Kayaking leadership starter course

Do you have a bit of kayaking experience and wish to upskill and become a more independent paddler? Would you like to help the club run more kayaking trips?

We're seeking expressions of interest from members who would like to attend a kayaking leadership starter course on Nov 12.

Location is TBD but probably Lysterfield lake.

Estimated cost: $40-60 (gear hire, fuel costs, training materials)

Time commitment: This course has both a theoretical (likely an evening in the first or second week of November) and a practical component (one day at the TBD location).

Why should I attend this course?

The kayaking leadership starter course is the first step in the club's paddling leader framework. In addition to teaching you how to teach basic kayaking skills, this course will also help you further develop your own paddling and essential rescue skills. You will learn about a range of kayaks and paddling equipment, different paddling strokes and how to teach them, how to teach wet exits, how to give a trip briefing, some self-assisted recovery techniques and how to rescue a capsized or swimming kayaker. This in-house training is an easily accessible way to upskill and become a more independent paddler inside and outside of the club.

The intent of this course is to train attendees to be able to organise and assist with leading flatwater kayaking trips, and to teach basic kayaking skills as part of an intro to kayaking trip. It will also open up doors for further training, either in whitewater, flatwater or sea kayaking.

The club relies on members becoming leaders to run trips and pass down knowledge, so by becoming an activity leader, you will help keep our paddling community alive.

How do I know if this is for me?

If you have an interest in any of the paddling sports and want to give back to the club and help build our paddling community, this course is for you! You don't need advanced paddling skills, but you must be comfortable and competent with wet exits and should have basic boat control on flat water. 

Note that spaces for the practical component are limited due to instructor availability. In the event of a lot of interest, space allocation may be based on merit. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how to get involved in paddling, please feel free to get in touch.