The Occasional Columnist: Next Steps

April-May 2005

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

by Marika Wilson

Kayaking is great fun (and freedom), but it also brings with it responsibility. If you’re taking novice friends out on the water, it’s your duty to take care of them. And going solo requires an even higher degree of proficiency and attentiveness than going with a group.

Although I’ve taken a kayaking course, as well as a basic first aid course, I’m unsure of my ability to take charge in an emergency situation. So now that I find myself increasingly in the position of being the more experienced paddler when I take friends out, I’ve decided to start shopping around for a good, comprehensive course, with an emphasis on safety.

What I’ve discovered is that there are a lot of courses available, and that internet research can be overwhelming! Unless you really know the industry, it’s tough to make a decision. A good place I found to start my search is the WaveLength website (see ‘Directories’). The courses run the gamut in terms of length and skill level, so I’ve narrowed it down from there, based on my personal limitations: I don’t want to spend a lot of money, I don’t want to take more than four days off work, and I don’t want to travel too far from home to take a course. I also want it to be at my level of experience, so it isn’t beyond me, yet isn’t covering things I already know.

For someone relatively new to kayaking, or for busy people like me who can’t get out on the water all that often, a short course may make sense. It’s less of an investment in both time and money, and if you’re only going on day trips and the odd overnight excursion fairly close to home, that’s probably all you need. What’s most important is to improve your skills and especially your judgment. Remember, the first component of safety is prevention.

I already have my CRCA Level 1 certificate and I’ve taken a course on Adventure Tourism in my Tourism & Recreation Management degree, which covered some of the theoretical components of risk management. So the best next step for me will be something that offers more hands-on experience, refreshes my paddling skills and provides new and more difficult scenarios to work through. At the end of the day, I want to feel comfortable going out on longer trips and taking my non-kayaker friends with me.

There are a lot of places that offer a combination of touring and instruction, but I don’t have the time or money to travel to some remote location. All I want is a bare bones course in my own back yard. And hopefully one that will be recognizable by future employers in the industry, should I choose to pursue that path later on.

So for me, location is number one. It might be fun to take a course in say, Costa Rica, but that would violate my cost-saving and time-saving criteria. So I’ve narrowed my list to companies on Vancouver Island.

To qualify for actual guiding work, I’d have to take a Day Guide’s course, and I’ll consider that. But there are all sorts of recreational courses available which would upgrade my skills and might be more at my experience level.

A few of the offerings have already caught my eye, including some from the larger paddling shops and those companies which specialize in instruction. But since everyone has different needs, I suggest you visit the WaveLength site for more.

Happy paddling.

Editor’s Note: This just in. It looks like Marika will have to postpone her course because she’s just been hired by the Fairmont Hotel chain at Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta. Congratulations and good luck, Marika