Turquoise lagoon enclosed by steep limestone cliffs

Flat water · Short walks · No waiting

Boat Stations and Board Hire on Lagoons and Closed Bays

We run small waterfront stations on sheltered water — lagoons behind sandbars, closed bays, harbour basins and lake inlets where wind is broken by land on three sides. Each station hires paddleboards, kayaks, pedal boats and rowing boats by the half hour, hands out buoyancy aids and a laminated map of the safe area, and puts a first-timer on the water inside ten minutes. Instructors are on the jetty all day, a safety boat covers every site, and there are showers, lockers, shade and cold drinks when you come back in.

Hire & Sessions Find a Station

About us

Small Stations, Sheltered Water, Everyone Welcome

The first station was a shed with six boards on a lagoon that local families had swum in for generations. It worked because the water was genuinely calm, the price was low enough for a spontaneous hour and nobody was made to feel that watersports were for other people. Five stations later, that is still the model: sheltered locations only, short hire slots, no membership, no lengthy paperwork, and staff who will happily spend twenty minutes teaching a nervous adult to stand up rather than pushing them off the jetty and walking away.

Locations are chosen for shelter rather than views alone. Each site has land on at least three sides, a maximum fetch short enough that waves never build, water shallow enough to stand in over most of the marked area, an easy sandy or stepped entry and no motor traffic. Boundaries are marked with buoys, the safe area is drawn on a map handed out with every hire, and the on-duty instructor watches the water constantly rather than from behind a till.

Equipment is chosen for beginners: wide, thick inflatable boards that are very hard to fall off, sit-on-top kayaks that cannot fill with water, stable pedal boats with backrests and shade canopies, and buoyancy aids from toddler to extra-large. Everything is rinsed, inspected and pumped to the correct pressure every morning. We also keep the bays clean, run monthly litter paddles, monitor water quality with the municipality and post the results at each station.

Shallow sandy lagoon with pale green water and low trees

Person doing a headstand on a paddleboard in still water

Advantages

Why People Come Back Twice a Week

Six things that make an hour on the water easy enough to do on the way home from work.

Water That Stays Flat

Every station sits on water enclosed by land on three or four sides, which keeps the surface calm even when the open coast is unusable. That single characteristic is why beginners succeed here: a board that is not being knocked about is easy to stand on, a kayak tracks straight, and a nervous swimmer can put a foot down almost anywhere in the marked area. It also means we stay open on days when other operators close, and that families can plan an outing a week ahead with reasonable confidence that it will actually happen.

On the Water in Ten Minutes

There is no booking form to complete, no membership to buy and no queue for a locker key. You arrive, choose a craft, sign one short line, put on a buoyancy aid, take a two-minute briefing on the marked area and the return signal, and go. Half-hour slots exist precisely so that an hour of free time is enough. Payment is contactless at the jetty, hires can be extended from the water by raising a hand, and if you come back within five minutes because you did not enjoy it, we refund the slot without discussion.

Instructors on the Jetty, Not in an Office

Somebody qualified is always standing on the boards' end of the jetty, and their job is to watch the water and help. That means a free two-minute lesson for anyone who wants it, a hand for older visitors getting on and off, a quick tow back for a child who has drifted, and someone who will notice within seconds if a paddler is struggling. Formal lessons cost extra, but the informal help never does, and it is the single reason most nervous first-timers end up buying a second hire the same week.

Equipment Chosen for Beginners

Our boards are wider and thicker than the ones sold as performance models, which makes them far more stable and much more forgiving. Kayaks are sit-on-top, so capsizing means simply climbing back on rather than a rescue. Pedal boats have backrests, sunshades and a small ladder. Paddles are adjustable and sized on the jetty, buoyancy aids come in every size from toddler upwards, and waterproof phone pouches are handed out free. Everything is checked, inflated to the correct pressure and rinsed daily, and damaged kit is retired rather than patched indefinitely.

