Joint Youth Canoe Club White Water Safety and Rescue Course

In September our two clubs ran a British Canoeing White Water Safety and Rescue Course… this is the course that everyone who paddles white water should do – it teaches you how to keep safe – and how to keep your friends safe – in the white-water environment. Something every whitewater paddler should be passionate about!

South Wales is lucky enough to be home to some fantastic youth paddlers. Some compete at top level in slalom or freestyle, others are regularly paddling our local rivers at grades 2-4. Several are working towards coaching qualifications. Many spend time at Cardiff International White Water (CIWW) where the Youth Academy is a great opportunity for them. Seren Dwr is a slalom club based at CIWW and we have a strong youth component. But none of our youth members had been able to find a WWSRT course that they could do as under 18s. So we decided to run a course just for them…

The Outdoor Partnership and the Welsh Government Summer of Fun provided funding for 12 places (thank you!) which enabled us to include youth paddlers from Cardiff Canoe Club.

Jamie Greenhalgh of Paddle365 and Lowri Davies of Flowfree enthusiastically (bravely!) undertook the challenge to run the BC WWSRT course for 9 youth paddlers from our two clubs – ranging in age from 11 to 17 – along with 3 adults. Jamie and Lowri covered the whole BC WWSRT course over two days on and in the water, and all paddlers successfully completed the course. We think this is the first time a WWSRT course has been run that concentrates on youth paddlers! It was an exciting and successful two days - and wonderful to see the youth paddlers from both clubs working together and making new friends and learning about what both clubs do.

The youth paddlers literally threw themselves into all aspects of the course – with especial enjoyment of live baiting and all the swimming aspects of the course! Both days ended with extra river swimming and tombstone jumps!

After the course Riley, age 11 a member of both clubs said: “I enjoyed the tension diagonal (zip line) and learnt how to help myself and others on the water”.

Huge thanks to Jamie, Lowri, and The Outdoor Partnership as well as Gareth and Alix Bryant at Llandysul Paddlers – the Teifi provided the perfect location for our course.

Seren Dwr is a slalom club based at CIWW on Tuesday evenings and weekends.

Get in touch if you’d like to join us!

serendwrslalom@gmail.com

Cardiff Canoe Club are based in Cardiff International Pool and Cosmeston Lakes Country Park on Tuesday evenings and weekends.

Feel free to contact them too if you'd like to try it out...

enquiries@cardiffcanoeclub.com