Sea kayak Instructor Qualifications
Level 4 Sea Kayak Leader
Scope of Leadership
- This qualification will provide the outdoor recreation sector with individuals who are able to operate independently under indirect supervision, and lead participants in a specific outdoor activity, where the emphasis is on safety, in low technical yet dynamic outdoor environments.
- Graduates of the Sea Kayaking strand will be able to plan, prepare for, organise and lead introductory sea kayaking activities on flat-water.
Learning Outcomes
- Assess and respond to a sea kayaking emergency
- Demonstrate personal skills in sea kayaking
- Develop a plan for leading an outdoor experience for a group within defined operating scope
- Lead an outdoor activity under indirect supervision within an organisation safety management system
- Review and evaluate leadership of an outdoor recreation experience
Topics Include
- emergency care situation response
- identifying and managing risks
- safety management
- organisation’s safety management system
- leave No Trace principles
- local iwi and hapū, including culturally significant sites such as wahi tapu and land access issues
- interpretive information on natural history, flora and fauna and the uniqueness of the environment in which the adventure activity occurs.
- communicating information, including briefing and debriefing and skill requirements in accordance with organisational requirements
- responsibilities and operating scope of the leader role
- leadership styles and rapport with participants
- participants equipment
- Activity plan including weather, client information, equipment, intentions, and timing
- leadership including managing safety, timeframes, resources and equipment for the activity and responding to participant needs
Qualification Delivery
Self-directed online learning
Teacher-directed online learning
Teacher-directed in-person training
Assessment Tasks
Prepare a plan to lead a group.
Demonstrate leadership skills
Demonstrate personal skills
Review and evaluate leadership
Prerequisites
The following outlines hours and experience that must be completed for the qualification to be awarded. We recommend participants start with all of these conditions met. You will need to provide a plan that clearly shows how you will demonstrate these conditions before the final date of the qualification.
At least 40 hours sea kayaking using a closed deck single or double sea kayak on flat-water and at least 5 sessions additional experience as a co-leader or assistant leader using a closed deck single or double sea kayak.
− A session is considered to be a minimum of an hour.
Environments must meet the following parameters:
− Lead sea kayaking activities on flat or sheltered water, including estuaries, river deltas, sheltered beaches, lakes, coastal inlets and swimming pools, when the wind strength and direction do not compromise the safety and purpose of the activity.
− Currents may be present when the flow and the hazards pose no greater risk than flat-water.
Level 5 Sea Kayak Instructor
Scope of Leadership
- This qualification will provide the outdoor recreation sector with individuals who are able to operate independently and provide instruction and leadership for participants during specific outdoor activity. The emphasis of this qualification is on developing participants’ competence through safe, sequenced, learning experiences in dynamic outdoor environments.
- Graduates of this qualification are able to work independently and contribute to the daily operation of, and work under, a Safety Management System (SMS).
- Graduates of the Sea Kayaking strand will be able to instruct participants in the skills required for positive, educational and safe sea kayaking multi-day experiences through effective planning, delivery and evaluation.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply knowledge of personal safety in sea kayaking
- Use appropriate equipment and systems in sea kayaking
- Select and use appropriate emergency equipment when responding to an emergency in sea kayaking
- Demonstrate environmental responsibility and kaitiakitanga including respect for tikanga and Kawa of local iwi and hapū when sea kayaking
- Apply an organisation’s safety management system while leading sea kayaking activities
- Instruct participants in the skills required for safe educational sea kayaking experiences
- Manage a group to safely experience sea kayaking
- Evaluate sea kayaking leadership and review the planned program
Topics Include
- Inspecting and explaining equipment used for sea kayak activities
- Personal skills
- Safe entry and exit in waves
- Emergency equipment used for non-routine situations and rescues
- Responding to non-routine situations
- Responding to emergencies and rescuing participants
- Pre activity tasks and checks
- Procedures and management techniques for preparing to lead sea kayak activities
- Preparing and checking equipment and a location
- Instructing participants to use sea kayak equipment
- Safety roles for instructors and participants
- Instruct participants to safely use sea kayak equipment
- Facilitation, communication and teaching techniques
- Monitoring and managing needs of participants and participant behaviour
- Cultural awareness
- Minimum impact principles for sea kayak activities
Qualification Delivery
Self-directed online learning
Teacher-directed online learning
Teacher-directed in-person training
Assessment Tasks
Prepare a plan to lead a group.
