Community Paddlesports Leader Certification

Share the Joy of Paddling with Others

The ACA’s Community Paddlesports Leader offering is your entry point to leading on the water. Whether you’re seeking certification for work or club outings or simply want to share your passion for paddling with friends and peers, the ACA Community Paddlesports Leader program provides a perfect blend of support, challenge, community, and play. Gain the confidence you need to safely and effectively lead day excursions on calm waters. Dive into a dynamic learning experience that covers technique, decision-making, communication, planning, risk management, and rescue solutions – all while having fun. Join us and develop the skills you need to become a confident and capable paddlesports leader.

The Community Paddlesports Leader program was created for:

• Camps and outdoor nonprofit staff

• Club, meetup, university, and park leaders

• Casual paddlers who want to safely take their friends and peers on outings

More Info from the ACA:

• About Leader Pathway

• Community Paddlesports Leader Overview

• Community Paddlesports Leader Certification Criteria

• ACA Community Paddlesports Leader - Candidate Course Workbook available in print or digital formats

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The program offers a hybrid structure those with some paddling experience who lack a formal skills training and assessment from the ACA, as well as those who have minimal experience with paddling and need support with foundational paddling basics.

We are running this course as a Hybrid Skills + Leadership Course. That means the first weekend is May 16-17. It consists of ACA Level 1 skills training and Level 1 skills assessment. Depending on paddler skill and time, we may be able to train and assess to Level 2.

The second weekend is May 30-31. This is the Community Paddlesports Leader Development Workshop and Certification Exam.

You will select the training package that is right for you at check out.

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Mixed paddlecraft is one of the unique elements of Community Paddlesports Leader. We are able to support, and even encourage, a variety of different vessels on the water for this program, including:

• Kayaks, either sit-inside or sit-on-top

• Canoes

• Stand-up-Paddleboards

SUP Paddlers Please Note: Our current instructor certifications do not include SUP. We welcome SUP users on the May 30-31 certification course weekend; however, we are currently unable to provide an ACA Level 1 or Level 2 skills training or skills assessment for SUP. If you need that prerequisite training and/or assessment, please contact us and we will partner you with an instructor who can help.

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The workshop will be held at different locations in the Tampa/St Pete area. We may adjust locations based on weather conditions and course goals. Launch locations will be announced no later than the evening prior to each training day.

Tentatively, anticipate the following locations, to be finalized before the training course:

• May 16-17 Skills Course: John Chesnut Sr. Park in Palm Harbor

• May 30-31 Certification Course: Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park in Tampa

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A final coordination letter will be provided to all participants. It will include details about location, time, logistics and other information. Meanwhile, here is what you can anticipate:

• Arriving daily by 8:30 a.m. to check-in, unload equipment and be ready for the day.

• Starting classes each day at 9 a.m.

• Getting off the water each day arounnd 4 p.m. and being finished with the day's learning activities by 5 p.m.

• Launch locations being announced no later than the evening prior to each workshop day.

• Flexibility in time and location will be needed to meet curriculum goals or take advantage of conditions and training opportunities. This may include some start times earlier than 9 a.m. If we need to start early, we will finish early.

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ACA Level 1 or Level 2 skills, as demonstrated in a skills assessment, are required to participate in the second weekend of this workshop, the Community Paddlesports Leader Certification Course.

• Participants participating in the Hybrid Skills + Certification Course will have Level 1 and/or Level 2 skills training and assessment included.

• Level 1 is the minimum prerequisite. Level 2 is ideal, but optional.

More about skills and the environment:

• Community Paddlesports Leader certification is associated with Level 1 to Level 2 environments, including protected waterways such as lakes, slow-moving rivers, estuaries, and protected coastal areas, all within 0.25 miles from shore with access to simple launch and landing locations.

• Anticipate being observed in three of the following four conditions during assessment (not simultaneously):

  • Winds less than 10 knots (12 mph)

  • Waves less than 1 foot

  • Shore break less than 1 ft

  • Current not exceeding 1 knot

• Contact us if you have questions about the appropriateness of this course for your skill level.

Skills Assessment Reference Documents: Review these for a preview of skills you will see in training or be required to demonstrate in assessment.

• Sit-inside Kayak: Level 1, Level 2

• Sit-on-top Kayak: Level 1, Level 2

• Canoe: Level 1, Level 2

• SUP: Level 1, Level 2

Note for TBSK members: See email from Anthony for more information on this requirement. Contact Anthony directly if you have questions.

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We offer discounts on all of our programs for military veterans, first responders, and educators in recognition of your contribution to our country and communities.

We offer discounts to our friends and fellow paddlers at Florida Paddling Trails Association and Tampa Bay Sea Kayakers in recognition of their contribution to safe and enjoyable paddling in our area.

Email explore@kayakant.com to receive a discount code for any of the above participant categories if they apply to you.

TBSK Trip Leaders and Candidates: See the workshop invitation email from Anthony for scholarship program information and codes.

