NSW Sea Kayak Club upcoming events

Fingal Fun 1 - Plastic Fantastic (30 May 2026)

Fri, 29 May 2026 23:00:00 GMT

This weekend will be a combination of trips and plastic sea kayak repair tips and tricks. A few members have recently been learning how to repair plastic boats and the intent is to have a weekend at Fingal Bay where we can share some of this knowledge along with a few paddling trips and hopefully some whale watching.

Accommodation for up to 8 is available in a holiday house near the beach from Friday to Sunday night. There are 2 x double beds, 2 rooms with 2 single beds and some floor space. Cost will be $70 each for the weekend to cover the cleaning fee. Other options are also available locally, including Fingal Bay holiday park. Depending on numbers, we will have a meal on Saturday night either at the holiday house or at the local Fingal Bay Cellar Cafe.

Note that we may have to park some cars around the corner or in 9 hour parking areas. There is safe storage for kayaks in the back yard of the holiday house.

This weekend is suitable for strong Grade 2 and Grade 3 paddlers and will involve open ocean paddling and rock gardening.

Caoimhin Ardren and Tony Murphy will be the sea guides and Richard Hackett will be organizing accommodation. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Fingal Fun Weekend 2 - The Humpback Highway (20 Jun 2026)

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Hopefully the humpback highway will be in full swing by mid June and Port Stephens is a great place to see these amazing creatures as they come in close to the coast around Fingal Island on their way north

This is the second Club trip to Fingal in June. Over the weekend we will be paddling around 20km each day, with the final plans to make the best of the weather.

Accommodation will be in a holiday house near the beach and is available from Friday to Sunday night. There are 2 x double beds, 2 rooms with 2 single beds and some floor space. To make catering easy, we will cook a meal for everybody on Saturday night and provide some basics like bread, milk, margarine, tea and coffee. Please bring your own breakfast and lunches and food for Friday night, alcohol etc. The cost will be shared between those attending and will be around $110 for the weekend to cover the cleaning fee and food.

Note that we may have to park some cars around the corner or in 9 hour parking areas. There is safe storage for kayaks in the back yard of the holiday house.

Paul Thomas will be the sea guide planning the routes and Richard Hackett will be organizing accommodation and cooking. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Myall Lakes Camping - Under the Milky Way Tonight (11 Jul 2026)

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Its time to dig out your winter woolies and head to the Myall Lakes for a camping weekend under the stars. I've got a few ideas for trips and much will depend on who signs up and what the weather brings. All options will include Saturday night at Shelly Beach to watch the sunset.

Plan A - Bombah Point Ferry (east side) to Shelly Beach Return. Leaving Saturday morning and returning Sunday afternoon.

Plan B - Bombah Pint Ferry (east side). Leave Friday night 5pm and paddle in the dark to Johnsons Beach as the Milky Way rises above us. Head to Shelly Beach on Saturday and return on Sunday.

Plan C - If the weather is good extend the trip to stay on Monday.

The Myall Lakes is a wonderful area to kayak and camp, especially in the winter when it is much quieter. The weekend has been selected as a good time to see the Milky Way with no light pollution. The sunsets from Shelly Beach can also be superb, so make sure that you pack your camera (and tripod if you have one).

This trip is suitable for competent paddlers (Grade 2) who can maintain a speed of 6km/h to stay with the group (especially if we paddle at night). If you are familiar with bush camping, but have never kayak camped before, this would be a great introduction.

You will need an NSW National Parks Pass and NPWS camping fees will apply.

AGM Weekend - Swansea Caves and Lake Macquarie (17 Oct 2026)

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 22:00:00 GMT

NSW Sea Kayak Club Annual General Meeting

This year's AGM weekend will be at Swansea in the Hunter region on Saturday 17 October.

There are some great paddling options for everybody from exploring the caves between Swansea and Catherine Hill Bay to the quieter waters of Lake Macquarie. We will aim to put on a number of trips to suit those who want to attend the weekend.

The AGM itself will be held at the Swansea RSL where we have a room booked with water views. Refreshments and food will be available at the RSL after a day on the water. At this stage, there are no plans for a speaker etc, but this may change closer to the time if somebody has some good tales to share from a recent trip.

The AGM is where the "office bearers" of the Club are elected and where other business associated with running the Club can be discussed. We are always looking for new people to help on the Committee, so if this interests you, please give it some thought before the AGM and have a chat to one of the Committee members. In particular, this year we will be looking for at team of 3 or 4 people to help organise Rock and Roll 2027 at Currarong on 13/14 March 2027.

There are a couple of camping options at Swansea close to the water and the RSL. I will check these out before the event and confirm which location we will use. When registering for the AGM, please select either the "camping" or "not camping" option so that we can try to coordinate and share camping sites used by the Club.