BCAB Sea Kayak
Assessment

2 days – £210

09:00-17:00

This course is suitable for ages of 16 and above. 

We structure our assessments to ensure all candidates are provided with the opportunity to perform to the best of their ability. To help alleviate the inherent pressures tied in with assessments, we endeavour to ensure the assessment is delivered in a fair, clear and relaxed yet structured way.

Prior to joining the course all candidates will be sent a pre-course information pack. This will include details outlining the structure of the assessment and the prerequisites (including the Candidate Leadership Registration form, available from B.C. online).

• Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning (C.N.T.P.)

Candidates should demonstrate their ability to plan and navigate effectively on coastal journeys in moderate sea conditions, up to 2 nautical miles offshore, in areas of tidal movement of up to 2 knots. 

They should be familiar with the content of BCAB’s Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning syllabus. You will have covered this 1 day-theory course if you have already attended our BCAB Sea Kayak Leadership Award Training course.

• Leadership Skills

The leader is a positive role model who inspires their group with their passion and enthusiasm for sea kayaking and the ocean environment. Candidates will demonstrate familiarity with the core values of the British Canoeing Awarding Body (BCAB), such as environmental sustainability, educational philosophy, access and equality. Leaders should show excellent management of the group with a balanced approach to empowerment and command in order to ensure safety.

Candidates will exhibit natural leadership qualities and the ability to establish an encouraging and supportive atmosphere where the needs, differences and abilities of individuals are recognised, and their personal strengths nurtured. They will show their capacity to create challenges, set goals and motivate the group. Candidates will implement an effective communication strategy which involves and engages the whole group. 

• Situational Awareness and Decision Making

Candidates will demonstrate their in-the-moment dynamic risk assessment skills which will be applied to a changeable and diverse environment. They should be confident to make sound trip planning decisions and reliable real-time judgements in order to optimise safety and enjoyment of the group. Leaders are expected to be calmly responsive to the changing conditions throughout the journey, in the context of the capabilities of the group. They will demonstrate appropriate application of a range of rescue and self-rescue techniques, carried out with equanimity. 

• Personalised Action Plan

The course will culminate with concise feedback and an action plan to enable continued progression with paddling skills, ideally coupled with receiving your BCAB Sea Kayak Leader Award.

Download detailed guidelines for the assessment here.

Sea Kayak Leader Award | Paddle Cymru

We recommend joining us on our BCAB Sea Kayak Leadership Award Training course, which is specifically designed to prepare you for this assessment. 

This is a ‘direct entry’ course, meaning it is up to you to decide the appropriate level course at which to enter. We are more than happy to help you decide which level you’d be best suited to; please do get in touch. You do not need to show proof of previous achievement. 

You should either hold the BCAB Sea Kayak Award or BCAB Coastal Sea Kayak Award, or be paddling at that level. 

The BCAB Sea Kayak Leader Tidal qualification is appropriate for leading others on journeys on moderate seas. This includes 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).

This assessment is for those who want to gain their BCAB Sea Kayak Leader Award.

You may be an experienced, independent sea kayaker wanting to share your passion with others and be a dependable group leader at sea, or you may be an outdoor instructor looking to expand your range of qualifications. 

You will enter this assessment as an experienced independent sea kayaker who is ready to lead groups at sea. If you feel like you need a bit more training to reach this level, please join us on the BCAB Sea Kayak Leadership Award Training course, which aims to fully prepare you for the assessment. 

Candidates who meet the British Canoeing Awarding Body (BCAB) assessment criteria will be awarded the BCAB Sea Kayak Leader Award.

If we feel you are not yet at the appropriate level, we will invite you back for further training on the BCAB Sea Kayak Leadership Award Training course, which aims to fully prepare you for the assessment. We will also provide a detailed personal progression plan to ensure you focus your learning in the right areas. 

You’ll meet at our base in Solva to get kitted up (exact location will be shared in your confirmation of booking) and we’ll head to a nearby harbour which we’ve chosen to best suit the conditions on the day. 

• The use of one of our fleet of high quality P and H custom sea kayaks
• Touring paddling jacket
• Personal Floatation Device (PFD)
• Spraydeck
• Paddle
• Drybag
• Long John wetsuit

In your confirmation of booking, you’ll receive a full list of basic items to bring on the day e.g. bathers to wear under the wetsuit, a water bottle, a towel etc.