Community Paddles

Name: Community Paddles
Brand: Navigate Expeditions
SKU: 1

Free off season monthly meetups for the paddling community

Celebrate our stunning local waterways with Navigate Community Paddles! Designed for connection and inclusivity, these free monthly social sessions make the Sapphire Coast accessible to everyone. Bring your own gear or hire ours, meet great people.

Highlights

FREE Social paddles on the first Tuesday of each month between May and September.
Explore the beautiful, calm lakes and rivers around Tathra.
Bring your own kayak for free, or rent a setup for just $20.
Open to anyone from 3 to 93 with paddling experience.
Keep our river systems pristine with a quick, integrated litter audit.
Post-Paddle Coffee: Wrap up your morning with optional laughs and local brews.

Connect with Your Community

Start your Tuesday on a high note. These off-season social paddles are the perfect opportunity to clear your head, catch up with old friends, or meet like-minded locals who share a love for the outdoors, all while floating through beautiful regional landscapes.

Accessible Waterway Adventures

We believe the beauty of the Sapphire Coast belongs to everyone. If you have your own kayak and gear, joining us is completely free! No gear? No worries at all. You can easily pre-book a kayak and equipment hire for just $20.

Skill Up and Join In

Paddlers of all generations are welcome, provided you have basic paddling skills. If you are new to the water or feeling a bit rusty, book onto one of our standard guided kayak tours first to build up your confidence and necessary safety skills.

Protect Our River Systems

We are committed to leaving our natural playgrounds better than we found them. During each one-hour paddle, we gather vital citizen science data by conducting a quick litter collection and audit, actively helping to keep the Sapphire Coast’s pristine waterways clean.

When

First Tuesday of Every Month

5th May 2026
2nd June 2026
7th July 2026
4th August 2026
1st September 2026

Meeting Times

8AM

Registration is Essential: To ensure we can manage group sizes and logistics, all participants must register.

Cut-off Time: Please register by the Saturday before your chosen Tuesday paddle.

Where

Safe inland waterways in the Tathra region. We’ll choose the best location according to weather and tides that week, so make sure to sign up to receive the details for each paddle. Alternating between Kalaru, Tathra and Wallagoot

Duration

Approximately 1hr paddle, followed by optional catch up coffee at a local cafe.

What to bring

Kayak (or hire one of ours)
PFD, Paddle (or hire ours)
Closed-toe shoes (reef shoes or old trainers) are needed. We have some you can borrow.
Hat & Sunglasses
Water bottle
Dry bag
Extra warm layer

Activity Rating

Active: Ideal for those with moderate fitness and good balance, this kayaking experience may involve sustained effort and paddling over long distances, occasionally against wind or current.

Pricing

FREE (Must register to attend)

Kayak Hire: $20 (Includes a double kayak for up to 2 adults)

Essential Booking Details

Registration & Deadlines

Registration is Essential: To ensure we can manage group sizes and logistics, all participants must register.
Cut-off Time: Please register by the Friday before your chosen Tuesday paddle.

Location & Communication

Stay in the Loop: We choose our paddling locations based on the weekly weather and tides. Once you register, we will email you the exact meeting location and the post-paddle coffee spot.

Equipment Needs: Registering helps us prepare enough hire kayaks for those who need them!

Weather & Cancellations

Safety First: If the weather is unfavorable, we may cancel or reschedule the event.

Direct Updates: We will notify all registered participants of any changes via email, depending on our logistical operations and participant numbers.

Terms & Community Connection

The Fine Print: By registering, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

Join the Community: Your registration also signs you up for our e-newsletter, keeping you updated on future community paddles and Sapphire Coast adventures.

Safety Requirements

Lifejackets (PFDs): Your safety is our priority. All participants—including those bringing their own equipment—are required to wear a properly fitted lifejacket (PFD) at all times while on the water.

Hire Equipment: If you are hiring a kayak from us, your lifejacket and paddle are included in the $20 fee.

BYO Gear: Please ensure your personal kayak and lifejacket are in good, seaworthy condition before arriving.

Participant Experience & SafetyPlease

Please Note: This is a community meetup, not a guided tour or a paid instructional session.

While a Navigate Expeditions guide will be present to help facilitate the morning, this is an unstructured social paddle. Participants are required to:

Be Proficient: You must already know how to safely enter and exit a kayak independently.
Have Basic Skills: Basic paddling skills are required, as no formal instruction or “learn to paddle” coaching will be provided.
Be Independent: Guests are responsible for their own safety and navigation on the water.

Specific Requirements? We believe in inclusive access to nature, but we want to ensure this is the right activity for you. If you have specific mobility or support requirements, please contact us before registering. We’d love to chat and make sure this community meetup format matches your needs, or we can suggest one of our fully guided Kayak Tours if you’d prefer more hands-on support.

Kayak Types and Preferences

We offer single, double, and triple kayaks for our tours. Please indicate your preference on your booking form. For children aged 10 and under, we recommend the stability and shared experience of a double kayak with an accompanying adult. Our kayak fleet also includes single and double kayaks equipped with outrigger stabilising floats for enhanced stability.

Swimming Ability and Safety

While being able to swimming is not a requirement, guests who are unable to swim must let us know on the booking form. This allows us to ensure extra safety measures are in place.

Assistance Animals and Pets

For safety reasons, trained assistance animals and pets are not permitted inside the kayaks or on these free community paddles.

Facilities and Location

We choose our paddle locations based on weather, logistical operations and environmental factors each week. While we may choose other spots at our discretion, our primary locations include:

Mogareeka (South Side): Meeting near the bridge. Public toilets are available nearby at the Lions Club Park.
Lake Cohan (Blackfellows Lagoon): Meeting at the boat ramp in Kalaru.
- Please Note: There are no public toilets on-site here; the closest facilities are located in Kalaru Evans Park.
Wallagoot Lake: Meeting at the Wallagoot Lake Sailing Club. Public pit toilets are available on-site.