General Aims

The Level 5 River Kayaking Skills Award is designed for kayakers wishing to develop advanced skills and rescue techniques appropriate to Grade IV & advanced white-water rivers. It is an appropriate award for advanced kayakers who kayak with others of similar ability on Grade IV & advanced white-water rivers. The Level 5 River Kayak Skills Award is a pre-requisite for progression to the Level 4 Kayak Instructor.

The Level 5 Kayak Skills Award aims to enable candidates to:

  • Develop the necessary skills, group awareness, and group management to kayak safely and competently on rivers up to and including rivers of Grade IV & advanced white-water difficulty.
  • Deal competently with rescue situations which might occur on rivers up to and including rivers of Grade IV & advanced white-water difficulty.
  • Deal competently with First Aid situations in a remote river environment.

Attendance Requirements

The Level 5 River Kayak Skills Award requires that a candidate attend a training course prior to assessment. The course for the Level 5 Kayak Skills should be held over a minimum of one weekend.

Before applying to attend a Level 5 Kayak Skills Training Course, a candidate must:

    Requirements

    The Level 5 River Kayak Skills Award requires that a candidate attend a training course prior to assessment. The course for the Level 5 Kayak Skills should be held over a minimum of one weekend.

    The Level 5 Kayak Skills Award requires that a candidate attend a two-day training programme and a one-day assessment. The training programme will include the following:

    • Trip Planning
    • Equipment for Advanced White Water
    • Methods of River Leading
    • River Reading
    • Protection against Hazards
    • Management of Rescue Situations
    • Rescue from a Kayak
    • Use of a Throw Rope
    • Rope Rescues
    • First Aid in the River Environment
    • At least one grade IV/ Advanced white water trip demonstrating appropriate peer leadership techniques/ ability to work as a group, under the supervision of the Training course/ Assessment panel member.
    • Assessment Procedures.

    • Efficient forward and backward paddling.
    • Forward Sweep, Reverse Sweep, and a combination of Forward and Reverse Sweep.
    • Edging
    • Draw Stroke
    • Sculling Draw
    • Hanging Draw
    • Low Brace
    • High Brace
    • Sculling for Support
    • Stern Rudder
    • Bow Rudder

    • An ability to use water conditions available for the effective and efficient manoeuvring of a kayak.
    • Competence in negotiating water obstructions i.e., Standing Waves, Stoppers, and an ability to utilise it to cross a river.
    • Competence in negotiating bends where water flows under trees or against vertical riverbank.
    • Forward Ferry Gliding.
    • Reverse Ferry Gliding.
    • Breaking In accurately.
    • Breaking Out accurately.

    • An X Rescue and/or Assisted X Rescue.
    • Eskimo Rescue (maximum lower body rotation).
    • Eskimo Roll.
    • Capable of Self-Rescue.
    • Curl Rescue and/or TX Rescue.
    • Stern Carry.
    • Unconscious Casualty (method of righting an unconscious person in a capsized kayak).
    • An ability to manoeuvre an empty kayak between two specified points.
    • An ability to assist an incapacitated paddler in a kayak between two specified points.
    • Offensive & Defensive Swimming.
    • An ability to use a Throw Rope to rescue a swimmer.
    • Dealing with a rescue scenario appropriate to the environment include the application of first aid in the advanced kayaking environment.

    An understanding of the following:            

    • River Grading
    • River Route Finding
    • Types of GP kayaks and paddles
    • Towing Systems and methods
    • Group Control and Awareness
    • Signals and Commands
    • Personal Equipment

    Course Documents