Skills Course Overview

The River Stand Up Paddleboarding course emphasizes safety, enjoyment and skill acquisition for entry-level through intermediate individuals on class I rivers. This course builds upon the ACA Level 2: Essentials of SUP skills course in that it teaches skills on how to paddle stand up paddleboards on rivers and perform self-rescues.

Minimum Personal Equipment:

Properly fitted inherently buoyant PFD (inflatable lifejackets are not allowed in this course), helmet, elbow and knee pads recommended, SUP paddle, Stand Up Paddleboard designed for moving water or whitewater, appropriate clothing for the weather. If leash is being used, must be releasable.

Skills Course Prerequisites

Course Duration

1 day (8 hours) minimum

Course Location / Accessible Venues

Moving water on rivers rated up to and including class I.

A rapid class includes rapids at the lower and upper ends of the difficulty range, designated “-“ and “+”  respectively.

Course Size

4 Participants : 1 Instructor; with an additional qualified assistant, the ratio can be 8 : 2. The maximum number of participants permitted is 8.

Instructor

This course may be offered by Level 3: River SUP (or higher) ACA Instructors, Instructor Trainers, or Instructor Trainer Educators.

Succeeding Courses

The following is a general summary of course content for the River Stand Up Paddleboarding course. The content covered and sequence of instruction should be adjusted to best fit the participant’s needs, class location and time allowance.

The Paddling Environment: