Kayak Academy in Issaquah, Washington

I took their Sea Kayaking 101 course as a complete beginner who's never set foot in a Kayak before. My goal was to be able to use a real kayak (the kind you are wedged into with a spray skirt clipped on) and be able to successfully get out of it if I flip it (and not drown), as well as some basic kayaking skills such as being able to paddle efficiently. The class was 100% worth the money. I went in a colder month (spring) and they provide a dry-suit, just wear some warm clothes under it and you can take the class no matter the temperature. The class itself was 6 hours long (on the water...not counting lunch), and the size was 4 students per 1 instructor. The first 3 hours we spent learning the basics, learning correct strokes, and then learning how to escape from it underwater (practicing flipping over and escaping) with the help of an instructor. The second half of the day we spent practicing paddling (the instructor helped us and made a ton of corrections), and then ended the day practicing rescues: One person would flip their kayak in the middle of the lake (not shallows), get out from under it. Then another student would help them get back into the kayak (again in the middle in the lake). I came to the class with zero experience and was very concerned about flipping the kayak and drowning...leaving the class I had no concern about flipping the kayak. I now know how to safely exit a kayak and while I'm certainly no expert and need a lot of practice, this class taught me exactly what I hoped it would. After you take this class you can join their free weekly get-together for their alumni where they practice skills and kayak around lake Sammamish. Lastly, they also have a shop (separate from the classes) which I bought a paddle and life vest (PFD). The "shop" itself is more of a garage in the middle of residential area, but despite that I felt like I got some really solid advice on what to buy. You can find gear cheaper in other places, but I really felt like I got my money's worth after talking to the owner. He was really patient with me and answered about 45 minutes worth of my questions on a wide variety of topics: His opinion on brands and types of Kayaks, PFDs, differences between paddles, and that kind of thing. For a complete newbie like myself I didn't mind paying a bit extra than you could order from Amazon, since I was sure I was buying exactly what I wanted. He also threw in a 10% discount because I took classes from them, but I'm not sure that's something you can count on getting. Overall this place was incredibly helpful and I'd 100% recommend it to anyone starting out kayaking.

Kayak Academy is kind of a local hub of the kayaking scene. They have their shop and they have their classes. Both are nice. The shop itself has a lot of good points. If you wanted to buy a used boat then this is the place to go to save some bucks. If you need a custom fit drysuit they will measure you, sell it to you at a small discount, and even give you a nice loaner while you wait. The shop is in a residential neighborhood so can be confusing to find, but worth the journey.