Comfort on the Shore

A good hour on the water is easily spoiled by nowhere to change and nothing to drink afterwards. Stations have hot showers, changing cubicles, lockers, toilets, shaded seating, a rinse hose, a repair bench, a drinks and ice-cream counter and free drinking water. Towels can be borrowed. Bicycles can be locked inside the fence. Parking is free for the length of your hire, and there is space to leave a pushchair. Small things, but they are what turn an outing into a habit rather than an event.

Prices That Do Not Punish Curiosity

Half-hour hire costs about the same as a coffee and a pastry, and family rates cover two adults and up to three children on any combination of craft. There is no charge for buoyancy aids, paddles, phone pouches, showers or the informal help on the jetty, and no deposit is taken beyond an identity document held at the desk. Season passes exist for regulars and pay for themselves in a fortnight of ordinary use. We publish the whole price list at every station and online, and it does not change through the summer.

Services

Everything Available at the Jetty

Hire, lessons, sessions, parties and support for anyone organising something on calm water.

Old stone boathouse with blue doors beside still green water

Board, Kayak and Boat Hire

Paddleboards, sit-on-top kayaks in single and double, pedal boats, rowing boats and a few small sailing dinghies, hired in slots of thirty minutes, one hour, half a day or a full day. Buoyancy aids, adjustable paddles, waterproof phone pouches and a map of the marked area are included with every hire, and wetsuits are available free in cooler months. Craft can be moved between our stations on request, and season passes give unlimited hire with priority at busy weekends.

Lessons and Beginner Courses

Structured lessons for those who want more than the two minutes on the jetty: an hour of paddleboard basics covering stance, stroke, turning, falling safely and getting back on; kayak sessions on efficient paddling and edging; and four-session courses that finish with a longer paddle across the bay. Groups stay at four per instructor, equipment is included, and children from six are taught in dedicated sessions with games rather than drills. All instructors hold recognised paddlesport and rescue qualifications.

Board Yoga, Fitness and Sunrise Paddles

Scheduled sessions through the season: yoga and pilates on anchored boards, a fitness paddle circuit, guided sunrise outings when the lagoon is completely still, and slow evening paddles with lanterns. Sessions last an hour, run at fixed times, and are booked online or at the desk. All equipment is provided, anchoring keeps the group together, and instructors adapt the class for complete beginners. These sessions are the most reliably sold out part of the programme, particularly in the two weeks either side of midsummer.

Children's Clubs and School Groups

Holiday clubs run in weekly blocks for ages six to fourteen, mixing paddling with swimming, water safety, simple navigation, beach games and a certificate at the end. Schools and youth groups book mornings during term time, with a higher instructor ratio, buoyancy aids for every size, and a session plan matched to the group's confidence. Risk assessments and insurance documents are provided in advance, and children who cannot swim are welcome in the shallow marked area with an instructor in the water beside them.

Parties, Corporate Days and Private Hire

A station can be reserved outside opening hours for birthdays, company days and celebrations, with all craft, instructors and safety cover included plus the option of catering on the terrace. Popular formats include a paddle relay with prizes, a slow sunset paddle followed by a barbecue, and a team session that ends with everyone in the water. We provide changing space, lockers, music at a reasonable volume and photographs of the group taken from the safety boat.

Storage, Repairs and Event Support

Private boards and kayaks can be stored for the season in racks at any station, with access during opening hours, a rinse hose and a repair bench available. Our workshop patches inflatables, replaces fins and valves, repairs paddles and services pedal boats for other operators. We also supply safety boats, marks and marshals for open-water swims, regattas and charity paddles on any sheltered water in the region, and run a monthly litter paddle that anyone may join free of charge.

Contacts

Stations, Bookings and Groups

Ask which station suits your group, whether a session has places left and what the water is doing today. Hire itself never needs booking — simply arrive — but lessons, clubs, parties and private hire should be reserved in advance.

Storage, repairs and event support enquiries go to the same office.

Office11 Rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris, France

Phone+33 1 42 77 30 96

Emailcalmbaystations@icloud.com

SeasonMay–September daily 09:00–20:00; April and October at weekends