Brisbane Water Paddlers is a recently formed group of people who enjoy social and competitive paddling activities on the numerous beautiful sheltered waterways of the Central Coast. The club caters to all age groups and levels of fitness, with members paddling a range of singles and doubles craft from stable sea kayaks, surf skis, SUPs, and outriggers to Olympic-class K1 speedsters.
Races are conducted every second Saturday of the month, starting at 8 am off the public car park at the end of Restella Avenue Davistown. Public amenities are available adjacent to the car park. Social paddles occur on alternate Saturday mornings from the same venue, generally starting at 7 am followed by breakfast and coffee at a local café.
The club conducts races over courses of various lengths, dependent on skill and fitness levels, with both handicap and group starts. A mixture of events are conducted over the course of the year, including relay races, round island races, and an annual combined race with other paddling clubs from the region. Members are also active in regular marathon paddling events around the state, including the Myall Classic and the Hawkesbury Classic.
If you are interested in social or competitive paddling, or just want to maintain your fitness level with like-minded individuals, you are welcome to come down and check out the venue and meet some of the group. Alternatively, you can reach out to the club via email for more information.
The club also participates in the Canoe/Kayak Marathon, a low-impact sport and full-body workout involving paddling distances greater than 5 km with or without portages on flat water courses. Traditional marathon races can be completed in either canoes or kayaks, and in the Paddle NSW and club races, stand-up paddleboards can also be used. These races may include portages, sections of the race where athletes run with their boats around artificial or real obstacles.
Many club members also participate in the PaddleNSW Marathon Series, which consists of a number of races held throughout NSW and are hosted by affiliated clubs on their own waterways. The series caters to paddlers of all ages and skills, offering race distances of 5, 10, 15, or 20 km, and time divisions to suit their experience.
Overall, Brisbane Water Paddlers offers a welcoming community for paddling enthusiasts of all levels, providing opportunities for both social and competitive paddling on the picturesque Central Coast waterways.