Paddle Smart: Essential Water Safety with Wepaddle

This session is your starting point for paddling with purpose—whether you’re exploring quiet mangrove tunnels, gliding across glassy Gulf Coast bays, or navigating Florida’s winding rivers and tidal waterways. Each environment brings its own rhythm, challenges, and rewards, and understanding those nuances is what turns a good day on the water into a great one. Led by ACA-certified instructors from Wepaddle, this interactive presentation breaks down the essentials every paddler should know before heading out. You’ll learn how to choose the right gear for your environment, interpret weather and water conditions, and build awareness around navigation and risk. Through real-world scenarios, we’ll unpack what can happen on the water—and how to respond with confidence using simple, practical safety and rescue concepts. This class is designed to help you make informed decisions, recreate responsibly, and feel more at home on the water. No experience needed—just curiosity and a desire to get out there. About our speakers: Tim Grimes and Susan Wyman are the co-founders of Wepaddle and highly respected paddlesports instructors, combining deep technical expertise with a passion for building confident, capable paddlers. With decades of experience teaching, guiding, and leading across Florida’s diverse waterways, they bring a calm, approachable style that makes safety skills easy to understand and apply.