Estuaries offer close-up and exciting views of wildlife including skates, blue crabs and sea turtles. Students learn and develop a variety of sea kayaking skills, including paddling strokes, wet exit, self and group rescue, navigation and weather forecasting. Whitewater paddling is also a component of the Classic Outward Bound course, which offers 21 days of backpacking, rock climbing and whitewater canoeing in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. On the river, participants develop communication and teamwork skills to maneuver tandem canoes through Class I-IV rapids. In addition to outdoor activity skills, North Carolina Outward Bound courses provide instruction for navigation, basic first aid, wilderness safety, camping techniques and environmental stewardship.
Instruction also focuses on teamwork and leadership.