The ACA National Paddlesports Instruction Program has been acknowledged as the premier paddlesports education program throughout the United States and in over 30 countries.
Education
Types of Courses
Take a Paddling Class
- Skills courses which are designed to introduce students to new skills, build confidence through competence, and increase paddling proficiency in the chosen craft.
- Skills assessments are designed to evaluate a student’s existing skillset. Students should arrive at the course with previous paddling experience, and they will be assessed alongside a checklist of skills, experience, and knowledge. If successfully completed, the student will receive an assessment credential from the ACA.
- Instructor certifications are the next step for individuals wishing to teach paddling technique and skill refinement to students. A key component that sets instructor certification apart from other course types is the evaluation of not only paddling skill and knowledge but also teaching ability, group management, and judgement.
- Endorsements are specialized courses designed for currently certified ACA instructors. Endorsements provide the opportunity for instructors to teach additional skills and curriculum that are not included in traditional instructor certification workshops.
- Paddlesports Safety Facilitator courses are designed for those seeking to introduce paddlecraft safety and knowledge to the beginner paddler in a land-based setting.
Course Disciplines
The ACA offers courses in the following paddlesports disciplines:
- Canoeing
- Kayaking (River, Coastal, Sit-On-Top, Surf)
- Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP)
- Rafting
- Safety & Rescue
- Prone Paddling
- Packrafting
- Surfski
- Universal Paddling
Course Levels & Offerings
Canoeing
- Paddlesport Safety Facilitator (PSF) – Canoe Module ( Course Outline )
- Flatwater Canoe Safety & Rescue ( Skills Course )
- Level 1: Introduction to Canoeing ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 2: Essentials of River Canoeing ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: River Canoeing ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 4: Whitewater Canoeing ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 5: Advanced Whitewater Canoeing ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 2: Essentials of Canoe Touring ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: Freestyle Canoeing ( Skills Course Instructor Criteria )
- Levels 2-5: River Canoe Day Trip Leading ( Skills Assessment )
- Levels 2-5: Canoe Camping ( Skills Course )
- Levels 4-5: Canoe Rolling ( Skills Course )
River Kayaking
- Paddlesport Safety Facilitator (PSF) – Kayak Module ( Course Outline )
- Flatwater Kayak Safety & Rescue ( Skills Course )
- Level 1: Introduction to Kayaking ( Skills Course Skills Course - Espanol Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 2: Essentials of River Kayaking ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: River Kayaking ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 4: Whitewater Kayaking ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 5: Advanced Whitewater Kayaking ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Levels 2-5: Kayak Rolling ( Skills Course Endorsement Criteria )
- Level 2: Essentials of River Kayak Hand-Paddling ( Skills Course Endorsement Criteria )
- Level 3: River Kayak Hand-Paddling ( Skills Course Endorsement Criteria )
- Level 4: Whitewater Kayak Hand-Paddling ( Skills Course Endorsement Criteria )
- Levels 2-5: River Kayak Day Trip Leading ( Skills Course Skills Assessment )
- Levels 2-5: River Kayak Camping ( Skills Course )
- Levels 2-5: River Kayak – Hand Paddling ( Skills Course Instructor Endorsement )
- Levels 2-5: River Kayak Fishing (Under Development)
Coastal Kayaking
- Paddlesport Safety Facilitator (PSF) – Kayak Module ( Course Outline )
- Flatwater Kayak Safety & Rescue ( Skills Course )
- Level 1: Introduction to Kayaking ( Skills Course Skills Course - Espanol Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 2: Essentials of Kayak Touring ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 2: Essentials of Kayak Touring Trip Leader ( Skills Course Skills Assessment )
- Level 3: Coastal Kayaking ( Basic Strokes and Rescues Skills Course Strokes and Maneuvers Refinement Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: Coastal Kayak Trip Leader ( Skills Course Skills Assessment )
- Level 4: Open Water Coastal Kayaking ( Skills Course Tidal Currents Skills Course Surf Zone Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 4: Open Water Coastal Kayak Trip Leader ( Skills Course Skills Assessment )
