Ben Morton

Kayak, SUP, and Canoe Instructor/Guide, Virginia

I grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Central Virginia. My mom got me into kayaking when I was a teenager, but it wasn’t until I wrapped up high school that I got addicted to being on the water. These days I’m a full time paddlesport instructor/guide and spend most of my year traveling throughout the US and abroad working on the water. I feel really fortunate that I get to share my passion for kayaking, canoeing, and SUPing with people on a full time basis.

I’m really fortunate to be able to spend most my days on the water and experience some absolutely stunning parts of the world…that to me feels like a pretty amazing achievement. In the world of “formal achievements”:

American Canoe Association Certified:
Level 5 Advanced Whitewater Kayak Instructor Trainer
Level 3 Whitewater SUP Instructor Trainer
Level 5 Advanced Whitewater Canoe Instructor

American Canoe Association; Excellence in Instruction Award 2013

I’ve had some absolutely amazing mentors over the years and there is an unfortunate trend in all of them; they’ve all had to have their “ears drilled”. This is because of the bony growth the occurs when you expose your ears to extensive water and wind. Everyone of my mentors lectured me on taking care of my ears and that not doing so would be my biggest regret in the long run. It’s extremely important for me to take care of my ears and protect them from the elements, but I also absolutely have to be able to hear on the river. For these reason I use SurfEars ear plugs. I haven’t found another ear plug manufacturer that makes an ear plug that keeps your ears completely dry from water and allows you to hear.