Everyone is welcome to become a member of Long Island Paddlers! 

We are an active social club of over 300 members. Attending events is a great way to meet other paddlers and outdoor enthusiasts, whether you are a seasoned paddler or new to the sport.

We are not a commercial outfitter, however. Club trips are run by our volunteer Trip Leaders, and at their discretion tend to cover between 8 to 15 miles and last 3 to 6 hours, with varying wind, wave and tidal conditions. 

All Club Trips are rated by skill level and endurance requirements. Every attendee is responsible for understanding and meeting our minimum Paddling Guidelines. And every attendee is responsible for understanding and rating their own skill level accordingly.

We hold several skill-building sessions every year, at our Annual Spring and Fall Club Picnics and Winter Pool Sessions. These sessions are a great way to build your confidence, sharpen your paddling skills and learn assisted- and self-rescue techniques with ACA-Certified instructors. 

Beginners/Novices are also encouraged to sign up for our Buddy Program, which pairs you up with a more experienced member to help set you up with appropriate gear, basic paddling skills and more. Contact us to find out more…

Everyone is welcome to join Long Island Paddlers!

Club trips are run by our volunteer Trip Leaders, and at their discretion tend to cover between 8 to 15 miles and last 3 to 6 hours, with varying wind, wave and tidal conditions. And are therefore mostly rated a 1/2 or 2+. Any trip rated beyond a 1/A on our Trip Levels Guide, will be beyond the your capacity to keep pace with the group by virtue of the material, contour and length of the boat itself.

Most club members who start out with an inflatable or sit-on-top kayak and realize how much they enjoy the sport quickly upgrade to a sit-in boat. There are many affordable models on the market and our Club Classifieds are a great place to score a used boat!

We do occasionally run casual trips, for example our Photo Kayaks are focused on meandering in flat water areas where we look for wildlife and slow down to take photos along a shorter journey. Members with cameras or with slower boats, and even those just looking for a zen-like day often join these trips. 

Everyone is welcome to join Long Island Paddlers!

Club trips are run by our volunteer Trip Leaders, and at their discretion tend to cover between 8 to 15 miles and last 3 to 6 hours, with varying wind, wave and tidal conditions. And are therefore mostly rated a 1/2 or 2+. Any trip rated beyond a 1/A on our Trip Levels Guide, will be beyond the your capacity to keep pace with the group by virtue of the material, contour and length of the paddleboard itself.

We do occasionally run casual trips, for example our Photo Kayaks are focused on meandering in flat water areas where we look for wildlife and slow down to take photos along a shorter journey. Members with cameras or with slower boats, and even those just looking for a zen-like day often join these trips. 

Not really but yes! You will find members who do just about every variety of boating and outdoor activity there is!

Every season, we do run at least 1 or 2 whitewater excursions to the Delaware Water Gap! 

And several members do surfski, but they do this on their own with others who have the very specialized gear and skills required.

When you bccome a member, you can quickly find others who share your interests in niche boating like surfski, as well as other sports like biking, hiking, skiing & snowboarding, surfing, camping and world travel.

Sorry no. We are 100% volunteer run. We do not have a location nor do we rent kayaks or any other type of gear. However, we do have a small Shop at all of our meetings! We sell Long Island Paddlers T-shirts and hats and a few other items like kayaking gloves and lights for night kayaking, boat ID stickers, etc.

Yes, of course! We will keep track of when you join and make sure your benefits are available to you.

Of course! But the conditions have to be just right of course and there are only a few members who have the necessary gear and the skills to do so, so trips are very infrequent. 

Read more about Cold Water Kayaking on our Resources page.

We run approximately 75+ trips per season from late April until early December (winter trips do take place but only for those with appropriate gear), taking place nearly every weekend in the peak of summer.

Club Trips take place all over Long Island from the Queens border to the Hamptons, North and South Shores, across the Great South Bay, into the Sound and on the rivers and protected harbors and inlets. 

We also run several off-island excursions to the Adirondacks, to Assateague Island Park, Bannerman’s Castle on the Hudson River, whitewater kayaking along the Delaware Water Gap and beyond!

Check our Google Calendar  to get an idea of upcoming trips. Just keep in mind, most trips get posted within a fairly short notice of a week to a few weeks.

Sorry, no… but we encourage you to become a member so you can list your item AND join trips!

One of the many benefits of becoming a member is enjoying a level of safety among friends that is not experienced with open platforms like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Members are welcome to list items for sale, trade or for free on our private Meetup group or on our private Facebook Page. 

Welcome to Long Island! 

You can spend a lifetime living on Long Island and never explore all of its waterways! Not only are there many options for types of waterways including flat water rivers, protected harbors and inlets, open bays, the Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean, but trying to figure out how to get to the water and deciphering parking rules can be overwhelming! We know and we’ve all been there. 

When you join trips, all the details including parking, carry distance and on-site facilities will be provided, which is a great way to learn your way around the Island, one club trip at a time!

Members also get access to our Put-In Map, which has been years in the making, with new put-ins being added every year. We do our best to keep the map updated as parking regulations sometimes change over time, especially since COVID. 

And of course, our events are fantastic social gatherings for all members to share information with each other about put-ins, gear and all things kayaking.

Long Island Paddlers is a great way to familiarize yourself with put-in locations all over the Island AND learn advanced skills while you’re at it!

Long Island is unique in the NYC-Metro area in that there are many elements to learn and look out for, including tides and currents, high-traffic boat and ferry channels, shallow marshes during low tide, open areas that are susceptible to high winds and more.

Joining Club Trips is a great way to learn about all of these elements, one location at a time. And as a member, you have access to our Put-In Map, which has many of these elements, hazards and things to know before you go!

Wanting to take your skills to the next level? Becoming a Trip Leader is a great way to learn invaluable skills from ACA-Certified members, while also ensuring that the our club has a robust season of trips for all members to choose from. Contact us to find out what’s involved in becoming a Long Island Paddlers Trip Leader!

Yes! of course. 

All Club Trips are rated by skill level and endurance requirements. Every attendee is responsible for understanding and meeting our minimum Paddling Guidelines. And every attendee is responsible for understanding and rating their own skill level accordingly.

Every attendee should be able to get in and out of their boat, be able to comfortably paddle for up to an hour with only short breaks and handle variable weather conditions should unforeseeable changes happen during a trip.

Yes! of course. Family Membership includes all children under the age of 18. Any adult children 18 or older must join as a regular member.

All Club Trips are rated by skill level and endurance requirements. Every attendee is responsible for understanding and meeting our minimum Paddling Guidelines. And every attendee is responsible for understanding and rating their own skill level accordingly.

Every attendee should be able to get in and out of their boat, be able to comfortably paddle for up to an hour with only short breaks and handle variable weather conditions should unforeseeable changes happen during a trip.

Tandem boats are always welcome. 

You will have to paddle with your pooch on your own time, sorry 🙂