AQ Outdoors - Aquabatics Calgary

I’ve paddled with Aquabatics for years and have never once had an unpleasant instructor. The staff are all wonderful, and Simon is the best. I absolutely recommend for anyone who is even somewhat interested in paddling

Instructors are super cool and very easy going. They answer all your queries and in no time you would feel confident about paddling. I signed up for 2 day kayak program and it really helped me to understand basics and get a feel of river kayaking. Highly recommended. Can’t wait to jump on to bow river on my own.

My daughter and I took the deep water self rescue course last Friday and it was amazing! Well run, organized and our instructor made sure that everyone was able to self rescue and meet the goals for the course. I feel much more confident now that if I fell out in a mountain lake that I could get back in. Can't wait to take more courses next year.

Had a great time on the water with Thomas. Since I was lucky enough to be the only participant, I was spoiled. A unique experience to say the least. I felt like I was paddling with a friend all day.

I took the kayak quick start course on the Glenmore Reservoir and had a terrific time! Rommel is an enthusiastic and effective instructor. Appreciated how he structured the lesson and gave us feedback as we practiced. Fun group of people in the class. Good selection of different kayaks to try out. All the equipment was supplied and was good quality. I learned the basics of paddling. I'd like to come back and join the river course next. Now, to get out on the water and put my new mad skills to work.

Last week I completed the 2 day afternoon Quick Start Plus Kayaking through AQ Outdoors. In hindsight I am so happy I chose the Plus program as I found paddling on the reservoir was a very different experience to paddling on the Bow River where we used a different style of kayak and experienced a class one rapid. Both afternoons were excellent in providing the basic fundamentals which included a discussion on: types of equipment, safety requirements, different paddling strokes and potential hazards etc. Our instructor Thomas has a gift for teaching and paced the classes very well. I would highly recommend this program especially to learn the safety components before heading out for some serious fun!

I recently attended a beginner ww kayak course with my stepson, put on by Aquabotics at the Clearwater kayak festival. Festival was amazing! Although I am an experienced kayaker my stepson’s ability to roll, development was stalled in a frustrating series of eddy turn flip swim sequences.
Enter Coby from Aquabotics! We spent some time on the lake going over basic safety stuff strokes and t rescues. Then Coby spent some one on one time with people working on rolls. Mark (rank beginner) was able to pull of his first roll. Congrats Mark! Then it was off to the river for some of the able paddlers to run from pink mountain down. This is where my stepson was really able to benefit from Coby’s expert instruction, and made it down with just one flip, from which he came back up. The next day with a strong group we ran from hole in the wall down. Although he swam twice, he made it through some narly stuff and gained some valuable experience. Everyone showed marked improvement from the course, and I would highly recommend it. Thank you Coby! And Aquabotics! Can’t wait to drop some cash next time I’m in your store!

The SUP River course offered by AQ Outdoors was great: the instructor and assistant were attentive and knowledgeable, the equipment they provided was in good repair. I will consider more courses from AQ Outdoors.
My experience at the store itself was less than inspiring. I wasn't greeted or acknowledged upon entering the store. When an associate did address me it was with assumption and not questions. Further shopping from this establishment will likely be done online.

These guys are amazing! The teacher we had Caitlin was amazing so patient and supportive of all skill levels in the group. Great experience! Thanks so much!

Found the two day Quick Start program (day one on lake, day two on river) to be incredibly informative and fun! Our instructor's teaching style was approachable, encouraging and thorough. Thomas clearly explained each skill, in addition to all-important safety factors and allowed plenty of opportunity to practice and seek any support needed. We all feel well-equipped now to head out on either lake or river to further develop our kayaking skills!

The entire crew at Aquabatics are great! The instructors for the two day kayak quick start course were very knowledgeable, professional, and accommodating. I have been kayaking for one full season and I learned lots to help my skills along.
Highly recommend this course for any newcomers to the sport as well as anyone that has not taken any formal training.
I will definitely be back for more courses along with plenty of trips to their store which is well worth the venture if you have not yet been.

First time ever ordering from AQOutdoors in Calgary. We didnt get off to a good start. I ordered a very pricey full carbon paddle for my very first and owned kayak, which Im also about to use for the very first time in the near future. Well, the paddle came pretty scuffed up and looked and felt beat up. I was pretty dissapointed. The paddle should undoubtably be brand new. The shipping was pretty quick, and there was nothing wrong with the box, which leads me to believe I got a floor model paddle or one thats been messed around with, or it was second hand used one. Who knows? !? !

