Our 55+ kayaking program at Ocean River Sports, the first of its kind. Our paddlers range from their mid-50s into their 80s, and demand just keeps growing.
We run three streams: basic instruction for brand new paddlers, intermediate instruction for those building skills, and touring camps to explore our coastline together. Many of our participants now join our weekly social paddles, and they keep asking us for more.
An idea born on Beach Drive
It started with a moment on the water. I was sitting in my kayak at Oak Bay, teaching a Paddle Canada course, when I noticed people stopping along Beach Drive to watch us.
A lot of them were retired, and I could see it on their faces. They wished they could be out there, but they figured they were too old or not in good enough shape.
That stuck with me. We already partnered with our local rec centre on kids camps that put nearly 300 young paddlers on the water every summer. So I called them up with a new request: let's open a camp for seniors.
Three streams, one community
We built the program so people can start wherever they are. Basics instruction gets you comfortable and confident in a kayak. Intermediate instruction builds on those skills. Touring camps take everyone out to explore the coastline together with a professional guide to keep safe.
Some of our paddlers had never sat in a kayak. Others hadn't paddled in decades. Every one of them has proven you're never too old to start.
Good for the body, good for the mind
Paddling is low-impact, full-body exercise. The boat carries your weight, so it's easy on knees and hips, while every stroke works your core, back and shoulders. Sitting in a moving boat also challenges your balance, something Canada's 24-Hour Movement Guidelines specifically recommend for adults 65 and older, along with at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each week. Staying active like this is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and falls.
Then there's being outside. Time on the water slows everything down, and you can see it on people's faces when they come back to the beach. The research backs that up: a large study of nearly 20,000 people found that those who spent at least two hours a week in nature were significantly more likely to report good health and wellbeing.
Making friends when it gets harder
Making new friends gets tougher as we get older. Careers end, kids move away, and for people who moved here to retire, they're often starting from scratch in a new city. Statistics Canada found that almost one in five Canadian seniors reported feeling lonely in 2019 and 2020, and nearly one in four faced barriers to joining social or recreational activities.
That matters for health. A major review of 148 studies covering more than 300,000 people found that those with stronger social relationships had a 50% greater likelihood of survival, an effect comparable to well-known risk factors for mortality.
Our camps have become a place where those connections happen naturally. People have made real friends here and found paddling partners they now head out with on their own. Many of them join our weekly social paddles, side by side with former campers, course graduates and longtime local paddlers, and they keep asking us for more.
Some of the best friendships cross generations. On our social paddles, our 55+ paddlers head out alongside people in their 20s, and both sides get something out of it. The younger paddlers get mentors, stories and a whole lot of life perspective. Our older paddlers get fresh energy, new connections and a reminder that they belong out there with everyone else. Research on intergenerational activities points the same way, with benefits like reduced loneliness and better understanding between age groups for both young and old.
Proving you can keep learning
Every camp is a reminder that learning doesn't stop at 55, or at 85. Our paddlers pick up new strokes, new skills and new confidence, and our three streams mean there's always a next step.
That challenge is good for the brain too. In one study, adults aged 60 to 90 who spent three months learning demanding new skills showed real gains in memory compared to those doing social or low-effort activities. Learning to paddle checks every box: it's new, it's challenging, and it's social.
It's such a rewarding thing, seeing people who moved here to retire find a new passion. They show up a little nervous, and a few sessions later they're the ones asking when the next paddle is.
Contact us for our next 55+ camp opportunity.
Jamie Dawson - Ocean River Sports