BCU 5 Star Leader - Surf

Attainment of this award shows that you have attained a high level of performance, personal skill and group management in advanced situations. It is a leadership award and the appropriate test for paddlers who wish to lead groups of other paddlers in remote or advanced surf, however this is not a coaching award and as such not the appropriate award for introducing people to the sport.

In order to obtain the 5 Star Leader award, you will have to attend a training course which will last a minimum of 2 days and an assessment course which also lasts 2 days. Prior to assessment, you will be expect to have a gained sufficient experience, as well as have attended relevant safety training (see below for details).

5 Star Surf Leader - Syllabus Overview

What do I need to do before the training course?

You should hold either:

• BCU 4 Star Surf Leader
• 'old scheme' BCU Level 3 Surf

If you do not hold either of these awards, with sufficient evidence of equivalent experience / training, you may still be able to access the course using the APL process.

What will the training course involve?

The coach will cover personal paddling skills such as paddling out, boat control, wave selection and turning in advanced surf conditions (over 3' waves). Leadership methods and tactics for such advanced sea environments will also be covered in detail, including group control, risk management, communication and decision-making. Looking at these factors will also lead to some coverage of safety and rescue considerations and incident management, however you will be required to complete a relevant safety training course prior to assessment which will cover these areas in far greater depth.

Training courses will vary in their exact content and delivery, depending on the experience and previous knowledge of those on the course. You should expect to leave the course with a clear idea of what you need to do in order to progress to assessment.

Please see the 5 Star Surf trainer's notes for more information.

What do I need to do before the assessment?

• The candidate must provide documentary evidence of approximately 40 advanced days in a range of surf locations. These must show experience of different break and wave types. Such experience must have been gained normally over a minimum of three years’ surfing paddling, the surfing experience showing a bias towards exposed or more challenging surf environments.
• You should have appropriate experience in management, safety and rescue, prior to assessment. Such experience may be obtained on advertised courses or with a BCU level 5 Surf Coach
• Recognised First aid award (minimum 16hrs training including CPR) within the last 3 years
• Relevant Leadership Training, which can be either:
• 5 Star Leader Surf training within the last 3 years
  
• old style 5 Star Surf training within the last 3 years
• BCU Advanced Surf Safety and Rescue Training
• Aged 18 years or above

If you meet all of these requirements, you must then complete the Canoe Wales Leader Registration (LR Form), at least 2 weeks prior to your assessment. Leader registration is valid for 12 months, so it is worth doing it as early as possible to avoid worrying about it as your assessment approaches.

All that is left to do is to book on to a course! Check out up-coming courses registered with us using the online date list.

What is involved in the assessment?

To get an idea of what the assessors will be looking for, please check out the 5 Star Leader Surf Assessor notes.

Following successful assessment 5 Star Leaders must have comprehensive membership (in order to have 3rd party liability cover), knowledge of Child Protection guidelines and must remain current.