The Paddle Safer Course focuses on helping paddlers. It teaches where to paddle, what gear to use, and practical steps to take if you get into trouble. The course has four main modules:

• Equipment

• Environmental factors

• Planning

• Rescues

The course is 2 hours from start to finish. You will also be provided with an e-certificate upon completing the course.

The next step from here is to go and enjoy your local waterways and put what you’ve learnt into practise. If you want to further your learning, the next available course would be the BCAB Paddle Start award.

The Paddle Start award is just what it sounds like! This is the start of your journey in the paddle sport world. You can do this award on any craft, whether that’s kayaking, canoeing, stand up paddle boarding (SUP) or inflatables.

There are 4 main areas of paddling that we will be looking into:

• Clothing and equipment,

• Getting onto the water safely,

• Paddling skills to get you started,

• Safety in and around the water,

Once the course has been completed you will receive an E-certificate via E-mail. The next thing to do is to go out there and apply your newly found skills and practise. But most of all, have fun in a safe way!
You can always start looking toward the next personal paddling award for you. Next in line would be the BCAB Paddle Discover Award.

The Discover award is the follow on from the Start award. While doing this award you will develop your previously learned skills as well as learn some new ones.

There are 4 main areas that we will be covering while on the course:

• Encouraging independent decision making on a variety of waterways,

• Working towards self guided paddling adventures,

• Equipment needed for a variety of different trips,

• Developing your skills further in your chosen craft and your rescue skills,
  

Once the course had been completed you will receive a E-certificate via E-mail. Then it’s off to practise your newly learned skills. You can look into the next available course which would be the Paddle Explore course.

This award is for those paddlers who are looking to become independent paddlers and take ownership of their own learning.

There are a few areas we will be looking to make sure you are able to do throughout the course including:

• Etiquette while on the water and sharing space with other water users,

• Different environments to paddle in,

• Effectively controlling your craft,

• Clothing and equipment considerations for all weather,

• Self exploration,

Once the course has been completed you will receive a E-certificate via E-mail. After this you are able to go off and plan your own paddling adventures and perfect your skills.
You can start looking into future courses which will now be discipline specific. Meaning you can go into the area you are most interested in, such as white water, freestyle or touring!

The flatwater freestyle award is the entry gateway into the freestyle kayaking world. We will be taking your skills in a normal kayak, swapping you into a shorter boat and getting the kayak to go off axis! This will be building the foundation blocks of what you’ll need to progress in freestyle!

We will be looking at all of the foundation moves which will help you to understand how to move your boat in every possible direction!

• Edging the boat,

• Tail squirts,

• 360 flat spins,

• Lean cleans,

• Pivot turns,

• Double pumps,

• Assisted po outs and loops,

• Rolling,

Once you have completed the course you will get a E-certificate via E-mail. You can then get out on the flat water and practise all of your newly learnt skills getting ready to progress onto the next freestyle award, which will be the Freestyle Award!

The freestyle award is about taking everything you’ve learnt from the flatwater award and starting to apply it to some white water. Gaining confidence while in your boat and starting to throw them around in different features and scenarios.

There will be a few areas of the discipline that we will be looking at:

• Posture when paddling,

• Surfing and moving around in a variety of different features,

• Tailies,

• Shuvit’s and spins,

• Pop out’s and loops,

• Rolling,

Once you have completed the course you will receive a E-certificate via E-mail. After this you will be able to put into practise all of the skills and knowledge you have learnt on your local section of white water.
You can also, once you think your ready, start to look at the next freestyle award which will be the Advanced Freestyle Award.

This is the top of the freestyle awards on offer. You will be showcasing your skills in your freestyle boat while being adaptable in a variety of different features and situations.

There are a lot of skills that will be looked at throughout this course, including:

• Looping,

• Cartwheels,

• Splitwheels,

• Cutbacks and feature movement,

• Surfing,

• Blasting,

• Bow stalls,

• Blunts,

• Everything above, but backwards!

• Starting to link some moves together to form a sequence,

Once you have completed the course you will receive a E-certificate via E-mail. After that you will be able to go out onto the water and showcase your whole array of freestyle skills! You can also have a think about going into competition after developing your freestyle run! If that isn’t the route you wish to go down there are plenty of places to go and challenge your skills!