ACA L2: Essentials of River Kayaking Instructor Certification Workshop

Blues City Kayaks' certified instructors are excited to offer the ACA Level 2 Essentials of River Kayaking Instructor Certification Workshop! This workshop is for knowledgeable and experienced river kayakers who already possess the knowledge of basic river skills, how to apply them, and a desire to acheive certification to teach others!

We'lll start promptly at 8:30AM and go until we are done for the day, which could be as late as 8PM. You are responsible for bringing your own kayak and gear. Participation in this workshop does not guarantee certification.

These are skills you should know prior to this workshop. If you are unsure of your level of knowledge, two skills courses are being offered prior to the workshop to help ensure successful completion of the workshop.

ACA L2: Essentials of River Kayaking Skills Course

Planning

• The Paddling Environment
• Personal ability & judgment
• Personal equipment (reviewed by Instructor)
• Water comfort and confidence
• Kayaks: types, materials, parts (including safety features such as flotation)
• Paddles: types, materials, parts, length, blade size & shape, hand position.
• Personal equipment: The 10 outdoor essentials, kayak gear, etc
• River gauges (Current (cfs), volume, direction)
• River obstacles Importance of First Aid & CPR

Participation

• Safe paddle and boat handling
• Appropriate personal behavior
• River etiquette
• Safety and rescue considerations
• Warm-up and stretching
• Boarding the kayaks
• Posture, safety, comfort, effectiveness, rocking, balance
• Strokes, Sweeps, Draws
• Towing
• How to empty a kayak
• Principles of Rescue
• Priorities: first people, then boats, finally other gear
• Responsibilities of the victim/Responsibilities of the rescuers/Responsibilities of the group
• Types of Rescue/Self Rescue
• Boat assisted rescue, towing or bulldozing a tired swimmer, towing or bulldozing a capsized boat
• Shoreline Rescue: Extension rescues, use of throw ropes/bags
• Swimming in current
• Self Rescue/Assisted Rescue/ Boat Emptying
• From shore: Extension, Rescue ropes/From boat: Bulldozing

Putting Away

• How to properly load a kayak on a vehicle (loading and unloading, racks, strap)
• Group debrief / Individual feedback
  
  All candidates should be able to pass this assessment prior to attending this workshop:
  https://americancanoe.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/L2_Essentials-of-River-Kayaking-Skills-Assessment.pdf