Sport Studies, Recreation & Athletics 334
Sea Kayak Guide Leadership
Fall 2012
Thursday: 4-6pm, RCC Room 240 (Reid) and several mandatory pool sessions and field
trips (camping and paddling on protected and open ocean, and day trips).
Instructor: Brien Sheedy
Director of Whitman College Outdoor Programs
Office: RCC 209
sheedybr@whitman.edu
509-386-4375 cell
Introduction
The Sea Kayak Guide Leadership (SKGL) course was developed to teach fundamental and advanced
sea kayak guide and instructor skills. Although this course does not “certify” any student to be a sea
kayak guide or instructor, students will be exposed to the elements of leading and instructing safe trips
in the ocean environment. If completed in good standing, this course will allow a student to become a
trip leader and instructor for the Outdoor Program or other programs), and is designed to give students
the ability to work in the sea kayak guide industry, and to safely pursue sea kayak expeditions in their
personal lives.
There is no substitute for experience, and having a large number of days on ocean trips. This course
will not provide extensive experience, but will help students create a solid foundation of skills upon
which to further build.
In addition, this course will culminate in an expedition to the San Juan Islands, during the “October
Break” weekend. An SKGL student in good standing will be adequately prepared to lead a sea
kayaking Scramble, if desired, and/or work for professional companies in the San Juan Islands (and
other locals).
Please note, this course is not an “activity level” course: it is not a ‘learn to sea kayak’ course. Rather,
this course is designed to produce leaders and guides at all levels, and will involve large amounts of
theory, classroom assignments, homework, midterm/final exams, and extensive practical experience.
Prerequisites:
There are no prerequisites for this course other than being able to swim, having a good attitude and
being comfortable around open ocean water, and rough conditions (you will learn the paddling skills
and risk management skills to deal with these conditions). However, this course will be demanding at
times, both physically and mentally. Classroom sessions will be supplemented by field sessions in
places such as the surf zone, open ocean, rivers, lakes, and the pool. You will be required to swim in
the ocean, possibly in rough conditions and the surf zone; as well as experiencing nature in any
weather that is presented.
Texts:
3 Textbooks are required for this course. Two are available in the book store and/or OP rental shop and
the third will be provided by the OP Director.
1. Sea Kayaking Illustrated: A Visual Guide to Better Paddling – by John Robinson (Book
store)
2. NOLS Sea Kayak Instructor Notebook – Available at both the bookstore and the OP
rental shop.
3. Whitman College Sea Kayaking Manual – Included with class: To be supplied by OP
Director
Optional
1. Sea Kayaking, A Manual for Long-Distance Touring; John Dowd
In addition, we will have a “resource bin’ with many additional texts available to check out in the WC
Outdoor Program.
Required class field trips/pool sessions:
1. Sea Kayak Rescue Clinic: 3 pool sessions
Date/Time: Wednesday, September 5th, Wednesday, September 12th, Wednesday, September
19th, 7:30-9:30pm
Clinics/Additional Trainings:
(Everyone must participate in three additional open kayak pool sessions before the end of the
semester. The goal is to develop basic paddle skills so as to become a stronger paddler. Obtaining a
kayak roll would be nice.) Please track these trainings in your journal.
1. Open Kayak session Monday and Wednesdays 7:30-9:30pm (pool)
Topics to be covered:
Group management and leadership styles
Clothing and Gear
Navigation
Ocean conditions – tides, currents, wind, waves & weather
Equipment
Sea Kayak Safety/Rescues
Hydrology of moving currents and surf zone
Paddle Strokes and Technique
Past, Present and Future of the Sport
Classic sea kayak expeditions
How to teach: sea kayak strokes, rescues and basic skills
Aug. 30
Course introduction; syllabus, name game, goals,
Developing a foundation of skills, Brief history of kayaking
Sept 6 Equipment, nomencalature,
boat and paddle parts, doubles vs. singles, design characteristics
Trip planning assignments:
Readings: Sea Kayak Instructor manual (Chapter 4 Recovery procedures & towing)
NOLS SKIN pages 5-10
Robison – Chapters 1,2
Sept 13 Camping, Boat loading abc’s, trip planning tasks
Reading: Sea Kayak Instructor manual (Chapter 4 Recovery procedures & towing)
Robison – Cap 13 (Pee kayaking); 14 (camping); 15 special topics
Trip prep: personal equipment check, food and equipment. Personal equipment packing demo.
Finish food repackaging, other group tasks and load boats and equipment on trailer
Sept 14-15 Overnight trip to Palouse River 12pm Fri. tentative departure
Sept 20 Seamanship, wind & waves, tides & currents, rule of 12’s,
Robison – Chap 8 (Wind & Waves); 11 (Tides & Currents)
NOLS SKIN pages 10-27, page 67
Trip planning for weekend
Sept 21-23 Sea kayaking Surf zone trip 12pm Fri. tentative departure
Sept 27 Trip planning for San Juan’s Trip with Heather
Trip prep: personal equipment check, food and equipment. Personal equipment packing demo.
