Our Vision
Coral Sea Kayaking stands for low impact, responsible ecotourism that creates positive change. We’re incredibly lucky to live in a time when many people can pop in for an unforgettable week of sea kayaking. It is our task as operators of these trips to ensure our guests have life enriching experiences, and that our presence helps to protect and strengthen the ecosystems and communities that exist in these places.
Our mission is to bring people into relaxation and attunement with the natural elements. To fully experience the rhythms of the rainforest, ocean and skies above as we travel through remote island paradise. A CSK specialty is tailoring trips to the unique and hopeful individuals that join us; allowing them to connect with family, friends, self, and the sand between their toes.
Upcoming Projects
Low impact by design
We continuously analyse all aspects of our business to find the least resource intensive way of doing things. Examples of this include partnering with local food producers to eliminate single use plastics wherever possible, and looking into which paddling gear can go the distance. Our glass-composite Kayaks both feel better to paddle than any plastic boat on the market, and will outlive plastics by decades. Glass itself is one of the most sustainable products on earth.
Watch this space
We have only just begun. Follow our social media to see where this goes.
More pristine than before
Every year in Australia approximately 130,000 tonnes of plastic leaks into marine ecosystems. Even the remotest corners of the earth are beginning to accrue small amounts of plastic waste. We have equipped our kayaks with storage, so that any microplastics we find along the way can be collected and disposed of appropriately. This leaves our destinations cleaner than before we arrive.
Inclusivity
We are making our trips more accessible to everyone, and reaching out to groups that may have been underrepresented in the outdoor expedition space. We're excited to host our annual PaddleOUT and PaddleAbility trips.
The Coral Sea Kayaking Story
EST. 1998
With a dream of creating world class kayaking tours within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Dave Tofler and Atalanta Willy wound up the lifestyle of international expedition guiding to establish Coral Sea Kayaking in 1998. Twenty years on, Hinchinbrook and its surrounding Islands are recognised as one of the worlds premier sea kayaking destinations. Years of experience and knowledge has helped to produce a style of trip that combines all the essential elements to the perfect sea kayaking expedition.
When Dave and Attie decided that the time had come to hang up their paddles and string up the hammock they passed the baton onto one of their senior guides James Thorp in 2017.
One of Australia's finest expedition guides, James brought visions of exploration and created Coral Sea Kayaking Beyond Borders program. James forged relationships throughout the Louisiades Archipelago in Papua New Guinea and created one of the most remote and rewarding sea kayaking journey's on the planet.
An explorer at heart, keen to escape the shackles of a modern capitalist world, in 2023 James decided to continue his oceanic explorations on his own terms. In order to embark on a lifelong dream of sailing around the world, James sold Coral Sea Kayaking onto two of CSK's own local guides, Clarissa and Ben. James continues guiding in Antarctica through the summer.
With expertise guiding expeditions in some of the most remote corners of the earth, ecology, environmental engineering, river conservation and teaching; Clarissa and Ben bring a range of skills to Coral Sea Kayaking and look forward to building on over 25 years of responsible tourism to continue to enrich lives of the people who visit us, care for the places that we paddle, and benefit the communities which we serve.
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Meet the crew
Clarissa
Clarissa is a tropical frog born and bred. Enjoying the chance to sea kayak in the best tropical destinations the world has to offer.
There's more than one way to cross the Coral Sea!
The tropics has a lot to offer. The gorgeous Cochables Creek is great for boating in the summertime when the sea becomes wild and wavy.
Clarissa is a tropical frog born and bred. Enjoying the chance to sea kayak in the best tropical destinations the world has to offer.
Ben
Ben grew up in Victoria, lived in many corners of the world before being drawn to the lush tropical rainforests, clear rivers, bountiful ocean and pristine Islands of North Queensland.
Ask Ben about the time that some thieves stole a raft and two kayaks deep in the heart of Peru's biggest canyon, leaving the crew stranded on a beach....
Ben is the unexpected fish assassin! Blending in as a fellow flounderer, the fish never see him coming...
Ben grew up in Victoria, lived in many corners of the world before being drawn to the lush tropical rainforests, clear rivers, bountiful ocean and pristine Islands of North Queensland.
Michelle
Michelle has logged more sea miles along the coast of Hinchinbrook Island than any other woman and after more than a decade working for Coral Sea Kayaking her arms and sanity continue to thrive and she keeps returning, lured by the iconic beauty of Hinchinbrook.
Michelle is not only extremely accomplished with a double bladed paddle but has been known to scale down to a single blade and achieve great things. Years of representing our nation in the Australian women's whitewater rafting team has seen Michelle travel the world blazing paddles with a sisterhood of great Australians.
