Instructor Courses
Swiftwater Rescue
Help train your friends to be effective rescuers. 6-day ACA L4 Swiftwater Rescue Instructor Certification Workshop
September 11-13th and 18th-20th, 2026
Whitewater Kayaking
Interested in becoming a kayak instructor? Join our 4-day ACA L3 Kayak Instructor Certification Workshop
April 16th-19th, 2026
Mentoring and Updates
Looking to update your L4 Cert or upgrade from L3 to L4? Sign up below!
We also love mentoring instructors. Reach out for information about teaching with us or shadowing a lesson.
ACA Kayak Instructor Update
L4 Update or L3 to L4 Upgrade
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Stay up to date or elevate your instructor skills with an ACA Level 4 Whitewater Kayak Instructor Update/Level 3 to Level 4 Upgrade Workshop with 2025 Instructor of the Year Nik White. This course is for current ACA L4 instructors looking to update their certification or ACA L3 instructors who are ready to upgrade to L4.
Through expert-led sessions, you'll refine your paddling technique, learn effective teaching and group management techniques, explore risk management strategies, and improve your rescue skills. The curriculum, accredited by the American Canoe Association, prepares you to confidently lead, mentor, and inspire the next generation of whitewater enthusiasts.
Dates: August 29th & 30th, 9 am to 5 pm each day with homework to be completed before the start of the course.
Location: Your instructor will email you before the class to confirm exact location each day.
Cost: $350
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Day 1:
Paddling environment
Personal preparation
Paddling and biokinetics
Equipment
Safety & rescue
Swimming & wading
Kayak-based rescues
Day 2:
Throw rope skills
Maneuvers
Strokes
River reading
Whitewater practice
River running
Individual judgement
Gear
Wet exits
Paddle strokes
Carving
Day 2:
Reading moving water
Ferrying across current
Moving in and out of eddies
Rolling
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Before class:
Be comfortable boating on Class III whitewater. L4 instructors are certified to teach lessons on up to class III whitewater.
Have a current ACA L3 or L4 Instructor Certification.
Have a current CPR/First Aid certification.
Hold an active membership with the American Canoe Association and be up to date with SEIC dues.
After class, in order to activate your updated/upgraded certification and be eligible for insurance and other instructor perks:
Pay your SEIC dues with the ACA. This costs $30/year.
Maintain an active CPR/First Aid certification. This must be uploaded to your ACA profile.
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All Instructor Candidates are required to bring their own paddling equipment:
Helmet
Life Jacket
Paddle
Skirt
Boat (non-playboat)
Thermal Layers
Lunch and Water
Swiftwater Rescue L4 ICW
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2025 Instructor of the Year Nik White and Jordan Taylor from the Paddlesports Institute are teaming up for a fantastic opportunity to become a certified Swiftwater Rescue Instructor with the ACA.
Through expert-led sessions, you'll refine your teaching techniques, risk management strategies, rescue skills, and effective communication. The curriculum, accredited by the American Canoe Association, prepares you to confidently lead, mentor, and inspire the next generation of whitewater enthusiasts.
Whether you’re looking to start a career in whitewater education, or just looking for a deep dive into Swiftwater Rescue techniques to improve your crew's on-water preparation, this class is for you.
Dates: 2 long weekends: September 11th, 12th, 13th, AND 18th, 19th, 20th. You must attend all 6 days.
Location: Golden, CO and Foxton, CO. Your instructor will email you before the class to confirm exact location each day.
Cost: $850 per person
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During the workshop you’ll get to practice and learn a wide range of rescue and instructor skills, including:
How to teach swiftwater rescue effectively using the ACA teaching model
Throw rope techniques and swimmer management
Wading strategies and safe positioning in current
Live bait rescues and boat-based rescue techniques
Mechanical advantage systems, anchors, and simple rigging
Hazard recognition and managing real river rescue scenes
Leading rescue scenarios and making decisions under pressure
Breaking rescue skills down so students can understand and practice them
Giving clear demonstrations, feedback, and coaching to students
Teaching rescue techniques in realistic river scenarios
Throughout the course, you’ll spend a lot of time both practicing rescue skills and learning how to teach them, with coaching and feedback from the Instructor Trainer and other candidates.
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Before class:
Be comfortable on Class III whitewater. Any craft is acceptable. This includes comfortable performing rescues in that type of venue.
Have taken at least one 2-day swiftwater rescue course or equivalent training: This does not need to be with the ACA. Additional rescue training is encouraged.
Obtain a membership with the American Canoe Association. This costs $40/year.
After class, in order to activate your certification and be eligible for insurance and other instructor perks:
Pay your SEIC dues with the ACA. This costs $30/year.
Obtain a CPR/First Aid certification. This must be uploaded to your ACA profile.
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All Instructor Candidates are required to bring their own river equipment:
Helmet
Life Jacket
Throw Rope
Thermal Layers
Lunch and Water
We will have throw ropes and equipment for rigging and mechanical advantage systems but students may bring their own to practice with.
ACA L3 River Kayaking ICW
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Elevate your expertise with an ACA Level 3 Whitewater Kayak Instructor Certification Workshop with 2025 Instructor of the Year Nik White at Whitewater Workshop. Designed for anyone looking to improve their boating who wants to understand the why behind the ways we paddle.
Through expert-led sessions, you'll refine your paddling technique, learn effective teaching techniques, explore risk management strategies, and improve your rescue skills. The curriculum, accredited by the American Canoe Association, prepares you to confidently lead, mentor, and inspire the next generation of whitewater enthusiasts.
Whether you’re just looking for a cost effective way to improve your boating, or want to start your career in whitewater instruction, this course will be a great fit.
Looking for an L4 course? We’ll have a two-day L3→L4 upgrade course later this summer.
Dates: April 16th-19th, 2026
Time: 9am-5pm ish, Wednesday - Sunday
Location: Each day is subject to change due to water levels, but most options are within an hour drive of Denver. Littleton, Englewood, and Golden often work well but we may choose to go to the Upper South Platte near Foxton, CO. Your instructor will email you before the class to confirm exact location.
Cost: $795 per person
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Day 1:
How to teach paddling
Gear
Wet exits
Paddle strokes
Carving
Day 2:
Reading moving water
Ferrying across current
Moving in and out of eddies
Rolling
Day 3:
Advanced ferrying and eddy catching
Running rapids with students
Day 4:
Assessment
Rescue skills
Possibly teaching real students
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Before class:
Be comfortable boating on Class II whitewater. L3 instructors are certified to teach lessons on up to class II whitewater.
Pass an ACA Assessment: There are many ways to do this but the simplest is to just join us for a free evening in the Golden Whitewater Park. Any certified ACA instructor can provide an Assessment though. Feel free to reach out if you or your local instructor has questions about how to do this.
Obtain a membership with the American Canoe Association. This costs $40/year.
After class, in order to activate your certification and be eligible for insurance and other instructor perks:
Pay your SEIC dues with the ACA. This costs $30/year.
Obtain a CPR/First Aid certification. This must be uploaded to your ACA profile.
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All Instructor Candidates are required to bring their own paddling equipment:
Helmet
Life Jacket
Paddle
Skirt
Boat (non-playboat)
Thermal Layers
Lunch and Water