to enjoy the coastline of Jersey in greater safety. Derek also writes articles for kayking magazines.

Apart from kayaking he has completed long distance mountain walks such as the famous GR20 in Corsica. He also spent 18 months cycling 12000 miles around Europe. He loves skiing and speaks some French.

Gary Kemp

Director. BCU level 3 sea kayak coach with over 32 years experience.

Extensive sea kayaking experience in the Channel Islands and in France. He has kayaked in Pembrokeshire, Cyprus, S.E. Spain and Italy. Gary completed the first unsupported 30 mile paddle to the Roches Douvres Light House with John Richardson, via Les Minquiers Reef. He paddled the Devizes to Westminster 125 mile canoe marathon.

White Water kayaking expeditions to the French and Italian Alps, Pyrenees, and Tamur River in Nepal. His kayak surfing experience includes Morocco, Maldives, Portugal, France and Devon.

In 2001 Gary was a member of the Jersey Surf Kayak team, which won the world championship at Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, California.

Other interests include Snowboarding, Motorbike Track days and Enduro riding, mountain biking.

Director of Creepy Valley Activity Centre.

Gary has a wilderness first aid certificate. A WiSe accredited guide.

Mick

BCU level 3 coach who has worked in the outdoor pursuit industry since 2000.

He kayaked in the Argentinian Terra del Fuego, the southern tip of South America.

An experienced rock climbing instructor, He was instrumental in introducing coasteering to Jersey and pioneered some of the classic routes. As a result he knows a lot about the geology of Jersey.

Mick now spends most of his time kayaking and is keen to pass on his knowledge of both the wild life around our coast and the history of Jersey.

A WiSe accredited guide.  Outdoor First aid trained, MLTB Summer, Single pitch climbing instructor.

Mick speaks French.

Krista

One of the first new BCU/UKCC level 1 kayak coaches and a trainee level 2 coach. She has been kayaking for 7 years and has undertaken multi day kayak camping trips around Ile de Brehat. She often assists on the children’s courses.

In 2006 Krista spent 6 weeks on expedition in the White Mountains of Peru with the British Schools Exploring Society (the youth organisation of the Royal Geographical Society). In 2008 she spent three months studying global warming in Spitsbergen.

An Outdoor Education Graduate.

A WiSe accredited guide,child protection level 2, pool lifeguard.

Trudie

At the age of 10 years Trudie saw the North Sea for the first time. Soon sea shells formed part of her luggage back home to Bavaria in Germany.

As a professional tour guide in Britain, Normandy and Brittany this led her into a career as a travel guide book writer for Polyglott and Langenscheidt publishers in Germany. She now works as a free lance travel writer and editor. This led her to the Channel Islands in 2002 when she wrote the Channel islands guide book for Merian books.

Trudie fell in love with Jersey and the South East coast low tide zone. She happily links her passion for marine biology and local history with her training as a geographer on her guided walks to Seymour and Icho Towers, as well as developing a range of guided walks which explore the marine history and culture of Jersey.

She has since moved to Jersey to be closer to the sea.

Trudie is often your first point of contact when making a booking with Jersey Kayak and Jersey Walk Adventures.

Jersey Tourism Bronze Badge guide, Jersey Heritage Trust Seymour tower and Wild Life Safe trained guide.

German and English speaking.

Kevin

BCU level 3 coach who has been paddling from an early age, building his own canvas and wood canoe as a CSE project at the age of 15. In the seventies he was Head of Outdoor Pursuits at Horndean in Hampshire and worked part time at Calshot Activities Centre. He has taught hundreds of pupils of all ages to paddle on waters ranging from the tranquillity of lake Windermere, the Surf of Bude, and upper reaches of the Wye to the Tidal races of the Solent.

A trained teacher, Kevin holds the Mountain Leaders Certificate and teaches Rock Climbing. In 1983 he represented Great Britain as a member of the British Skydiving Team and before retiring was a British Parachute Association Advanced Instructor and parachute pilot.

He enjoys diving, holds the Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver Certificates. First Aid trainer. He is a keen cyclist and triathlete.

Kevin is currently setting up Sea  Search to increase awareness of the rich marine life of Jersey.

Mark

BCU level 1 coach who started paddling sit-on-tops with us in 2005. Previously he had been unsure about taking up kayaking because of the design of sit in kayaks. The Sit-on-top kayak enabled Mark to progress.

In 2007 Mark qualified as a level 1 coach. He now paddles both sit in and sit-on-top kayaks. He has circumnavigated Jersey twice, kayaked to les Ecrehous and kayak trips on Sark and Alderney. BCU 4 star sea trainee.

When not looking after a young family Mark assists on our level 1 and 2 kayak courses and on our offshore trips.

Essential information about British Canoe Union coaching awards 

The BCU certifies kayak coaches/instructors in a grading scheme running from level 1 (basic) to level 5.

BCU level 1 or 2 coaches can only operate in very restricted areas. In Jersey this means within very sheltered bays.

BCU coach levels 3, 4 and 5 require extensive training and experience and have a wider operating remit.

All kayak coaches must undertake regular updates in order to remain licensed to coach. This includes First aid and child protection training as well as attending coaching update courses.

Kayak coaches must be current members of the BCU to remain registered.

All Jersey  Kayak Adventures instructors undergo regular training to remain registered and up to date.

We support staff to gain additional qualifications and experience. For example by paying for First Aid updates, attend Canoe England coaching conferences, Bronze badge and Wild life Safe (WiSe) guide training.

Safety training at Jersey Kayak Adventures

All staff hold valid and up to date First Aid awards, satisfactory Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks and undergo Child Protection training as part of our staff training programme.

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