Learn surfski taking the Essentials of Surfski course certified by the American Canoe Association. Surfski is becoming very popular among paddle sports because it´s easy and a lot of fun to surf the ocean swell. You will learn the basics of surfski paddling and achieve a worldwide recognised certification.
Our instructors are qualified by the ACA (American Canoe Association) to teach you the Essentials of Surfski paddling.
In case you have some experience already, you can take a skill course to improve your skills in a specific area or just take part of one of our downwind session.
Essentials of surfski course
The course is certified by the American Canoe Association and given by certified instructors who will teach you the basics of surfski so that you can go further.
We run complete workshops all year long as we have a mild climate.
You might also want to improve specific skills before you take the examination.
The main skills we will learn are the following:
- Paddling environment and equipment
Wind
Waves
Weather
Water
Surfski
PFD
Leashes
Paddles
Personal and other equipment
- Getting started
Warm-up and stretching
Pick up and carry a surfski
Car topping
Launching and landing
Boarding
Posture, safety, comfort, effectiveness, rocking, balance
Falling off
Water comfort and confidence
Self Rescue
Righting a flipped surfski
Basic Terminology
Types of strokes and components
- Safety and Rescue
Exercising Judgment
Cold Water Shock / Hypothermia
Dehydration/ hyperthermia
Hazards
Do’s and don’ts of leashes
Paddling as a group
Signaling
Interactions/ Sharing water with non powered and powered traffic
Emergency procedures
Rescue priorities
Deep-water re-mounting, assisted and solo
Boat assisted rescue, assisting a tired swimmer
Rescuing a surfski
- Maneuvers
Paddling in a reasonably straight line
Using the rudder effectively
Turning
Stopping
Edge control
- Strokes
Forward
Back
Draw
Sweeps
Low Brace
