The program starts with the basics of boat control, develops them into effective and efficient learned skills, and works in self and assisted rescues, seamanship, navigation and tripping. These early skills are developed thoroughly in a sheltered water environment before moving to open water with wind, waves, current, surf, open crossings, and day and night navigation. The later stages of the program introduce advanced seamanship, leadership, navigation, and boat control and rescue skills in advanced rough water conditions.

Instruction is provided through a collection of well-defined core courses, followed by practice and more coaching as needed. Formal assessments are provided to ensure skills are learned and assimilated into every day paddling, and can be easily reproduced on demand. Having completed assessments at various levels, students should be clear about the types of trips and variety of conditions they are prepared to undertake.

For more information call 503.283.1717 or visit www.pnwpic.net

Multi-level Approach:

The program is divided into five levels.  Level 1- Novice, Level 2- Beginner, Level 3- Intermediate, Level 4- Proficient, and Level 5- Advanced.  These levels have been chosen to correspond to the internationally recognized award system defined by the British Canoe Union (BCU) and coincidentally tie in with the Tsunami Ranger’s Sea Conditions Rating system and the International Whitewater Rating System.  The curriculum is based on both American Canoe Association (ACA) and BCU technique and teaching styles. Formal assessments for BCU awards are available on completion of each level. Since each level develops skills that are necessary for the next level, it is important to complete the levels in order.

Level 1 is for the first time, novice to take an introductory paddlesport course.

Level 2 emphasizes acquiring basic knowledge and skills that enables the student to participate comfortably and safely on a sheltered water trip under the guidance of a competent leader. This level includes basic boat control, self and assisted rescues and an introduction to day tripping. BCU 2 STAR Award

Level 3 develops effective and efficient paddling techniques that give the student a firm foundation for intermediate and advanced kayaking. Skills are developed and practiced in a sheltered water environment until they can be naturally and subconsciously blended together. The central theme at this level is a refinement and polishing of all the important strokes, bilaterally and in forward and reverse modes, as well as a fine tuning of bracing, rolling and rescues. We also introduce basic seamanship and navigation at this level, and use what is learned in an intermediate day trip. BCU 3 STAR Award

Level 4 introduces students to open water paddling. The key components of this level utilize Level 3 skills in an open water environment. Conditions will include wind, waves, current, an introduction to the surf zone, exposure to moderate tidal currents, bracing, rolling and performing deep water self and assisted rescues. Night paddling and more advanced navigation and seamanship skills are also introduced. On completion of Level 4 the student should be able to participate comfortably and safely as the member of a team on an open water day trip, a multi-day trip or a night trip, under the guidance of a competent leader, assuming conditions fall within the specified parameters. This is the level of competence required to participate in open coastal trips. BCU 4 STAR Sea Award

Level 5 is the highest level and provides leadership training for open and rough water paddling. At this level students are exposed to advanced conditions including strong wind, current, large waves and surf, advanced rescue techniques, advanced seamanship, leadership and navigation at night and in poor visibility. This is the level of competence required to lead open coastal trips. BCU 5 STAR Sea Award

Phased Approach

Completion of this program is not simply a matter of taking a course and checking off an assessment. It is important that the skills and knowledge at each level be learned and thoroughly assimilated, otherwise problems encountered at the next level will be difficult to rectify. The normal way to proceed through each of the levels will be via four phases:

Phase 1: Instruction - Formal course-based instruction, in which qualified instructors introduce students to specific skills and concepts. Each level has several distinct courses covering the required topics, and each course has a clearly defined syllabus. 

Phase 2: Coaching – After the skills are learned it is necessary to use them in real life situations in which students work with a coach to refine the skills and address problems. 

Phase 3: Practice - Having fine-tuned a skill with a coach, it is essential to practice it alone or with peers, until it becomes instinctive.

Phase 4: Assessment - Formal assessment of skills, with a qualified assessor, to ensure that skills are mastered to the required level and can be reproduced on-demand in appropriate conditions.

By combining both ACA and BCU teaching styles and BCU assessments, which have a very high standard, the student can get a high quality education.  Cost will vary as to the actual goals of the student and how fast they want to move through the program.  Many courses can be repeated and the cross-pollination of other coaches, instructors and accredited programs is recommended.