Nigel's sea kayaking career began with a bang in 1980 when he and Paul Caffyn were the first to circumnavigate Great Britain. Their time record held for over 20 years, only to be broken by a team that included a coach from his outdoor centre, Phil Clegg. His contributions to the sport are unmatched and include ground-breaking expeditions, practical kayak design, sea safety development for kayakers, and improvements to the sea kayak leadership and coaching scheme. A day with Nigel is likely to be full of fun and adventure.

Meet Stuart: BC Advanced Sea Kayak Coach and Sea Leader
Assessor.

Stuart is the SKUK Adventures head coach, his journey into the world of paddling began at the age of 15, where he explored the realms of sea kayaking, canoeing, and wave skiing with his brother Craig. His passion for these water sports soon turned professional as he pursued studies in Outdoor Education, setting the foundation for his career.

In May 2012, Stuart, alongside a friend and his brother Craig, embarked on an ambitious adventure from their home, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. They paddled an impressive 2,500 miles around the British coast, returning 96 days later. This remarkable feat earned Stuart the accolade of being the youngest sea kayaker to circumnavigate Great Britain and the team became the first to do so in an anticlockwise direction.

Since then, Stuart has worked as a guide in California, Fuerte Ventura and Sardinia to name but a few. The bulk of his career has been spent on the fantastic tidal waters of Anglesey which he knows intimately.

Stuart is not only a great guide he is a highly skilled coach in technical water, and he especially loves to expand peoples range of comfort on the sea enabling them to access more fantastic paddling. His dedication and experience make him an invaluable part of the SKUK Adventures team and an inspiring figure for aspiring paddlers.

Meet Craig: BC Advanced Sea Kayak Leader and Sea Kayak Coach.

Craig runs SKUK Adventures with his brother Stuart. His journey into the world of paddling began at the age of 16, where he explored the realms of sea kayaking, canoeing, white water, and surf with his brother Stuart. Craig also has a passion for sailing and spent his late teens and early 20s working on board sail training yachts, training groups around the UK, North Sea, and Baltic countries. This gave Craig an intimate knowledge and love of the sea.

Inspired by legends in the sport such as Nigel Dennis, Phil Clegg, and Simon Osbourne, in May 2012, Craig, alongside a friend and his brother Stuart, embarked on an ambitious adventure from their home, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. They paddled an impressive 2,500 miles around the British coast, returning 96 days later. This remarkable feat earned the team the title of the first to circumnavigate Great Britain in an anticlockwise direction.

Since then, Craig has married Nigel Dennis’s daughter Lizzie. In 2022 they moved back to Anglesey with their baby son Monty. Craig has given up a career in emergency care nursing and clinical research/education to work in the family company, Sea Kayaking UK (formerly Nigel Dennis Kayaks). He is now running SKUK Adventures as well as guiding and coaching part-time alongside his work at Sea Kayaking UK.

We love to work with other coaches, and thanks to our association with Sea Kayaking UK, we will draw from our list of sponsored paddlers who can offer bags of experience and inspiration.