Paddlesport Competence Summary

AALS Inspector Guidance Note - IGN 5.15 (was C/Int 69)

Version No & date: 1: 19/01/2010
Review date: 01/2013

Issue: Evidence of the competence of paddlesport instructors can be provided using the old BCU awards, or Statements of Competence from existing technical advisors or, as an interim measure, using the following combination of new BCU awards, where they exist, together with endorsed employee induction. The focus in all cases is on the safety of the session, not the quality of the coaching.

The combination of new BCU awards and employee induction may need to be revised in the light of experience gained through 2009 as instructors with these awards are deployed by activity provides. Providers are urged to monitor their development.

Open water

1. Open Water includes what the BCU describe as Sheltered Water and Moderate Water – flat water, slow moving rivers, and very confined and sheltered tidal water.

2. Open water paddling effectively involves at least simple journeying (and often more advanced journeying) and requires an autonomous judgement beyond ‘pond mentality’ and the ability to deal with unexpectedly deteriorating weather and water conditions.

3. Requirements -

new 3 Star (Touring, Sea or Open Canoe), plus;
new Level 1 Coach (including Canoe Safety Test/Foundation Safety and Rescue Course), plus;
induction, which should include a Session Plan for the venue envisaged (Level 1 Coaches can be expected to replicate a session plan, but may not be able to design a suitable one themselves).

This should be broadly equivalent to the Old Level 2 Award.

4. Before these instructors are deployed on anything more than benign open water environments, e.g. as in a small enclosed bay where the safety of the shore can be reliably sought, they will require additional evidence of competence. They should either;

hold the new 4 Star (Touring, Sea or Open Canoe), or;
receive endorsed induction, appropriate to the demands of that specific venue, from their employer / deployer (or a technical adviser) in some or all of the topics listed in Annex 1: Open Water competencies.

White water

5. Requirements –

new 4 Star Leader (White water), plus;
new Level 2 Coach, plus;
White water endorsement (Training and Assessment by a technical advisor) recorded as a Statement of Competence and containing at least:

Shepherding novices on white water, and;
First aid certificate,

BCU Moderate water/whitewater endorsement (training and assessment by a BCU Assessor).

This should be broadly equivalent to the Old Level 3 Award.

Coastal journeys

6. Requirements -

new 4 Star Leader (Sea), plus;
new Level 2 Coach

This should be broadly equivalent to the Old Level 3 Sea.

Surf

7. Requirements -

new 4 Star Surf, plus;
new Level 2 Award

This should be broadly equivalent to the Old Level 3 Surf Award.

Technical advisors

8. Technical advisors within the context of Licensing will primarily be involved in the safety of a session, rather than the quality of the coaching, so a high level of Star Award is more significant than a high level of Coach Award.

9. Requirements -

new 5* Star in the appropriate discipline where it exists, plus;
new Level 2 Award.

Annex 1

Open Water Competencies

Before instructors are deployed on open water, where seeking the safety of the shore is not an immediate option, e.g. as in a small enclosed bay, a deployer must ensure they are competent to manage the following:

Rescues in wave conditions;
Methods and limitations of towing;
Fetch and its effect on the particular water in question;
Prevailing wind and the effect on the particular water in question;
Forecasts – a range of sources of reliable detailed local predictions;
Windage and its effect on different craft and on planning a session / journey;
The limits of safe passage on the particular water in question given the above;
Waves effects and the use of spraydecks;
Equipment – additional to a simple shore based session, including means of communication and/or gaining attention;
Use of skegs;
Lee shore problems, such as landing on and leaving them, running sessions adjacent to them and avoiding being blown into trees, jetties, moored craft and the like;
Offshore winds - judging where in sheltered bays to operate from and having a Plan B should the group be blown offshore or onto the opposite shore – including the need for map, group shelter, recovery options, etc;
Rafted open canoes in wave conditions – robust best practice rafting methods including a means of separating the hulls, freeboard, trim, bailers, rescuing swamped canoes, towing with a powerboat if one is used, etc;
Sailing rafted open canoes – additional safety considerations, particularly with the rig, dealing with Man Overboard – trailing warps etc;
Navigation in poor visibility – preparedness including use of landmarks & compass;
Other water users – awareness of both professional and incompetent water users including local buoyage systems and the Prevention of Collision procedures.