Nate Hanson

Nate Hanson's enthusiasm for kayaking is hard to hide. With an encouraging teaching style, he enjoys helping students discover new possibilities in a sea kayak, working with each individual to attain his or her own personal paddling goals - whether that's surfing a tide race, or simply getting into a boat without tipping over. The owner of Pinniped Kayak, Nate spends most of his time teaching and paddling on the waters surrounding Acadia National Park in Downeast Maine, though the sport of sea kayaking has also brought him around the globe to the coasts of Chile, Croatia, Scotland and more.

Nate's credentials include: British Canoeing Sea Kayak Coach, ACA L5 Advanced Open Water Coastal Kayak Instructor, ACA L4 Open Water Coastal Kayak Instructor Trainer, ACA L4 Whitewater Kayak Instructor, BCU 4-Star Sea Leader. He is also certified as a Wilderness First Responder (WMA). He has served as an instructor at the East Coast Paddlesports Symposium, Symposio de Kayak del Pacifico Sur, the Bay Of Fundy Sea Kayak Symposium, the Western Isles Sea Kayak Symposium, and the Downeast Sea Kayak Symposium. Nate is proud to be a Team Paddler for P&H Custom Sea Kayaks.

Todd A. Johnstone-Wright

Todd is an adventure sports coach and educator who has worked in outdoor pursuits for over 20 years. He is the Director of Adventure Sport at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont and owner of Synaptic Sport LLC., a consulting group serving sports coaches, adventure sport coaches, and educators. At his core, Todd is a teacher, instructor and coach whose focus is on creating highly differentiated and fun learning experiences for any ability level, both on and off the water. He is one of only four North Americans to successfully assess as a British Canoe Union (BCU) Level 5 Coach Sea, and one of three to complete the British Canoeing Level 4 Coaching Diploma. He is also an American Canoe Association (ACA) L5 Advanced Open Water Instructor Trainer Educator, ACA L4 Whitewater Instructor Trainer and ACA L4 Surf Kayak Instructor. Todd serves as an instructor educator for SOLO Wilderness Medicine where he works with diverse groups to include, components of the armed forces. Additionally, Todd has earned a Master’s Degree in Education and a second Master’s degree in Performance Coaching at the University of Stirling, Scotland. He also holds awards in the ski, climbing and mountain bicycling disciplines. He is a team paddler for P&H Kayak and an ambassador for Northwest River Supply (NRS). Kayaking and adventure sport have afforded Todd the opportunity to paddle, climb, ride and ski throughout North America, South America, Africa and Europe. He feels it’s a privilege to be present whenever and wherever learning is happening.