River Kayaking
Level 3

●Welcome, introductions, paperwork.
●Student & instructor course expectations and limitations.
●Course itinerary & site logistics.
●Review waiver, assumption of risk, challenge by choice, medical disclosure.
●About the ACA.
●PFD policy (always wear on water).
●Appropriate personal behavior.

●Wind
●Waves
●Weather
●Water

●Personal ability
●Swimming ability
● Water comfort & confidence
●Fitness, conditioning, and warm up
●Safe paddle and boat handling
●Safety and rescue considerations
●Personal equipment (reviewed by Instructor
●Judgment. In addition to learning hard skills, the importance of developing personal judgment
and group responsibility increases on more difficult paddling venues

●Launching, carries, landing
●Water confidence and comfort
●Rescue Priorities: People, boats, and gear
●Water comfort and confidence
●Wet exits in two ways: (1) utilizing the spray skirt grab loop and (2) releasing the skirt
off the hip
●How to empty a kayak
●The Terminology of Paddling (frequently blended in with stroke instruction)
●Types of strokes: power, turning & bracing
●Stroke components: catch, propulsion, recovery, control and correction
●Effective Body Usage and Bio-Kinetics
●Use of larger torso muscles
●Arms as struts connecting paddle to torso
●Avoidance of positions that contribute to shoulder injury or dislocations

Fundamentals of River Currents
●Current speed, direction and changes caused by streambed features
●Downstream and Upstream V's / Chutes
●Eddies/ Eddy Lines
●Waves/ Wave Holes
●Bends
●Effects of Obstacles
●Ledges/ Horizon Lines
●Strainers & Sieves
●Rocks/ Pillows
●Holes/ Hydraulics
●Other Hazards
●Power of the Current / River Level
●Cold Water
●Dams/ Flow Diversion Structures/ Pipelines
●Undercut Rocks / Ice
●International Scale of River Difficulty (handout: American Whitewater Safety Code)

A. Strategies in Running Rivers
1. How to paddle in current
Spacing/ Avoid "tunnel vision"
2. Scouting
From boat/ From shore How to establish the "best" route/ “Plan "B"
3. Portaging Hazards
B. Group Organization on the River
1. Group cohesiveness (lead, sweep boats, etc.)
2. Universal River Signals System
C. Emergency Procedures

●Kayak: types, materials, flotation, parts (including safety features: walls, foot braces, grab loops)
●Kayak outfitting: comfort & safety; back rests, hip pads
●Paddle: types, parts, length, blade size & shape, fitting, hand position
●Spray skirts: types & material, grab loop!
●Care of equipment
●Personal Equipment: water, food, shoes, sunscreen, bug spray, sun glasses, eyeglass straps,
protective clothing for heat or cold, sponge, hat, foot protection, food, whistle
●Car topping: Loading and unloading, racks, tie down
●Life jackets (PFDs): types, fit
●Helmet: types, fit

A) Principles of Rescue
1. Priorities - People, Boats, Gear
2. Responsibilities of Victim
3. Responsibilities of Rescuers
B) Types of Rescue
1. Self-Rescue in moving current
body/boat positions
handling equipment
2. Boat-Assisted Rescue
Tired Swimmer
Towing
Bow rescue
Bumping
3. Shoreline Rescue - Extension Rescues
Use of Throw Bags/Ropes
Pinned Craft
Basic wading

Flat-Water Practice:
●Spins (onside and offside): boat pivots in place
●Forward: boat moves in reasonably straight line
●Reverse: boat moves in a reasonably straight line
●Stopping: boat stops within a reasonable distance
●Turns: boat turns in broad arc made while underway
●Veering, Carving, and paddling the “inside circle”
●Abeam: boat moves sideways without headway
●Sideslips: boat moves sideways with headway

●Forward Sweep (aggressive and reactive techniques)
●Reverse Sweep
●Stern Draw
●Bow Draw
●Forward
●Back
●Low and High Braces
●Bow Draw and Duffek
●Stationary Draw
●Sculling Draw

●Ferries
●Eddy Turns
●Peelouts
●Wide (exit wide from eddy line)
●Shallow (exit close to eddy line)
●Sequences of Maneuvers
●C-turns (Peel out and eddy into same eddy)
●S-turns (Peel out one side and eddy into opposite side)
●Surfing (for Whitewater course only)

ACA courses are open to all individuals who acknowledge the ability to perform thefollowing essential eligibility criteria.

1. Breathe independently (i.e., not require medical devices to sustain breathing).

2. Independently maintain sealed airway passages while under water.

3. Independently hold head upright without neck / head support.

4. Manage personal care independently or with assistance of a companion.

5. Manage personal mobility independently or with a reasonable amount of assistance.

6. Follow instructions and effectively communicate independently or with assistance of acompanion.

7. Independently turn from face-down to face-up and remain floating face upwhile wearing a properly fitted life jacket*.

8. Get on / off or in / out of a paddlecraft independently or with a reasonable amount of assistance*.

9. Independently get out and from under a capsized paddlecraft*.

10. Remount or reenter the paddlecraft following deep water capsizeindependently or with a reasonable amount of assistance*.

11. Maintain a safe body position while attempting skills, activities and rescues listed in the appropriate Course Outline, and have the ability to recognize and identify to others when such efforts would be unsafe given your personal situation.