Finish food repackaging, other group tasks and load boats and equipment on trailer
Oct 4-9 Sea kayaking San Juan’s trip
Depart Thurs at 4pm and return early Tuesday evening.
Oct 6 Navigation and Piloting, Chart 1,
NOLS SKIN pages 17-27
Oct 11 Navigation Part 2, Float plans, compasses
NOLS SKIN pages 17-27
October 18 Safety & judgment, Rescues and group management
Homework: Chapter report from Deep Trouble (Available at Rental shop and from Penrose)
NOLS SKIN Chapter 6 Risk Management pages 67-94
October 25 Sea kayaking: The Ultimate Guide video during class with TA (Brien at Wilderness Risk
Managers Conference)
November 1 Mid term exam based on video, readings and presentations
November 8 Navigation “Enjoying the Ride” Video during class with TA (Brien at AORE Conference)
November 15 Study session for final
November 22 NO CLASS. THANKSGIVING DAY.
November 29 Final (Practical)
December 6 Final Exam Final (Written)
Dec ???TBA 4:30pm-6pm Potluck dinner, slide show, Course wrap-up, at GAC?
Gear:
All of your sea kayaking equipment is included in your course fee. However, you will be responsible
for checking it out from the OP Rental Shop. Additional items will be necessary for certain trips, but
below is the list of gear required for every trip (YOU are responsible for checking this out, and
showing up with all the correct gear – it will be a safety hazard if you are not prepared!):
Equipment Needed for Class Trips:
Wetsuit or dry suit
Paddling Jacket/splash top
Neoprene Gloves
PFD (Life Jacket)
Fleece Top
Neoprene Booties or chotas
Head Warmer/scull cap
Hydroskin
In addition, you’ll need a swimsuit and towel for pool sessions. For trips and expeditions, you will be
required to provide your own personal camping equipment (sleeping bag, pad, camp clothes), but all
cooking gear will be provided. Again, any camping gear from the OP is free for you to use for this
course, but you do have to check it out yourself.
Please note that Food is not included in your course fee. Meals while camping may/will be a shared
expense.
Grading and Attendance:
Unlike activity courses (pass/no-pass), Sea Kayak Guide Leadership is graded on a grade basis. In
order to pass the course, you must attend all classes and field trips – you may become a safety hazard if
you miss important information (see dates below, especially the final expedition to the San Juan
Islands). There will also be graded assignments, written and practical midterm and final exams:
Weekly assignments, midterm & instructor manual project
Leadership/trip reflection notebook
Trip assignments & trip reports
Final exam (practical and written):
25%
25%
25%
25%
Fees:
The fee for this class is $475. This fee will be taken directly out of your student account. The fee will
cover transportation, permits, and free Outdoor Program rental equipment for classes and trip.
Leadership, Judgement & decision making Journal
During and after trips, list daily leadership lessons learned and observations about group dynamics and
communication. Also discuss judgment and decision-making, risk management and concepts learned
from the NOLS Sea Kayak Instructor Notebook and the NOLS Leadership educator notebook and
class, combined with personal experience and observations on trips. Reflection is important for growth
as a leader and communicator and this journal is a tool to aid in that reflection. Also, put float plans,
tides and weather info in your notebook along with your nature nugget outline/research.
Spring Break Trip Assignments
1. Trip prep: Tasks: group camping gear-2, food-2, paperwork, permits, maps-1, tent checking-1,
stove checking-1
2. Journal: (List daily weather observations, tide info. Thoroughly share leadership lessons learned
and group dynamic obervations, natural history observations and general thoughts. I want to see
reflection and effort to tie readings and presentations with experiential learning)
3. Leader of the day during trip: Leader of the day during trip: Responsible for written float plan, group
leadership on the water and hazard evaluation
4. Natural history teaching presentation during trip (2-5 min):
Evaluation will be based on content, organization and presentation.
5. Beach boss: responsible for group equipment and boat storage, bombproofing and camp selection:
6. Group game/ice breaker
7. Trip evaluation and report at end: Provide 1-3 pictures and a 2 paragraph description of the trip and
lessons learned (Trip name, location, dates, objective, leadership lesson learned, another lesson
learned. These should all be on 8.5”x11” paper. Photoshop is recommended for this.
