Laura Zulliger

Paddling Bio

Laura’s first foray into kayaking was a month-long sea kayaking trip through southeast Alaska in high school. She left Alaska with an awkward PFD tan, hundreds of bug bites, and an insatiable addiction to paddling. Now with over 17 years of coaching experience, Laura is an ACA-certified Level 5 Advanced Open Water Coastal Kayaking Instructor – the youngest woman to earn this level of certification – and an L4 Whitewater Kayaking Instructor.

In addition to sea kayaking, she teaches whitewater kayaking, canoeing, surf kayaking and rolling. As a coach, Laura draws upon this multidisciplinary approach to give students the skills and confidence needed to experience the waves, rocks and swell of California’s energetic coastline as a playground rather than a battleground. To that end, she is grateful for the opportunity to work with paddlers at every stage of their development. She’s the Saltwater Program Director for California Watersport Collective, an organization designed to cultivate a diverse and supportive network of paddlers.

In spring of 2017, Laura and Kelly Henry embarked on a 6-week adventure in Taiwan in which they paddled the entire East Coast of the island nation and taught classes through Formosa Kayak School.

When she’s not on the water playing in waves and around rocks, she leads marketing and partnerships for an educational travel company. She’s honored to be an Ambassador for Kokatat and P&H Sea Kayaks.

Certs

ACA Level 5 Coastal Kayak Instructor
ACA Level 4 Whitewater Kayak Instructor

Websites

California Watersport Collective