- Level 5: Advanced Open Water Coastal Kayaking ( Advanced Surf Zone Skills Course Rough Water Maneuvering and Towing Skills Course Instructor Criteria )
- Levels 2-5: Coastal Kayak Camping ( Skills Course )
- Levels 2-5: Coastal Kayak Navigation ( Skills Course )
- Levels 3-5: Coastal Kayak Traditional Skills ( Skills Course Endorsement Critiera )
- Levels 3-5: Coastal Kayak Rock Garden & Sea Caves ( Skills Course )
- Levels 2-5: Kayak Rolling ( Skills Course Endorsement Criteria )
- Levels 2-5: Coastal Kayak Fishing (Under Development)
Sit-On-Top Kayaking
- Level 2: Essentials of Sit-On-Top Kayak Touring ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 2: Essentials of Sit-On-Top River Kayaking ( Instructor Criteria )
- Level 2: Essentials of Sit-On-Top Kayak Touring Trip Leader ( Skills Course Skills Assessment )
- Level 2: Sit-On-Top Surf Kayaking ( Skills Course Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: Sit-On-Top Coastal Kayaking ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
Surf Kayaking
- Level 2: Sit-On-Top Surf Kayaking ( Skills Course Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: Essentials of Surf Kayaking ( Skills Course Instructor Criteria )
- Level 4: Surf Kayaking ( Skills Course Instructor Criteria )
- Level 5: Performance Surf Kayaking ( Skills Course Instructor Criteria )
Stand Up Paddling
- Level 1: Introduction to Stand Up Paddleboarding ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 2: Essentials of Stand Up Paddleboarding ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: River Stand Up Paddleboarding ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 4: Whitewater Stand Up Paddleboarding ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 5: Advanced Whitewater Stand Up Paddleboarding ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: Surf Stand Up Paddleboarding ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: Coastal Stand Up Paddleboarding ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Stand Up Paddleboard Day Trip Leading ( Skills Assessment )
- SUP Yoga ( Skills Course Instructor Endorsement )
- Paddlesport Safety Facilitator (PSF) – SUP Module ( Course Outline )
Rafting
- Level 2: Essentials of Rafting – Oar ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 2: Essentials of Rafting – Paddle ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: Rafting – Oar ( L3_Rafting-Oar Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: Rafting – Paddle ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 4: Whitewater Rafting – Oar ( L4_Whitewater_Rafting-Oar L4_Whitewater-Rafting_Oar_Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 4: Whitewater Rafting – Paddle ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 5: Advanced Whitewater Rafting – Oar ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 5: Advanced Whitewater Rafting – Paddle ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
Safety & Rescue
- Level 2: Essentials of River Safety & Rescue ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: River Safety & Rescue ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 4: Swiftwater Rescue ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 5: Advanced Swiftwater Rescue ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
Prone Paddling
- Level 1: Introduction to Prone Paddling ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 2: Essentials of Prone River Paddling ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: Prone River Paddling ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
Packrafting
- Level 1: Introduction to Packrafting ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 2: Essentials of River Packrafting ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: River Packrafting ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
Surfski
- Level 2: Essentials of Surfski ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 3: Fundamentals of Open Water Surfski ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 4: Downwind Surfski ( Skills Course Skills Assessment Instructor Criteria )
- Level 5: Advanced Open Water and Downwind Surfski (Under Development)
Universal Paddling
- Adaptive Paddling ( Adaptive_Endorsement_Criteria )
- Advanced Communications ( Instructor Endorsement )
Paddlesports Safety Facilitator (PSF)
- Paddlesports Safety Facilitator – General Module ( Course Outline )
- Paddlesport Safety Facilitator (PSF) – Canoe Module ( Course Outline )
- Paddlesport Safety Facilitator (PSF) – Kayak Module ( Course Outline )
- Paddlesport Safety Facilitator (PSF) – SUP Module ( Course Outline )