Skills Courses

A skills course can cover all or part of the course outline and are tailored to fit the needs of the participants.  Skills courses do not have to be taken in a successive order.  At the conclusion of a skills course, participants may receive a participation card.

Safety & Rescue

• Level 2: Essentials of River Safety & Rescue
• Level 3: River Safety & Rescue
• Level 4: Swiftwater Rescue
• Level 5: Advanced Swiftwater Rescue

Assessment Courses

ACA Assessment courses have been developed as a tool to allow paddlers a clear progression of skill development. Courses provide progression in skills and paddling venues associated with specific disciplines and paddlecraft. Upon successful completion of each Skills Assessment checklist, your Instructor will submit the paperwork and you will receive official documentation of your level of skill from the ACA National Office.

Note: to receive Skills Assessment documentation, you must be a current ACA member.

Safety & Rescue

• Level 2: Essentials of River Safety & Rescue Skills Assessment
• Level 3: River Safety & Rescue Skills Assessment
• Level 4: Swiftwater Rescue Skills Assessment
• Level 5: Advanced Swiftwater Rescue Skills Assessment

Instructor Certification Courses

ACA Instructor Certification Workshops (ICWs) are the next step for individuals wishing to teach paddling technique and skill refinement to students. An ACA instructor certification course consists of both an Instructor Development Workshop (IDW) and an Instructor Certification Exam (ICE). These two parts may be offered back-to-back or they may be separated by a length of time to allow for further development and practice. Instructor Certification Workshops are offered in all paddlesports disciplines; the criteria upon which an instructor candidate will be evaluated can be found here:

•  Instructor Criteria Documents
  

Other Information

Whitewater & River Rescue Field Guide (eStore)

Rescue for River Runners - R3 (YouTube)