8. Complete assigned research/improvement project for WCOP Sea kayak instructor manual
(Due class before Thanksgiving Break)
Possible topics for trip: Leadership skills at NOLS, NOLS core curriculum, No-doze leadership test.,
risk and group management, Leave No Trace Practices, Outdoor teaching techniques,
Mini-teaching assignments, waterline model, awareness wheel, interpersonal gap, Nodoze leadership test. What is a leader? Stages of group development. Leadership on the
water, sea kayaking injuries, risk and group management
Weekly Assignments:
Deep Trouble chapter presentations in pairs –Oct 18
NOLS Risk Management for Outdoor Leaders + SKIN info – Due to present Nov 1
Gear repair on sea kayaks – Nov. 29
Sea kayak manual assignment – Due Nov 15
Pool Sessions
1. Boat design & parts, paddle parts review, outfitting/sizing, 5 essentials, wet exits, basic paddle
stroke types: propulsion, correction, recovery + anatomy of a stroke (catch, travel phase, recovery
2. Sea kayak rescues: paddlefloat, cowboy, direct re-entry, assisted, hand of god, double re-entry, Trescue
3. Paddle stroke review and braces, Rolling
Open Kayaking: Highly encouraged so as to improve paddling skills and learn roll
Whitman College Sea Kayak Training Course
Instruction Checklist – Sea kayaking
Group #______
Course Dates:_____________________________
Training Location/route:__________________________Instructor:________________________
The mission of this training course is to prepare student leaders with skills and knowledge to be
effective wilderness leaders for the the Whotman College Otdoor Program on inland protected waters
and possibly for open water depending upon an individuals skills and abilities.
Safety & Judgement Leadership & Teamwork
Emergency Care
Outdoor Living Skills
Environmental Awareness
Travel skills
It is the responsibility of the Course Leader to design a curriculum of classes and activities that
accomplish the goals of the course. Not all these classes are "required", but please note the topics
which were covered whether it be a formal class approach, ongoing observations, or by activity. Please
don't feel limited by what's here. Use the interests and resources you have within your group
Date/Inst. Introductory Topics
_____ Course orientation
_____ Personal gear packing
_____ Kayak packing
_____ Kayak anatomy & care
_____ Basic paddling intro.
Date/Inst. Outdoor Living Skills
_____ Waste disposal, sanitation, LNT
_____ Personal hygiene
_____ Campsite selection/LNT
_____ 7 LNT Principles
_____ Nutrition and rations
_____ Basic cooking tips
_____ Menu/ration ideas for expeditions
Date/Inst. Traveling Skills
_____ Maps and/or charts
_____ Paddle signals
_____ Boat switches
_____ Local weather patterns
_____ Range line; dead reckoning
_____ Paddle plans
_____ Paddling in fog discussion
_____ Launching and landing
_____ Tent & Fly pitching
_____ Stove Use & Care/Repair
_____ Water safety talk
_____ Ice breakers
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____ Baking
Staying warm and dry
_____ Water disinfection
Bear camping/critter management
Baking (twiggy fires and ¼ turn method)
Kitchen safety talk
_____ Pod Travel
_____ Launching & landing
_____
Water hazards
_____ compass use with navigating
_____ Wind and wave dynamics
_____ Crossing considerations
_____ Navigation in traffic
_____ Sea kayaking decision making triangle
_____ Tides & currents (current atlas)
Sea Kayaking Skills
Basic Strokes
_____ Forward stroke
_____ Reverse stroke
_____ Sweep strokes
_____ Draw stroke
_____ Ruddering
_____ Stopping
_____ Boat parts and paddle parts
Advanced Strokes
_____ Low Brace
High Brace
Sculling
Blending/combination strokes
Rolling
outfitting
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Rescues:
_____ Wet-exit
_____ Direct re-entry
_____ Self rescue- paddle float
_____ Rescue of unconscious person
_____ Assisted rescues
_____ rescue of unconscious patient out of water
_____ Hand of god rescue
_____ Double self rescue
_____ Boat over boat rescue (T-rescue)
_____ Bow rescue
_____ Bow roll rescue *NEW
_____ Cowboy rescue
_____ Towing Systems (Directional tows, towing considerations, towing hazards)
Emergency Care & Management
_____ ABC & patient assessment
_____ Emergency procedures
_____ Water/swim safety procedures
_____ “Freak time” and travel procedures
_____ Emergency Scenario #1
_____ Heat & Cold related Injuries
_____ Emergency Scenario #2
_____ Foot care
_____ First aid kit familiarization
_____ Emergency paperwork familiarization
_____ Safety equipment use (radios, flares, FA kit)
_____ Group management discussion
_____ Sea kayak rescue kit familiarization
Leadership and Communication
_____ Leadership Styles discussion
_____ Awareness wheel and interpersonal gap
_____ VOW (voice on the water)
Additional Topics
_____ Simulated accidents
_____ Kayak accidents
_____ Sea kayak repair
_____ Nature nuggets
_____ Attatching boats to trailers
tautline hitch, clove hitch)
_____ Conflict resolution discussion
_____ Waterline model
_____ Beach boss duties/role
_____ Equipment selection
_____ Alternate rescues
_____ LNT camping in other areas
_____ Trailer safety
_____ Boating knots (boline, tricker’s hitch,