Swiftwater Boat Operator Moab, UT June 3 – 6, 2025

The Swiftwater Boat Operator is a 4 day course that is designed to take both novice and experienced on-water boat operators to the next level of operational proficiency. We have a 1:4 instructor craft to agency craft ratio, and this allows our team of professional trainers to lead agency operators through navigational courses with progressive challenges and objectives.

Training slots are available by the number of agency watercraft, not the number of in-water operators. Trailering your boats to our course sites is necessary for open enrollment courses, but we commonly travel to a specific agencies response area to conduct the training using your specific rescue crafts. As such, this course is also customizable to meet the desired training goals of your agency.

COURSE COSTS: $2495 per agency boat. A non-refundable $500 deposit is required to secure your registration for a single watercraft. The balance will be invoiced and must be paid via check or ACH Bank transfer or through the Federal System for Award Management, and is due no later than 60 days prior to the start date of the training. After your deposit is received, you will be contacted by SSI in order to complete registration for all team members.

Please reach out if you have questions about this course: info@swiftwatersafetyinstitute.com
– 307.200.9075

NFPA 1006 & 1670 COMPLIANT: NFPA 1006, USAR, FEMA

WHO THIS IS FOR: Agency personnel with response model capability of responding to flood or swift water events using powered watercraft.

ONLINE COMPONENT: Yes – Required

COURSE FORMAT: We will start out on day 1 with pre-boat launch objectives in the classroom. We will be on the water all days of this course, and our first day will be spent on water moving roughly 2-3 mph, with a goal to maintain proper positioning in simulated flood water with foundational skills required for success in swift water. Day 2-4 will quickly progress to up running and down running class II and III rapids while under power as well as in “disabled mode” requiring assisted propulsion.

This Swiftwater Boat Operator course will be taught on the Colorado River in Moab, UT, and we may see water levels anywhere from
5,000CFS to 40, 000CFS. This is highly dependent on Colorado snow pack and melt rate in the Spring. The
Colorado River at this location is a free flowing river, which means that there are no dams impeding or holding back water. It could be low, it could be high, we have to be ready to operate during all conditions.

WHEN: June 3 – 6, 2025

WHERE: Moab, UT

FIELD SITE: Colorado River

PREREQUISITES:

1. Proficient swimmer

2. Physically capable

3. Desire to learn

4. Pass online training with a minimum 80%

5. All of the necessary PPE

6. Meet all Essential Eligibility Criteria
7. All agency personnel must have previously completed a PRO-I or equivalent.
8. Agency water craft with all necessary tool kits, spare props, fuel filters etc., You need to bring
everything you would if you were responding to an actual event.
9. Meet all Utah State Boating Regulations Criteria

GEAR FOR THIS COURSE:
The welcome packet details the gear you will need for this course. As an SSI student, you get access to student pricing in the SSI Gear Shop! Once you register you’ll have access to the shop through your SSI account.

ABOUT THIS COURSE:

This Swiftwater Boat Operator course is designed and taught by professional instructors that actually work on USAR teams and recreate using motorized boats in a variety of river conditions from class I – IV. We don’t teach this course on ponds or lakes, we teach this course in very dynamic river environments designed to challenge both instructor and students to make realtime decisions and take the training to the next level. It’s a progressive course over several days, and we build on boat operation fundamentals to allow the student to gain confidence and critical driving skills with ample throttle time.