Star Awards

Our personal proficiency courses are for beginners or for people with very little paddling experience. However this course is for people who have done a reasonable amount of paddling on flat water. This is not a moving water course.

The Two Star Award is an improvement award that covers basic flat water skills.  The emphasis is on controlling the boat and understanding the 'cause and effect' rather than on rigidly defined strokes. The syllabus covers safety on the water, access to the rivers and planning a trip. On the practical side it covers efficient forward and backward paddling, turning and ruddering, stokes to prevent capsizing and rescues in deep water. A prerequisite for gaining this award is to show evidence of at least one flat water journey of about 6km.

The Three Star Award is an award to people who are proficient paddlers. This award is a prerequisite for anybody wishing to enter coaching schemes. The syllabus covers all the 'two star' skills as well as sculling for support and additional turning and rescue techniques, it also covers rolling. A prerequisite of gaining this award is to show evidence of at least 3 journeys of about 10 km.

BCU 2 and 3 Star Award - separate courses (Training and Assessment)

This course will develop your flat water boat handling skills. Our coaches will hone your paddling technique, introduce you to more advance strokes and develop your rescue techniques. There is a 'journey' requirement before you can be awarded your 2 or 3 star, we would be happy to extend this course by 1 day to enable you to meet the journey requirement and paddle down one of Aberdeenshire's beautiful rivers. This award is a stepping stone into the BCU coaching system.

If you are just looking to improve your paddling with a view to going on your own river trips or progressing onto white water, you are very welcome on this course as there is no compunction to take a test or assessment at the end.

We will provide all the specialist equipment required - this includes wet-suits, cagoules, buoyancy aids kayaks and paddles.

Maximum instructor to paddler ratio 1: 6