Trip Leader Course in Gulf Islands

Update: the deadline for registration has passed.

SKABC invites you to join our club and take a course. We have offerings for beginners, but for experienced paddlers we're featuring a Trip Leader Course. Details of what is involved and what you'll learn in the course are below.
Annual membership in SKABC costs $45 (additional family members are $10). The Trip Leader course is $50 and consists of an evening session on Thursday May 7 plus three days in the Gulf Islands May 22-24.
To join the club and express interest in the course, visit skabc.org

Description: Spend three days in the Gulf Islands developing the skills required to lead a SKABC trip for a day, a weekend or an extended period.
This course is aimed at paddlers who have some kayaking experience (day trips, overnight trips and multi-day trips), and would like to know more about leading SKABC trips in accordance with the club’s philosophy, which can be found on the website.

Learning objectives of this course:

• trip preparation
• equipment to carry as the leader
• launch site safety review
• incident management
• group integration to establish a cohesive team (group dynamics)
• campsite environmental management

NOTE: The course includes an evening trip-planning meeting on Thursday May 7th in Cambie Village.
Prerequisites:

• Be able to perform a wet exit, assisted re-entry and unassisted (self) re-entry
• Have overnight or multi-day trip experience
• Know how to pack your kayak for camping
• Be comfortable paddling a loaded boat
• Be able to set up your own camp site at the end of the day
• Interested in leading SKABC trips
• Wetsuit or drysuit
• Be pre-approved by the coordinator prior to registration

Format:

• Trip Planning Meeting (see above for date and time)
• 3 day trip with 2 nights camping in Gulf Islands
• Participants are expected to wheel their boats onto the Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay ferry with the group.

Fee: $50
Note: the fee will be refunded if a participant completes the course and leads a trip in 2026 or between January 1 and August 31 2027
Travel and Camping Expenses: Participants are responsible for their own transportation, walk on ferry costs and camp fees. Camp fees are approx. $7.50/night.

Up for the challenge? Join us and find out more at skabc.org