Courses

ACA (American Canoe Association) Swiftwater Rescue - Standard & Advanced

ACA Swiftwater Rescue

Want to be more confident and have a higher level of safety while paddling whitewater? The Basic Swiftwater Rescue Course is designed to teach whitewater paddlers basic personal and group safety and rescue techniques. This course covers self-rescue techniques and techniques for rescuing other paddlers with equipment that is commonly carried by personal boaters including the kayak, paddle, and throw bag. The following is a list of what we teach during the day.

Classroom Topics
- Rivers Sense & Organization
- Trip Preparation
- Equipment & Knots
Self Rescue Skills
- Walking in Rapids
- Swimming in Rapids
Throw Bag Techniques
- Care & Maitenence
- Proper Stuffing Techniques
- Positioning
- Throwing Underarm, Sidearm, Overhead
Tag Line Rescues including rescuer lowers and strong swimmer rescues
Walking Rescues
Boat Based Rescues

The crux of the course is an 3-hour afternoon session of scenarios in which the participants are put into mock rescue scenarios in which they act as a rescue leader and rescuer. Each participant will have the opportunity to be involved in leading a rescue.

The cost of the course is 110.00 per person. This cost includes all RESCUE equipment needed for the course. Bringing a boat (properly outfitted WW Canoe or Kayak, or an IK) is not mandatory but will give you a better learning experience. Boats are available to rent for the day from Geneva Kayak for a fee of 25.00. To make this course relevant, each participant should have taken at the Whitewater Weekend course prior to this Basic Swiftwater Rescue Course, OR have an equivalent level of paddling skill (beginner level) or higher.

Course Location: Wolf River, WI

Cost: 110.00 Per Person (includes rescue gear only, does not include boat or gear)
Boat rentals are available for daily rental fee.

Length: 7 Hours

ACA Advanced Swiftwater Rescue

The ACA Advanced Swiftwater Rescue Course is designed for paddlers in a leadership position in whitewater and includes techniques for canoes, kayaks and rafts. This two-day course (the Basic Swiftwater Rescue course is Day 1) teaches whitewater trip leaders paddlers basic personal safety, group safety, basic rescue and advanced resuce techniques. The main difference between the Basic and Advanced Rescue course is that we address more compicated boat based rescues, technical rope rescues, pin situations, using mechanical advantage in pin situations, the z-drag and also include more complicated rescue scenarios. In addition to the skills taught in the Basic Swiftwater rescue course the previous day, the following list of skills are taught:

Line-based Rescues
- Zip Lines
- Two-Point Rescuer Lowers
- Telfer Lower
Boat Pins: Z-Drags
In-Boat Entrapments
Evacuation & Transport

We’ll spend the morning teaching the techniques and then head over to the Peshtigo River (depending on water levels) for an afternoon of scenarios in Class II-III whitewater.

The cost of the course is 200.00 per person (includes the Basic Rescue Course). This cost includes all RESCUE equipment needed for the course. Bringing a boat (properly outfitted ww canoe or kayak, or an inflatable kayak) is not mandatory but will give you a better learning experience. Boats are available to rent for the day from Geneva Kayak for a fee of 25.00. To make this course relevant, each participant should have taken at the Whitewater Weekend course prior to this Basic Swiftwater Rescue Course, OR have an equivalent level of paddling skill (beginner level) or higher

Course Location: Wolf River, WI

Cost: 200.00 Per Person (includes rescue gear only, does not include boat or gear)
Boat rentals are available for daily rental fee.

Length: 2- 8 hours days

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