Demonstrate leadership skills
Demonstrate personal skills
Review and evaluate leadership
Prerequisites
The following outlines hours and experience that must be completed for the qualification to be awarded. We recommend participants start with all of these conditions met. You will need to provide a plan that clearly shows how you will demonstrate these conditions before the final date of the qualification.
At least 50 days sea kayaking experience in a variety of locations and conditions. This will include at least:
- 20 days personal experience and
- 20 days of instructing experience
- 10 days must involve multi-day trips.
- 5 days can include theory sessions e.g. trip planning, weather, navigation, nutrition.
− Instruction experience can be as an assistant instructor or co- instructor.
− A day is considered to be at least 4 hours on water. Shorter sessions can be accumulated to make a day.
− The length of sea kayaking trips should allow for an individual to experience and respond to a range of conditions such as tidal flows, semi - diurnal and/or diurnal tides, chop, waves, clapotis, or complete calm.
Environmental conditions should meet the following parameters:
− Instruct sea kayaking trips in coastal sea kayak water with easy and readily available landings.
− Wind, surf, swell, tidal current, exposed coastline, maritime traffic other water users all have the potential to compromise the safety and purpose of the activity and require management. Programmes should be guided by the following parameters for environmental conditions:
- wind up to 20 knots, or
- surf up to 1.0 metres, or
- swell of up to 1.5 metres, or
- tidal current of up to 4 knots.
Candidates are required to hold a Maritime VHF Radio Operators Certificate and Coastguard Boating Education - Day Skippers Certificate prior to assessment for this qualification.
Level 6 Sea Kayak Advanced Professional Practice
Scope of Leadership
- This qualification will provide the outdoor recreation sector with individuals who are able to lead, mentor and educate developing leaders, guides and instructors in specific outdoor activities. These individuals can also instruct and/or guide participants in high hazard and/or technically complex outdoor or recreational environments.
- This qualification will further extend the instructional competence of individuals who already hold extensive applied instructing experience in dynamic, multiple-hazard outdoor activities.
- Graduates of this qualification are able to work independently and contribute to the daily operation of, and work under, a Safety Management System (SMS).
- Graduates of the Sea Kayaking strand will also be able to:
○ instruct the skills required for positive, educational and safe sea kayaking experiences in open and exposed water.
○ teach other leaders, instructors and guides how to guide and instruct sea kayaking activities.
Learning Outcomes
- Teach and critique leaders and instructors in leading and instructing sea kayaking
- Demonstrate personal sea kayaking skills for exposed and open water, and apply advanced weather interpretation and forecasting skills for sea kayaking
- Demonstrate preparing to lead and leading a group sea kayaking in exposed and open water
- Critique and manage group safety procedures and systems for sea kayaking in exposed and open waterAll will
Topics Include
- Sea kayak maintenance and equipment checks
- Advanced sea kayaking skills for exposed and open water
- Weather interpretation and forecasting for sea kayaking expeditions
- Preparing to lead a group in exposed in open water’
- Managing a group advanced and exposed open water
- Apply safety management planning and exposed and open water
- Teach intermediate and advanced sea kayaking skills on open
- Key industry organisations
- Embedding cultural and environmental awareness into instructing and training other instructors
- Training sea kayak instructors
- Teaching and learning theory
- Establishing learning outcomes
- Scaffolding learning and skills development;
- Selecting appropriate teaching methods
- Interpersonal skills to successfully transfer knowledge
- Engage participant learners in positive learning experiences
- Giving feedback and mentoring instructors to improve practice
Qualification Delivery
Video-Based Learning Platform https://www.outdoorleadertraining.com/pages/home
Online group teaching and tutorials
Mentor/Tutor Support
Workshop option
Assessment
Develop a training plan
Skills assessment
Leadership demonstration
Managing a emergency scenario
Prerequisites
New Zealand Certificate in Outdoor Leadership (Instruction) (Level 5) (Any Strand) [Ref: 3661].
At least 90 days sea kayaking experience in a variety of locations and conditions including open and exposed water. This will include:
at least 40 days personal experience on multi-day trips
at least 40 days of instructing or guiding experience on multi-day trips in open and exposed waters.
10 days can include theory sessions (e.g. trip planning, weather, navigation, nutrition) or practical or theory sessions instructing other instructors
Candidates are required to hold a Coastguard Boating Education – Boatmasters qualification prior to assessment of this strand of the qualification.
