About Deep Blue Sea Kayaking

Deep Blue Sea Kayaking is an Irish Sea Kayaking company based in south Dublin and north Wicklow and has been operating since 2003. It is within easy reach of coastal areas such as Dalkey, Bray, Greystones and Wicklow Head.

We run most of our courses from Bulloch Harbour, Dalkey and Dun Laoghaire. We offer a full range of courses from beginner to advanced and also do sales of kayaks, paddles, accessories, clothing etc.

Deep Blue Sea Kayaking are a major provider of sea kayaking courses on Ireland's east coast. 

Des Keaney

Deep Blue Sea Kayaking is run by Des Keaney. Des runs courses, supplies training and advice and has first hand knowledge of our extensive range of boats and equipment. 

Des began paddling 30 years ago and has been leading and coaching sea kayaking since the early '90s.

Qualifications 

o Irish Canoe Union (ICU) Level 5 Personal Proficiency

o ICU Level 4 Instructor

o First Aid REC3 with particular emphasis on first aid in outdoor adventure sports.

Des's sea kayaking travels have included New Zealand, Scotland, Wales, France, Spain, Chile, Argentina and the glorious west coast of Ireland with its tidal races, beautiful islands, marine life and untouched beaches. In 2008, he led a group which successfully rounded Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America.

He is the editor of and has contributed significantly to Oileáin, the guide to Ireland’s coastline and islands, written by David Walsh and published in 2004.

A natural mentor, Des takes great pleasure in nurturing and developing new paddlers with his easy going unflappable approach and giving them the skills and confidence to become leaders in their own right. He is deeply committed to bringing new paddlers into the sport and growing the sea kayaking community. As part of this he set up the Dublin based East Coast Sea Kayaking Club of which he was Chairman from 2002-2008.

He uses Greenland paddles which he builds himself.

He’s also editor of ‘Oileáin – A Guide to the Irish Islands’.

Sonja Ewen

Sonja is Deep Blue's full time instructor and first took to the sea in a general purpose boat when she was about 14. In 2005 she bought her first sea kayak and it has since become her life.

She is a BCU 5* paddler, an Irish Canoe Union Level 3 coach and works as an instructor with Deep Blue Sea Kayaking in Dublin.

 She loves the many different elements of sea kayaking, the rough and the smooth, the wild and the human.

She has paddled in Scotland,  Wales, the Isle of Man and Malta.

In 2010, she paddled half of the coast of Ireland before being stopped by illness. She hopes to complete the trip next year.