Sea Kayak Instructor Training
This is an instructor development course for those who have a wish to instruct others in sea environments involving areas of exposed coastline and expedition travel.
The course will focus on strategies and techniques required to instruct and develop paddling skills in others, as well as knowledge and techniques required to safely guide others paddling sea kayaks in sea environments.
Participants on this course should be qualified as a flatwater instructor or have equivalent experience and knowledge. Participants should also have personal Sea kayaking experience and be confidently paddling in areas of exposed coastline with waves / surf up to 1m and winds up to 25knots, it is expected that participants have the PA sea skills award or equivalent experience and ability.
Course outline
This training course covers a number of important concepts required to provide quality instruction for Sea kayaking, development and consolidation of the skills and techniques covered during the course along with further experience should give you a solid base to confidently attend an assessment course. Concepts covered as below,
- Skills – reviewing and refining technical skills and a full range of strokes to ensure they provide a good visual demonstration for use in teaching novices, the aim being to develop the ability to “role model” all skills in sea environments demonstrating strokes that are technically correct and safe. Including the use of compound strokes, Launching/ landing, surf (side and back), rolling with a range of techniques etc.
- Guiding strategy – introducing and practicing various different guiding strategies for ensuring group safety whilst negotiating hazards, gaining an understanding of the pro’s and con’s and developing judgement to choose appropriate techniques for the context.
- Instructional strategy – introducing and practicing different instructional strategies used to break down complex kayaking skills and techniques and help novices develop through a gradual build up process, looking at effective explanation / demonstration, analysis of performance and different forms of feedback, instructor positioning for group control / safety and effective coaching.
- Safety and rescue – reviewing and practicing a number of different sea safety and rescue techniques that are appropriate for use whilst guiding or instructing, including boat to boat rescues, equipment recovery, swimmer recovery, unconscious casualty rescues, tows, use of emergency equipment etc. The aim being to develop a range of strategies to control, pre-empt or solve problems.
- Paddling knowledge – a review and broadening of overall paddling knowledge, equipment, modern stroke kinetics, paddling history and etiquette, paddling specific first aid and injury prevention, further resources of information.
- Planning and management – introduction to planning instructional and guiding sessions including appropriate documented safety management systems and session progressions.
Good instruction and guiding comes from experience and judgement, the training course is designed to broaden knowledge and understanding and expose you to a number of different principles and thought processes, we deliberately avoid being prescriptive and instead seek to equip you with a “tool box” of techniques that allows you to find the appropriate approach for the context and situation.
At the end of the course there will be a de-brief with the lead instructor to ensure you have a clear understanding as to how you should proceed toward assessment (recommended further experience / instructional time) and to allow you to ask any questions or provide feedback to us.
Duration – 3 days
Location – South coast area – Denmark, Albany an surrounds
Max number of participants – 4
Ratio – 1 instructor to 4 participants
Equipment requirements – You will need to bring appropriate personal sea kayak equipment (boat, PFD, helmet etc.) plus any group safety equipment you normally carry
Cost – $1200
Dates – Sea kayak instructor training-28th to 30th of January
Sea kayak Instructor Assessment
This is an instructor assessment course for those who have a wish to instruct others in sea environments involving areas of exposed coastline and expedition travel.
During this course you will be assessed against the criteria as laid out in the Paddle Australia Award Scheme for Sea kayak Instructor Award.
Participants on this course should have:
- PA Flatwater instructor award (or equivalent knowledge and skills)
- PA Sea skills award (or equivalent knowledge and skills)
- A verifiable log showing over the previous two year – Six sea kayaking trips (min three hour duration) over at least 2 years, two different overnight coastal sea kayak trips, six guided sea activities as an observer under training (min three hour duration), two guided sea activities of at least six hours as lead guide under observation of qualified guide, two self contained overnight trips of at least 25km, six practical instructional activities at sea (min three hours) three as leader under observation, Four theory sessions as observer / instructor (these are minimum requirements, successful assessment candidates normally have experience far in excess of this)
If you have not progressed through a sea instructor training course with us and intend to come straight to assessment we suggest that you discuss with us your previous experience and knowledge to ensure that you are in a good position to have a successful outcome during assessment.
Course outline
During the two days of the assessment your abilities will be assessed against the criteria as laid out in the PA sea instructor assessment, this will be done in a holistic manner and will take into account overall abilities and judgement displayed throughout the two days, the assessment will involve, on water sessions, shore based sessions and delivering an instructional session in context with “model clients”.
A summary of elements you will be assessed on are:
- Skill component – Use of and ability to “role model” all skills in genuine sea environments, basic strokes, compound strokes, use of body position and water / wind features, negotiating hazards, roll using a range of techniques.
- Knowledge component – PA, Land management and other water user knowledge, history, equipment and developments, stroke kinetics, teaching / coaching techniques, paddling specific first aid and injury prevention, sea, coastal knowledge and sources of information.
- Experience component – As listed above ( minimum requirement, successful candidates normally have experience far in excess of that listed).
- Communication component – Establishing a useful relationship with your participants and effective safe communications on and off the water, provide instruction and coaching using a range of techniques appropriate to the context, provide useful progression for participants, provide clear guidance with appropriate terminology, impart knowledge effectively.
- Planning / implementing – plan and conduct sea courses including all required safety management systems and participant logistics / coaching progressions, demonstrate quality effective coaching of sea kayaking, ensure all documented and practical safety management systems are adhered to.
(further information on assessment criteria and assessment tasks will be outlined pre-assessment)
In addition to the practical assessment over the two days you will also need to complete and submit the required assessment projects.
A summary of these are:
- Prepare a sea training course that requires the arrangement of an overnight trip. The programme should include the sessions on – trip planning, hazard and risk management, sea kayak equipment, surf launching / landing, rescues, navigation, weather, minimal impact practices.
- There should be a programme that details the course timetable / requirements. A lesson plan for a theory lesson on Navigation, weather and minimal impact practice and a Practical lesson plan for surf launching / landing or rescues
- A log book with at the least the minimum logged requirements as detailed previously
Duration – 2 days
Location – South coast area – Denmark / Albany region
Max number of participants – 4
Ratio – 1 instructor to 4 participants
Equipment requirements – All equipment required during the instruction and guiding of sea kayaking activities
Cost – $800 (participants are responsible for their own registration cost with Paddle Australia)
Dates – Sea Kayak Instructor assessment – 8th, 9th of November
Successful completion and performance of all assessment tasks will result in being assessed as competent against the criteria for sea kayak instructor as laid out by PA, to receive the qualification this will require to be registered with PA.
Participants are responsible for the cost of registration of their qualification with Paddle Australia, the cost of registration is separate from the cost of attending the assessment course and is variable depending on how many qualifications you have registered with PA.
