Paddle UK Guide Endorsement
The Paddle UK Guide Endorsement is aimed at Paddle UK Leaders to support and recognise the additional skills required when fulfilling a guiding role.
Sea Kayaking Cornwall has a long history of helping paddlers advance from sea kayak leaders to become fully endorsed sea kayak guides. Enabling them to go on to work all over the world, lead multi-day expeditions and indeed, set up their own businesses in the industry. We are introducing a series of two-day guide modules following the Paddle UK (PUK) syllabus to focus on personal development that allows us to develop the subject matter both in the class room and on the water.
Guide Modules are open to all Paddle UK members wanting to gain knowledge, skills and develop specific areas of interest.
The ethos behind the scheme is to support leaders in their aspirations to become a guide, share experience and recognise the additional leaders guiding development.
Each module completed counts towards your PUK continual professional development (CPD) which is required by leaders, coaches and guides.
For leaders wishing to gain the Guide Endorsement status a minimum of 3 out of the 5 available modules should be completed before the recommendation can be made.
The modules consist of:
- Camp Craft & Expedition Skills
- Customer Experience
- Environment & Sustainability
- Leadership
- Trip Planning & Organisation
Becoming an Endorsed Guide
Once aspirant guides have acquired the entry requirements listed below, Sea Kayaking Cornwall is able to help you progress towards being signed off as an endorsed guide. This can be done through recognition of experience or observation fulfilling a guiding role.
Entry Requirements:
- PUK Leadership Qualification (held for 2 years and 20 logged led trips / Journeys
- First Aid Award
- Home Nation Membership
- Recognition of experience or training through Guide Modules and/or Approved Prior Learning (APL)
Customer Experience
Expanding your knowledge in customer experience and helping to develop business and admin skills. This module looks into profiling paddlers and deals with how leaders can put the client’s desires, interest and safety at the forefront of trips and journeys.
Topics Include:
- Qualities of a good leader
- Duty of care
- Risk assessments
- Recording incidents and near misses
- Policies and procedures to safeguard your clients and well being
- Insurance
- Under 18s
- Serious incidents & accidents
- Client profiling
- Trip outcomes
- Group dynamics
- Feedback
- Role of the guide
What's included?
- Sea Kayaking Cornwall’s experienced coach with area knowledge offering coaching, assistance, planning and safety throughout the course.
- Kayak – we supply suitable sea kayaks. You are welcome to bring your own kayak which we will gladly place on our trailer and transport and store for you during the duration of your course.
- Spray decks.
- Buoyancy aids /PFD.
- Paddling kit – We can supply wind proof jackets (cags), thermal rash vests, wetsuits, and helmets. Please advise us of your kit requirements prior to arrival.
- Kayak storage and under cover drying area in our barn.
What's not included?
- Transport to start locations in Cornwall. We have a limited number of passenger seats available in our van; please advise if you require transport from our site to launch locations before your arrival.
- Food and beverages during the trip.
- Accommodation
- Suitable footwear.
Time and Location
Meet at our base at 9:15 am on the first day of your course:
Sea Kayaking Cornwall
Tregedna Farm
Maenporth
Falmouth
TR11 5HL
We will brief and debrief each day at our warm and fully equipped log cabin at Tregedna Farm with a welcoming cup of coffee or tea and free Wi-Fi to source our weather forecasts (or to check mails).
We will plan each day around what we need to learn and achieve in conjunction with what the weather allows us to do.
What to bring
- Travel insurance.
- Food & drinks. Packed lunches, snacks, hot drinks, water etc.
- Dry bags – various sizes for lunch, valuables and dry clothes to change into at the end of the day.
- Paddling kit – suitable for cold-water paddling.
- We supply suitable and appropriate entry level paddling kit, however we do advise that you bring your own paddling kit that you would normally use for a comfortable paddling experience relevant to the advanced level that you are training at.
- Please contact us if you are uncertain that you have the correct gear. We can supply windproof jackets, thermal rash vests, and wetsuits.
- Suitable footwear: Wetsuit booties / water shoes / old trainers.
- Sun cream.
- Sunglasses and hat.
- Personal medication and first aid kit.
- Money, as there is cafes and restaurants to visit.
- Safety kit – if you wish to learn or practice with kit you have, we would suggest that you bring it along to familiarize and train with during the week, a group can never have too much safety kit.
Accommodation
This course consists of individual days of training from our Cornwall base while enjoying accommodation of your choice.
The best option if you have your own transport is our neighbourly lodge and campsite at Tregedna Farm –Tregedna Farm Holidays
Please enquire and book directly with Tregedna Farm holidays http://www.tregednafarmholidays.co.uk/
Further accommodation options can be found at
http://seakayakingcornwall.com/accommodation/
Travel
http://seakayakingcornwall.com/about-us/getting-here/
Bespoke Option
This course can be booked as a bespoke week / weekend / day at anytime of the year for a group, club or family provided we have space in our calendar to accommodate your required dates.
Please contact us on info@seakayakingcornwall.com for your bespoke booking requirements.
At a Glance..
- Price: £95 per person
- Dates: 5th March 2024
What experience do I need?
To get the most out of the course you should be fit and comfortable swimming, floating and capsizing (assisted by a flotation device) in deep and dynamic moving water. All participants will be required to complete a full medical questionnaire.
This course is suitable for kayakers who have completed formal training to an intermediate level and a have fair amount of experience in a variety of ocean environments as a competent group member with their own paddling and safety kit.
You must have an understanding of the different strokes and basic rescues and how to use them in moderate to windy conditions up to force 4 and have experienced conditions associated with force 5.
The objective you should have for doing this course is to leave with a structured understanding of sea kayaking, sea safety and developing leadership at sea. Knowing your areas of weakness or strengths with the goal of progressing to doing/leading/assisting on expeditions or multi day trips and to have some fun.
We would expect to cover distances of between 10 – 20 km (7 hours) a day depending on conditions.
If you have any questions regarding the required ability please feel free to contact us on info@seakayakingcornwall.com.
Contact Us
Please give us a call if you have any queries or wish to discuss any of our courses or expeditions:
0044 (0)1326 250889 (office)
0044 (0) 7555 763695 (Shaun Rodgers)
0044 (0) 7455 884482 (James Roberts)