The Level 3: Coastal Kayaking kayaker is a competent paddler in coastal waters with regular access to landing areas. They have the judgment to know when they should not paddle and have a plan for when things do not go as expected. The Level 3 coastal kayaker performs safely, effectively, and efficiently in various environments, including shoulder-high waves, small surf, rocky shorelines, or tidal currents. This ACA Skills Assessment course evaluates a participant’s ability to perform all the skills listed and demonstrate appropriate knowledge. The assessment course allows the participant to receive documentation of having achieved a Level 3 level of paddling ability.
One day (8 hours) minimum.
A location with some exposure to conditions and regular access to landing areas and within 1.5 nautical miles of shore. Participants must be assessed while paddling in three of the four conditions below, but all three conditions do not need to be experienced simultaneously.
In addition to the above, the location chosen by the instructor shall be conducive to assessing all skills in the “Core Skills'' categories and the skills in their selected “Venue Specific” category. The venues and associated skills have been set to an equivalent level of challenge, allowing for regional accessibility while maintaining standards.
5 Participants: 1 Assessor; with an additional qualified assistant, the ratio can be 10 : 2. The maximum number of participants permitted is 10.