I contacted AQO right away. This is where the exceptional customer service kicked in. These lads and gals got me to send some photos, and without hesitation, sent out a BRAND SPANKING NEW paddle, AND put the return shipping label for the not so good paddle in the box with the new one. They were understanding on the phone and completely sympathetic (FYI we all know most places make you print the return label). They did all this quickly and without hesitation. I was kinda of shocked and suprised a little of how good to me they were on the phone and on a customer relationship level. Awesome!

And now I have a flawless, stunning brand new paddle thanks to the AQO team taking care of me. Top notch stuff. This will not be forgotten and will be in my mind for future shopping going forward.

Took my son on this course and Lauren, our instructor was extremely helpful working with his special needs. I can't praise her enough! Lauren was also great at accommodating the level of the course for everyone else. Awesome experience!

I just recently completed the Kootenay 4 day raft-assisted kayak course run by Aquabatics and had a terrific experience. Excellent instruction (Thanks, Diver and Adrien!) with lots of opportunities to practice our moves on the river. A nice mix of float and moderate rapids, every day bringing new stunning mountain scenery that we got to enjoy at a relaxed pace. And all of this topped off by delicious home-cooked meals!

Bought a paddle board thru Aquabatics a while back, could not get it to blow up this year. Brought it in this afternoon and the boys in the back managed to find the issue in the pump in no time. (just popped in, no appointment either)
They tested it and got my paddle board blown up in no time and checked that over too, well I was there.
What awesome service!

This was my first time in a kayak and I was a little nervous. The instructors were very informative and I felt very comfortable getting on the water. I loved this course and bragged about it to everyone and then when family members wanted to go I was sad to see all classes sold out! My only complaint would be add more classes️ Take the class! You won’t regret it!

With my boyfriend we took the full course of kayaking.
Honestly I didn't expect to enjoy it that much! All the teachers are incredibly talented, good teachers and patients!
Thank you so much for everything!

A great evening of paddling with Aquabatics quick start course. Lots of choices for equipment including different kayaks. I was concerned about having a Kayak that would fit as I am a bigger guy and there were a couple of choices for stable comfortable boats that fit me nicely. Robin and her partner were great as they reviewed kayak equipment, safety and skills. Lots of time on the water to practice paddling skills and enjoy the experience.

Great class! Knowledgeable instructor and lots of fun! I really enjoyed the Intro to river SUP class.

Greg was awesome! I learned a lot in such a short amount of time. I went from nervous to fully confident on the water in no time. He is very knowledgeable and has a calm demeanor that puts you at ease. The accent is fun too! Thanks Greg!

Attended the course on July 2/3 with Greg and found him to be professional, knowledgeable, skilled, extremely patient, and open and friendly. Had a great group of participants, enjoyed the course, and learned a lot. Thanks for everything, Greg!

Instructor was friendly, encouraging and approachable. Kayaks and gear was great and I appreciated the variety of equipment to view and try out.

However, I wish the topics in the course were expanded to include self-rescuing and what to do if you capsize and how to signal for help.
There was plenty of time to include more topics.
Topics covered were extremely basic.

Thank you

Love the courses and international kayak trips from Aquabatics. Top notch instruction and great team of people. Always helpful and willing to accommodate my health restrictions and have been a great support of our local Paddling club too!

Awesome shop! All the folks know their stuff! Great products, great Brands and great service! Looking forward to checking out their new location!

Highly knowledgable staff, honest and genuinely interested first and foremost in getting you your best paddling experience. Go on a weekday if you can - they're swamped on Saturdays and Sundays!

Great friendly and knowledgeable service. Had a perfect shopping experience in these difficult times.

Everytime we go to chat with the folks about gear or trips, they have great insight that helps us pick exactly what we need.

Staff was friendly, that was the biggest pro. Absolute lack of stock in store, issues receiving product ordered through the website. I feel you are better off to go into store to see what they have instead of fighting with their website.

It would be nice to support local businesses, but with no stock, this is really difficult. I feel like I did get 1 quality item from this store, but by no means could I outfit myself (or even begin to) from their stock (in-store or online).

This is truly unfortunate.

I’m not one to write bad reviews for places but I don’t know what else to do. We ordered a rooftop tent on the 22nd of July, we let them know that we absolutely had to have to by August 21st, the person I talked to assured me we would have it by then and that it would take about 2 weeks to come in. Two weeks had passed and we didn’t hear anything, I sent them an email and they said it would be here within a week. That was August 6th. In the email we were told we’d be updated. It is now the 18th and we are about to leave on our trip and haven’t heard a word from AQ. We have sent a few emails and haven’t gotten anything back, we called and we’re promised that we would get a call, never got one. Every time we call they have no idea what’s going on and will not pass the phone over to a supervisor or manager. I find it hard to believe that there are zero mangers in the store who can help us. If they would have told us from the beginning that our tent wouldn’t come in we could have figured out a different option. We have given them a deposit on the tent as well. All I’m asking for is someone to tell us what is going on, the customer service has been absolutely horrible. I understand with the current state of the world that things are behind but this just isn’t acceptable.