Among Michelle's many talents is her photography and many of the photos on this website are her's. Michelle's depth of experience on the waters of Far North Queensland, her local knowledge of history, flora and fauna coupled with her gentle nature and happy personality ensures that anyone who shares the waters with her will be well looked after.
Michelle has logged more sea miles along the coast of Hinchinbrook Island than any other woman and after more than a decade working for Coral Sea Kayaking her arms and sanity continue to thrive and she keeps returning, lured by the iconic beauty of Hinchinbrook.
Ewan
The nomadic life tends to keep Ewie away from his homeland of Tasmania these days and instead he chooses to shiver his timbers off in the polar regions. Ewie's polar paddling exploits have turned him into a formidable sea kayaking guide. Countless seasons paddling in Antarctica and the Arctic has not only desensitised him to the smell of penguin poo but its honed his paddling skills, sharpened his risk assessment abilities and made him pretty savvy when it comes to weather interpretation.
The nomadic life tends to keep Ewie away from his homeland of Tasmania these days and instead he chooses to shiver his timbers off in the polar regions. Ewie's polar paddling exploits have turned him into a formidable sea kayaking guide. Countless seasons paddling in Antarctica and the Arctic has not only desensitised him to the smell of penguin poo but its honed his paddling skills, sharpened his risk assessment abilities and made him pretty savvy when it comes to weather interpretation.
Sophie
Fledged into the wilds of New Zealand from an early age Soph cut her teeth on the mountains, rivers and oceans of Aotearoa. Tough and talented she punches above her weight when it comes to paddle sports. Her expedition guiding resume is impressive, from New Zealand to Canada and Asia. You’ll love this infectious little Kiwi, a pocket rocket of positive energy, Sophie's authentic nature will keep you in line and her humour will keep you laughing.
Fledged into the wilds of New Zealand from an early age Soph cut her teeth on the mountains, rivers and oceans of Aotearoa. Tough and talented she punches above her weight when it comes to paddle sports. Her expedition guiding resume is impressive, from New Zealand to Canada and Asia. You’ll love this infectious little Kiwi, a pocket rocket of positive energy, Sophie's authentic nature will keep you in line and her humour will keep you laughing.
Chris
From running adventure companies and trips in Tibet to sailing the icy waters off Antarctica Jonesy has done it all and some more. Yet despite his accomplishments in the outdoors he retains a humbleness and authenticity. Jonesy calls Hobart, Tasmania home and when he’s not leading trips and doing tourism development consultancy work he chooses to play ‘spinnaker wench’ on the wetted bow of a racing yacht. Jonesy helps spearhead our PNG product and loves to get out to the Louisiade Archipelago.
From running adventure companies and trips in Tibet to sailing the icy waters off Antarctica Jonesy has done it all and some more. Yet despite his accomplishments in the outdoors he retains a humbleness and authenticity. Jonesy calls Hobart, Tasmania home and when he’s not leading trips and doing tourism development consultancy work he chooses to play ‘spinnaker wench’ on the wetted bow of a racing yacht. Jonesy helps spearhead our PNG product and loves to get out to the Louisiade Archipelago.
Thorpie
James was forced into a kayak when he was a child and pushed into a rapid!! It went surprisingly well, and thus his life has been a wet experience ever since. More than 20 years of paddling the world's rivers and oceans has left a lot of scars, a passport full of stamps, some epic stories and a worried mother. The nomadic life of an expedition guide coupled with his compulsion to explore has led James to work and travel in some far flung regions of the world.
From rafting in the Himalayas to leading sea kayaking trips in Antarctica and the high Arctic only to return and defrost in the tropics of Fiji and Papua New Guinea and of course his beloved Hinchinbrook Island which keeps drawing him back again and again. Over the years James has worked as an operations manager for several tourism businesses, James is also the previous owner of Coral Sea Kayaking.
After selling Coral Sea Kayaking to Clarissa and Ben, James sailed away into the sunset with his partner Darcey and dog Kovu, embarking on a lifelong dream to sail around the world. They were last seen somewhere between Tasmania and Tuvalu.
James was forced into a kayak when he was a child and pushed into a rapid!! It went surprisingly well, and thus his life has been a wet experience ever since. More than 20 years of paddling the world's rivers and oceans has left a lot of scars, a passport full of stamps, some epic stories and a worried mother. The nomadic life of an expedition guide coupled with his compulsion to explore has led James to work and travel in some far flung regions of the world.