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                Best friends and business partners Harmony-Dawn and Kharma

created Urban Ocean to encourage, educate and empower your water lifestyle.  

        Harmony Dawn

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Harmony grew up in and on the water, from competitive swimming to lifeguarding and instructing swim lessons.  Her love of the ocean and  traveling combined led her to a career in hospitality before pursing her passion for the beach lifestyle and creating a company that allows her to teach and create. 

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As the founder of the first stand up paddle company in Canada's Capital Region. Harmony has passionately put Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley on the Stand Up paddle map, leading the way in Eastern Canada with classes offered year-round thanks to a partnership with one of the cities warmest swimming pools. 

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Harmony is a multi- certified, multi- discipline athlete and instructor who has spent the last 13 years traveling internationally to teach and compete.  From corporate events and Yoga festivals to some of the worlds largest SUP races, Harmony's classes will challenge and inspire both the first time and experienced alike. 

Harmony specializes in teaching women, Non- swimmers, & SUP Pups.

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Certifications

  • World Stand Up Paddle Association-Master SUP Instructor Trainer

  • World Paddle Association Level 3 Water Safety Instructor

  • Paddle Canada Flatwater SUP Instructor Trainer

  • Amercian Canoe Association Level 2 SUP Instructor

  • Paddle Pro Level 2 Instructor

  • National Lifeguarding Society Instructor 

  • Red Cross & Royal Lifesaving Society swim instructor

  • 200 Hour Yoga Instructor 

  • Radiant child Level 2 yoga instructor

  • Senior Yoga, Chair Yoga & Yin Yoga instructor

  • Onboard SUP Yoga instructor, Yoga Aqua Instructor

  • Surfset Instructor

  • Can Fit Pro Personal Trainer

  • First Aid, CPR, and AED

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                                  Kharma 

  From a young age, Kharma, could be found swimming in the families pond at their Ontario horse farm or exploring the options of playing with new friends such as lizards and porcupines!

 

 While an accident left Kharma with a physical disability her strong spirit and determination had her bounding with joy at the opportunity to paddle, often letting herself out of the house to go for a swim with the dolphins that passed by the backyard in Florida, having Harmony paddle out after her.  

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There was no keeping this adventurous water lover on land even after be-friending a kitten. When she was left to babysit him on the beach, she instead taught Monster (the kitten) to be a paddle cat.  

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Kharma was known to get her way, from which board she rode to insisting she gets to go on the whitewater rapids too. She was inspiring with her friendly puppy-like personality on the beach to her big smile as she lay on a board dangling her paws in the water while she watched classes from her board.

 

While she was  travelled to SUP events throughout North American and 

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                                 RIP 1995-2016

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                  Kharma was onboard of course

when Whitewater Paddler, Dan Gavere, and Harmony were married. 

Her special place in the SUP community was commemorated by Starboard SUP making a limited edition Kharma board.

Turning her favourite stand up paddle board, the Starboard River SUP  Purple (like her collar) for a year. 

There are 100 of these limited edition boards world-wide, with 25 of them in Ottawa area.  

Forever Grateful for our friendship with Starboard SUP.  

We all paddle for a reason: to find clarity, to find our power, to find the best version of ourselves.

We paddle to feel strong in our bodies, our heads, and our hearts.

We paddle to connect to our community, and we paddle to find the fun in the everyday.

We paddle because the feeling we have when we're done can't be measured on a scale.            This is more than a workout.  This is our lifestyle. 

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