British Canoeing: White Water Safety & Rescue

Course Overview

The two-day British Canoeing White Water Safety and Rescue course for kayakers, canoeists and stand-up paddleboarders coaches simple effective solutions to common problems on the river - and how to avoid them. This is the essential course for all white water paddlers, whether in canoes, kayaks or SUPs.

 

Join us for a fun, confidence-building two days where we’ll use our two decades of white water experience to help you develop strategies for keeping people safe, and how to use rescue strategies when needed. The course is based on grade 2 (3) rivers in the Lake District, with the location to be chosen to make best use of the water levels.

 

We're passionate about white water paddling and have the knowledge and expertise to help you get the most from the course, tailoring it to your needs and aims. Our approach is to start introducing rescue techniques and swimming strategies in a no-fuss, hands-on way and then create opportunities for you to practice and implement them, with support, in more challenging environments.

 

We’ll look at self-rescue options, how to swim in white water, strategies for rescuing others from the bank and from your boat, and how to deal with pinned boats and trapped paddlers. All this will be based on developing your knowledge of river features and how to make best use of the water's power, from stopper swimming, to using the water to help with the rescue. We will give you a variety of strategies that work for you in all settings.

 

This course is the prerequisite for White Water Kayak Leader and Canoe White Water Leader courses.

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Course Prerequisites

• Be able to paddle on grade 2 white water

• Participants aged under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who is also booked onto the course

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Course Documents

Further information from British Canoeing can be found here.

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What To Bring With You

Full personal kit, including:

• A white water specific kayak, canoe or SUP

• Well-fitting white water helmet

• Paddle

• Buoyancy aid

• Spray deck if kayaking

• Dry suit or cag and waterproof trousers

• Thermals

• River shoes or old trainers (not wetsuit boots)

• Throw line, 4m tape and two carabiners

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If you need any kit advice or to borrow anything, please get in touch before the course. Kayaks, canoes, SUPs and drysuits are available for hire. 

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What Happens Next?

Once you have completed your training, you’ll leave with a clear action plan for your progression. To develop your paddling further, you may be interested in a bespoke coaching session or courses including Advanced White Water Safety & Rescue, Lakes Canoe White Water Progression, Intermediate White Water, or Intro To Steep Creeking.

 

Location

We’ll base the course on the rivers of the Lake District and adjoining Yorkshire Dales National Park. To make best use of the conditions we’ll choose the rivers based on the water levels and forecast immediately prior to the course. We'll confirm the meeting point for the first day at least three days prior to the course. Kendal is the ideal spot to base yourself as it provides the best access to the surrounding rivers.

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Book Now

To book a place on this course, click above to book and pay for the course, then complete and submit the Booking Form. If the following dates are not suitable, or you want to make a private booking for your club or centre, please get in touch.