REC-I (Schedule Link)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This recreational swiftwater course is designed primarily for those wishing to gain or expand their current experience around moving water. This course is framed around participant desires for training and takes beginner and seasoned students through the process of risk management and decision making in a swiftwater setting. This class is tempered for recreational enthusiast with varied experience levels. We can discuss several different topics of importance to private boaters. If you are a recreational boater with substantial experience, and perhaps a couple of training courses under your belt, we encourage you to take the PRO-I swiftwater course.
ONLINE MODULE: Yes, 2 hours of OPTIONAL online training.
MINIMUM AGE: 16 with parental consent – 15 with a parent participating
CERTIFICATION: All students receive a Verification of Training for the Recreational Boater with no expiration.
NEXT CLASS: PRO-I
PREREQUISITES:
- Proficient swimmer
- Physically capable
- Desire to learn
- All of the necessary PPE
- Meet all Essential Eligibility Criteria
REC-I COURSE DELIVERY
The REC-I will be delivered in a 2 day, 18 hour format (16 hours in the field and roughly 2 hours of optional online training prior). The modules are pretty straight forward, and will give a large degree of insight into the class you will be taking. On both day 1 and 2, we will ease into the morning with a cup of coffee and discussion about the days objectives. We do not rush around, and we do not need to check specific boxes for this training. Your instructor will drive the course, but as a student you will have a lot of say on what you want to learn, and you can get all of the questions you have answered by a professional. This course is largely framed around participant desires for training, and takes everyone from novice to advanced students through the process of risk management and decision making in a swiftwater setting. We will not expand on physics and technical load distribution concepts, but we do typically have time to run through some very basic mechanical advantage concepts to frame the idea. We don’t get into advanced level rigging concepts in either of the REC-I or PRO-I courses, but direct our efforts at the fundamental skills necessary to be competent and thoughtful in a variety of river rescue settings. The REC-I course is suitable for a wide range of skill-sets and a must have course for those wishing to advance skills.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Upon registration and payment, you will be automatically enrolled in the OPTIONAL online training and you will have immediate access.
HOW IT WORKS
There will be practice questions to test your knowledge after each video. You are not required to pass each module to move on, but this is a good way to prepare for the field training portion of your training. You can start and stop at any time and your progress will be saved. This is how SSI eliminates the formal classroom component, yet still provides you with basic presentations that are very helpful to your pre-course understanding and in-field success. We realize that many students have time constraints, but if you do have some free time, these online modules can be very helpful and give you a running start for the field training.
WHAT THE FIELD TRAINING LOOKS LIKE
For the 2 day REC-I, expect to meet at a pre-determined course site around 8:30am on day 1 (TBD by your instructor). A little time in the morning will be spent on land reviewing some of the concepts that you were exposed to during the online training. All of this in preparation for day 2 that will be a continuation of day 1 with focus on training in the river and rapidly building your skill-set. We will introduce and have discussions on risk management, group dynamics, expedition leadership and self care in a stressful environment.
TESTING
There is no formal testing for this course.