Took the river SUP course to see if I would enjoy it. The instructor, Brandy is so thorough and amazing. She also offered to go out with me again when I am ready. Def think the value for Aquabatics courses is so worth it! Will take river again for practice for sure.

Have big sale on for inflatable kayaks until july 31.went in onfirst of month as well as on line. No stores have any stock. Don't advertise a sale if you dont have product.

The administrative processes could use some work. We were rebooked a few times and it was hard to get clarity on the process. But once we got our on the water for the course everything was great! I found great value for what I paid for and I learned a lot and gained confidence in my SUP abilities. I cannot wait to take the river course and to spend more time this summer on the water.

This was the third store I had gone to in my search for a SUP board. I had tried a couple stores in south Calgary where I live and got zero customer service so I decided to head to the other side of the city and am so happy I did. Maddie was the girl who helped me and was amazing and I am taking one of her SUP classes next week and can’t wait. The rest of the staff was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. I highly recommend this store! I can’t wait to get on the water!

Sevice was great, Pricing was better than Canadian Tire and Amazon by 25% and had an item I have looked for for a week that I couldn't get anywhere else

We bought 2 new kayaks, there was a small issue with them. Thomas and staff went over and above to make us happy. I highly recommend purchasing anything from this store. You can't put a $ value on service like we received. Thank you very much.

The Kootney river trip this year was awesome! As an unsure paddler, I was looking to survive, number 1, and hopefully build some confidence. This definitely delivered. The Rapids were fun, lots of time to practice things and the view cant be beat. Matt and Brandon were great, working with each of us individually on our goals, and fed us way too much. Even being GF was no issue. Can't wait to go again!

Knowledgeable and very helpful staff. Assembled and installed my Thule roof rack bars and foot kit free of charge. Also, sent me replacement part (foot kit end) to me in Kelowna, BC without charge.

Very impressed with the service and layout + stock in Calgary branch. Hopefully, they'll consider adding Treeline rooftop tents to their range (an excellent Canadian brand with much a better design and construction than rivals like Tepui).

Second beginner's kayak lesson, this one was on the Bow River, Ann was a fantastic instructor. I learned a lot and had fun and am inspired to learn and paddle more. Highly recommend the store and the lessons.

Learn to roll was a great workshop. Excellent instruction and support. It is a long way to carry your boat so uses theres.

I took an intermediate group course with Anne on the Red Deer River. She's a great instructor. She re-taught us something we all thought we knew how to do. Everyone's paddling had noticeably improved by the end of the day. I did several moves in bigger features that i would have been terrified to do before this. After the course, I was excited to get out again as soon as possible and put the new skills into practice.

Highly recommended! A fantastic kayak week! Brandon is super proffesional and an excellent person! Thanks Tim for the Highwood river day.a learnt a lot! See you soon!

Took three different courses this year through Aquabatics. Instructors were all very professional and great at teaching. I have learned a lot about river kayaking and can’t wait to get out again.

My 13 year old son had a wonderful introduction to whitewater river kayaking with Aquabatics. The instructors were very friendly and experienced and they offered a great variety of experiences throughout the week. My son was even able to do a complete roll after his 5 days and able to practice on different rivers which he really appreciated. The drop off and pick up at the store was very convenient. Thanks!

I just finished a course from Tim and as usual it was outstanding! I gained not only new skills but so much more confidence I was able to guide someone down a class 3 river all by myself yesterday for the first time!
My roll is now solid too! Thank you Aquabatics!:)

Very knowledgeable team. I explained what I needed and within 15 minutes I was all set and walking out the door.

Awesome. Had Kayak lessons here and it was great! Bought a rack for my SUV and they were so helpful and installed it right then and there for me.

If I could give this company and staff more than 5 stars I would. From the material and instruction in their courses, for both adults and children, as well as in their service and knowledge for purchases they are a pleasure to deal with. I have been bombarding them with newbie questions for a year and a half and have always been treated with respect and given more knowledge than I could have asked for. Just received my first, of I'm sure many Kayaks, and will be headed their way for additional courses and any accessories needed. If you are looking for a location for kayaking equipment or courses, I highly recommend dropping by and discovering what this company has to offer