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ACA General Membership Requirement: You must be an ACA member on Day 1 of the workshop to participate as a candidate. Join, renew or learn about member benefits here. Dues are $40/year. You will be prompted to enter your ACA member number at checkout. If you are not a member at checkout, you may proceed as a non-member and simply provide your number by email prior to the course start.

SEIC Dues: Your certification is not valid until Safety Education and Instructor Council (SEIC) dues have been paid. Those do not need to be paid until after a passing grade on the certification exam has been achieved. SEIC dues are $30/year. More information about SEIC and benefits of membership.

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Course Workbook: We will use the ACA's Candidate Course Workbook during shore-based classes and for some "homework." The book is available electronically (Kindle app) or in paperback. Either format is acceptable. The workbook is available here: Community Paddlesports Leader Candidate Course Workbook.

ACA Resources and Videos:

• Resource Library including educational videos on paddle strokes, rescue techniques and more. We highly encourage hybrid skills + certification course candidates to review these.

• Smart Start for Safe Paddling Online Course - Highly encouraged for hybrid skills + certification course candidates.

• A collection of leader candidate resources can be found within your ACA membership account. Login at https://aca.sport80.com/home, go to your Dashboard, select the Resources tab, select Resources for ACA Certification Candidates (Instructors, Leaders, and Guides).
  

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If you are traveling to the workshop from away, numerous lodging options are available in the Greater Tampa Bay and St Petersburg area. We will conduct the full workshop in and around the northern Tampa Bay are and Pinellas County, so look for options nearby. See Locations tab.

Feel free to email us for suggestions and resources if you are new to the area.

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We invite a small number of practice students to workshops to support a more realistic training and assessment environment for our candidates. Here's what that can look like:

• Practice students may participate in any one or more days of the workshop.

• Compare being a practice student to auditing a course: exposure to learning, no stress to perform, some credit for training, reduced cost.

• Practice students will receive guiding and instruction primarily from our candidates, yet can also expect to get some instruction directly from trainers.

• In exchange for the value they provide the program, practice students pay a reduced rate for the instruction they receive.

• Some portions of the workshop are designed only for candidates. During those periods, practice students will have the opportunity to relax or paddle on their own. Effort will be made to partner practice students with assisting instructors during those occasional periods, so they can keep working on skills or just have fun on the water.

Sign up as a practice student at this link or email Anthony for more information.

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Please let us know or visit our website for other opportunities. We will run more trainings like this in the future.

• Sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our webpage to receive an occasional email about learning opportunities and trips.

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This is a "hybrid" workshop including skills training and skills assessment days. Candidates who already possess ACA Level 1 or Level 2 paddling skills and a formal skills assessment, or comparable skills and assessment from another certification body, may opt out.

If you need the training and/or assessment, but are unable to attend our skills training and assessment weekend, May 16-17, you can obtain your skills training and/or assessment on a different date or from another source. Options include:

• Scheduling the training and assessment with Astrid Jackson in Orlando or Anthony Sousa in Tarpon Springs on another date.

• Email us and we'll help you find another ACA instructor to support your skills training and assessment.

The focus of the first two days of this workshop is on developing candidates as community paddlesports leaders. Topics may include:

• Exemplary Trip: Trainers provide an ideal model for a short day trip (i.e., trip briefing and expectations, equipment preparation, on-water skills check, group traveling, focus on enjoyment and exploration, display varied leadership, etc.) 

• Leadership Workshop: Leadership Model 

• Environment Workshop: Weather and conditions 

• Personal Paddling / Risk & Response workshop

• Trip Planning and delivery workshop: Trip planning framework that leads to practical leadership 

• Practical Leadership: Candidate as ‘mock leader’ in charge of group with specific tasks/objectives; trainer to set up scenarios and lead feedback 

• Leadership Workshop: decision making 

• Risk and Response: Complicated rescue scenarios 

• Equipment Workshop: Basic repairs on and off-water 

• Environment Workshop: Leave No Trace 

• Evening learning opportunities: Reflection of the day, exam preparation

The focus of the second day of this workshop is the certification exam. Practically speaking, assessment will be a wholistic look at the candidate throughout the workshop. "Exam Day" is a snapshot in time, but not the only thing we look at. We view the exam itself as part of the learning opportunity and another chance to receive growth-oriented feedback. All effort is made to help candidates find success in their personal performance.

Exam day topics can include:

• Overview the day – Exam process, clarifying questions, etc.

• Written Exam - a short (about 20 questions) written exam

• On Water Exam: Leader candidates have an allocated amount of time to lead a group of paddlers with 1-2 specified objectives.

  • Each leader candidate should conduct a group launch or landing, and they should address at least 3 scenarios during the leadership section. 

  • Scenarios are used during the exam to challenge the candidates with issues like rescues, towing, health issues or equipment problems.

• Feedback for leader candidates from the trainers should be conducted privately during the exam. 

• Trainers may allow for leader candidates to conduct a brief sharing of their section to the other candidates for continued learning.