NWOC Instructors
There's no separation between the shop and the water here - the same people teaching your classes are the ones helping you choose gear and answering questions at the counter. We've been at it long enough that the two sides inform each other in ways that are hard to fake.
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Northwest Outdoor Center started the way a lot of good things do - with a group of people who loved something and decided Seattle needed more of it. In 1980, Herbie Meyer called together a group of fellow paddlers at the Green Lake Tavern. They were strictly running whitewater at the time, running classes out of a Wallingford duplex and garage. Within two years the phone was ringing off the hook. In 1982 they moved to the Boat Street facility, the focus shifted to ocean kayaking, and NWOC became what it is today.
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We teach because it's genuinely fun and because there's something rewarding about watching paddlers improve and find their own love for being on the water. It's easy to forget how much you enjoy it if it's been too long - or to assume learning is more complicated than it is. Our job is to simplify that. Most people are surprised by how quickly it clicks.
Dylan
Lead Instructor
Dylan teaches the bulk of NWOC's foundational classes, FOSK, strokes, rescue, skills nights and member paddles, and co-teaches whitewater with Kevin. He's been instructing here for roughly 20 years, building on a teaching approach developed here over decades. He's drawn to moving water - Deception Pass, whitewater, ocean surf breaks - and that tends to show up in how he teaches. His focus is on building efficient, adaptable technique early, the kind that holds up when conditions aren't perfect.
Patrick
Instructor
Patrick has been teaching at NWOC for around 20 years and covers strokes, rescue and FOSK, along with skills nights and member paddles. He spent years teaching rolling when NWOC offered it - the kind of patient repetition that builds real muscle memory. His explanations are calm and thorough without being complicated, which makes him particularly good at working with paddlers who want to not just understand what to do, but why it works.
Mitch
Instructor
Mitch joined NWOC in 2015 and has been teaching for about 5 years. He teaches strokes, rescue, and FOSK along with skills nights and member paddles, and he's genuinely at home on longer water. He's done the NWOC to Bella Bella trip up the Inside Passage - the kind of trip that puts everything into perspective. On the water with students he's calm, practical and good at listening before he jumps in with answers.
Eric
Instructor
Eric has been paddling since the 1970s across just about everything - sea kayaking, whitewater, and surf. He teaches select FOSK and whitewater classes, and his range shows in how he teaches: there's a lot of context behind every piece of advice. When he's on the water with students, you're getting perspective built across decades of paddling in real conditions.
Kevin
Instructor
Kevin started whitewater kayaking by taking a class in the early 90s. He's been helping teach it since the early 2000s - including our former week-long total immersion whitewater course. That arc, from student to instructor over more than two decades, is a pretty good indicator of how seriously he takes it.
John
Co-Founder
John is one of the founding members of Northwest Outdoor Center from back in 1981 and created the class curriculum that NWOC still teaches from today. The foundation he created has been refined over the years and adapted as instructors have seen what actually works in their limited time with students. The goal he built it around hasn't changed: take someone from Lake Union to capable paddling in current in four sessions. He still gets on the water with students.
Herbie
Co-Founder
Herbie came to Seattle for the rivers. He'd been teaching whitewater for another company, heard there were good rivers here, and once he arrived he never left. He helped found Northwest Outdoor Center in 1981 and has been on the water ever since. His infectious smile and easy laugh have always been a part of how he teaches - you can see the enjoyment before he says a word. That enthusiasm for being on the water is something he's passed down to every instructor who comes through NWOC.
Libby
Co-Founder
Libby has been a part of NWOC since the beginning - from the early days in a Wallingford garage to where it is now. She's handled the books and business operations from day one, and over the years built that into a full CPA practice. Most customers never see this side of what keeps a small business running for over four decades, but it doesn't run without it. NWOC exists in the form it does today in no small part because of her.
Kayaking Classes & Memberships
The crew at NWOC love sharing their knowledge and seeing their students progress to new levels of ability. Explore our kayak classes and skills memberships in Seattle and build the skills to paddle safely on Puget Sound and beyond. We believe the fastest way to build confidence is to learn on the water.