Sea leader assessment

The Sea Leader Award

The Sea Kayak Leader Award is aimed at paddlers who wish to lead groups of sea kayakers in moderate water sea conditions.

Moderate water is defined by British Canoeing as:

A stretch of coastline with some areas where it is not easy to land but there will always be straightforward land points a maximum of two nautical miles apart. Crossings not exceeding two nautical miles. Up to 2 Knots of tide (but not involving tide race or overfalls). Wind strengths do not exceed Beaufort force 4. Launching and landing through surf (up to 1 metre, trough to crest height).

British Canoeing suggest that Sea Leaders operate with a maximum ratio of 1 leader to 6 group members in moderate water conditions.

Prior to booking an assessment, you should be familiar with the award content and syllabus on the British Canoeing Awarding Body website here.

Prerequisites

The formal prerequisites for a sea kayak leader assessment are (see the BCAB site):

  • Full national association membership
  • Valid BCAB recognised 2-day first aid award
  • Valid safeguarding training
  • Either have completed the old CNTP course or the newer Weather, Tides, Surf and Swell and Navigation for Paddlers modules/eLearning.
  • Have registered with your national delivery center (see notes here)

We recommend that:

  • You have significant experience on the sea - e.g. at least 24 days independent paddling (i.e. not being led) experience in moderate water conditions, gained in a range of locations
  • Some experience leading groups on the sea (e.g. in sheltered conditions, or working with another leader)
  • You have attended some formal sea leader training with a British Canoeing recognised provider
  • You have familiarised yourself with the Sea Kayak Leader Documents on the BCAB website.

British Canoeing provide a leadership e-learning package, which may be of interest to participants - you can find it in their e-learning store.

You will need to bring a group of 3 or 4 paddlers with you to lead on the assessment. These paddlers:

  • Must be capable and keen to be led on the sea in conditions at the top end of the moderate water remit - as a guide, paddlers who hold the Sea Kayak Award and are working towards the Coastal Sea Kayak Award may be at an appropriate standard.

  • Must not be at a level of competence where they would be happy journeying in moderate water as part of a small group of peers - aspirant leaders close to assessment standard would thus not be appropriate.

All participants must be over 18 years of age.

Assessment program

In order to provide candidates with the time and space to demonstrate their skills and to ensure that the led group can have an enjoyable day out, we strongly prefer to assess a single aspirant leader during an assessment event. Wherever possible, we will schedule assessments over 2 or more days - this enables us greater flexibility to find suitable weather conditions and provides candidates with more opportunities to demonstrate skills at the required standard.

Before the assessment we will define an ‘assessment area’ within which we can choose various venues depending on weather and tidal conditions. Prior to the assessment we ask that candidates:

  • Collate the information (maps, weather forecasts, tidal information etc) that they would need to lead a group in any part of the assessment area.
  • Prepare a journey plan for the assessment day for a group of paddlers capable of paddling at the upper end of moderate water conditions. We suggest that you may wish to create more than one journey plan, so that you are able to discuss options for the day’s paddle with us, and we can choose an option that is appropriate given the forecast on the morning of the assessment.

We will meet for a brief planning session on the morning of the assessment before heading to an agreed put-in and paddling area. You and your group will need to arrange your own travel to this put-in.

We will plan to be on the water from around 10:30 to perhaps 15:30. The intent of the assessment is that you lead your group as you would for a normal day on the sea. However, to meet the needs of the assessment, we will set some specific tasks during the day and hold discussions as we go.

We require specific conditions for an assessment to go ahead - we cannot run assessments when winds are too light or too strong, or if the sea will be very rough. Whenever possible, we will make a decision 48 hours ahead of the assessment. We will provide a full refund if the assessment is cancelled.

Equipment

You will need to carry appropriate equipment to lead a group for a day in moderate water conditions in the prevailing conditions, including the equipment specified by British Canoeing. At the time of writing, mandatory equipment for candidates being assessed includes:

  • Seaworthy closed-cockpit sea kayak with sealed bulkheads and decklines

  • Towline (and a knife in case the towline becomes entangled and must be cut)

  • First aid kit

  • Repair kit

  • VHF radio

  • At least 2 additional means of attracting attention (e.g. PLB / Flares / LED flare / mobile phone)

  • Map

  • Compass

  • GPS

Please check the current syllabus / assessment notes for up-to-date guidance. Note that this list is a bare minimum and we will expect you to carry sufficient equipment to support the group during the day’s paddle and during any incidents that occur, or which we simulate.

We will observe how candidates use their equipment throughout the assessment, including in some simulated emergency conditions and we are likely to check the equipment being carried.

The assessment will involve tasks involving immersion in the sea, so dress accordingly, bearing in mind that these tasks may take place throughout the day.

Relevant policies/terms

This course will be run under our policies (including the cancellation policy), laid out here and the Paddles Up Training policies which can be found here. The Paddles up training policies include information on how they’ll use the data that we share with them for certification, equality and diversity, special considerations and reasonable adjustments among other things.

Contacting us

Our contact details are on the home page of this site - please do get in touch if you have any questions.

We’re always keen to get feedback from those who we coach. Feel free to provide feedback in person or by email. I have an online feedback form here.