Watersports Instructor Course

Are you ready for an intensive training course that will help you take the leap to a job in the outdoor industry?  Are you already a keen water person?  If so, keep reading…

Our courses are intensive training aimed at those who are already keen water people and want to work in the outdoor industry. Immerse yourself in the activities of surfing, lifeguarding, coasteering, kayaking and stand up paddleboarding.

If you have the ability, we have the knowledge to support you to get a qualification in some or all of these areas.

Why Lizard Adventure?

We have been running Lizard Adventure on the Lizard Peninsular and in Hayle for over a decade, delivering a variety of activities and courses. 

To add to this our highly qualified staff team, have well over 40 years experience delivering, training and assessing outdoor qualifications in a range of amazing locations both in the UK and Globally.

Our Team includes Royal Life Saving Society Assessors, British Canoeing National Trainer and National Coasteering Charter Trainer/Assessors..

Our site locations are not only beautiful and rugged settings; they also allow us to be dynamic and choose the best location with regards to the forecast for your training.

At Lizard Adventure we only use equipment that we would want to use on a personal basis ourselves, therefore meaning our equipment is kept to a high standard. Enabling us to give you high quality training on equipment you can rely on and trust.  

After the course has been completed you will have the opportunity for additional shadow hours on our activity sessions through the Easter holiday’s for free as well as possible re-assessment dates if required at additional cost. We look forward to welcoming successful applicants to join our team as both assistant and lead guides where appropriate.

What do you need to do?

All that you have to do is reach the minimum required standard to enable you to attend the course, which will open the door to gain all the entry level experience needed to start out in the outdoor industry.

Due to the intensity of the courses, prior experience, fitness and motivation are required to complement the reasonable training and practice time for each of the activities slotted into the programme – if you are prepared to work hard! (Look at watersports instructor prerequisites further down the page)

Avaliable Course Options

If you want the full experience to give you the best opportunities possible, we would suggest you attend the whole 10 week course. 

If you want to concentrate on a few aspects of the activities, and depending on your level of  expertise in any or all of these activities, you can tailor your training and assessment to suit your ability and requirements. 

Think of it as an activity ‘pick and mix’ – allowing you to drop in and out of the programme as required.

You will gain lots of expert coaching, guidance, training and practice with our top team of staff to support you to be prepared for your formal training courses and assessments.

Each of the individual disciplines will help you gain transferable skills of leadership and group management, water safety and awareness, incident management, first aid and fitness etc.

Watersports Instructor Course - Prerequisites

Essential

  • Deep Water Confident
  • Good level of all round fitness including swimming (assessed pre course or as part of the first week)
  • Ocean safety awareness
  • Prior Surfing, Coasteering and Paddlesports experience – ideally all three
  • Be happy to get cold and wet in the UK winter
  • Safeguarding qualification (available online)

Desirable

  • Sea Kayak Award
  • Be able to swim 400m in a swimming pool in 9 minutes or under
  • Comfortably jog for 3 miles at a steady pace
  • Previous Leadership/group management experience in any sport/activity
  • Highly motivated
Qualifications included in the FULL Watersports Instrutor Course

If you choose to complete the full Watersports Instrutor course you will be given the opportunity for each of the following individual qualifications:

  • RLSS National Vocational Beach Lifeguard qualification
  • ISA Surf Instructors level 1 qualification
  • BC Paddlesport Leader qualification (to gain Sit on Top and SUP Leading qualifications)
  • NCC Coasteer Guide Award qualification
  • BC SUP Discipline Module
  • Outdoor First Aid qualification
  • Mega Stand up Paddleboard Sign off
  • Instructor leadership and group management training

Further Qual info

Courses Costs and Details

Watersports Instrutor Course – 10 weeks

Our 10 week Watersports Instructor Training programme combines the Entry level 1 and Improvers level 2 courses to cover basic training, discipline experience, formal training courses, consolidating your experience and getting you ready for assessment. Covering a variety of activities and relevant qualifications to give you a head start to become a lead instructor.

Included in the cost is your first attempt at an award e.g. your first attempt at passing your Paddlesports Leader Award.  If you don’t manage to pass the first time, you will get feedback, solid actions to work on and the opportunity for reassessment at a later date but at additional cost.

DATES

COSTS:

31st Jan 2022 – 8th April 2022

£4495pp + £244 for all awarding body membership and certification costs.

Entry Level 1 Course – 4 weeks

Initial basic training for entry level students covering basic skills and some of the experience needed for the disciplines within the instructor course. This can be used as a stand alone training course as a starter into the industry, allowing you to work as an assistant instructor before further formal training and assessment to become a fully qualified lead instructor when you are ready. Alternatively, if you are up for the challenge and you have some prior experience then check out our Watersports Instructor Training course 10 week programme to give you a head start on becoming a lead instructor.

Included in the cost is your first attempt at an award e.g. your first attempt at passing your Paddle Explore Award.  If you don’t manage to pass the first time, you will get feedback, solid actions to work on and the opportunity for reassessment at a later date but at additional cost.

DATES

COSTS:

31st Jan 2022 – 24th Feb 2022

£1645pp + £100 for all awarding body membership and certification costs.

Improvers Level 2 Course – 6 weeks

Are you already an experienced water sports enthusiast? Then our 6 week Improvers level 2 programme specialises in formal training courses, consolidating your experience and getting you ready for assessment.

Included in the cost is your first attempt at an award e.g. your first attempt at passing your Paddlesports Leader Award.  If you don’t manage to pass the first time, you will get feedback, solid actions to work on and the opportunity for reassessment at a later date but at additional cost.

DATES

COSTS:

28th Feb 2022 – 8th April 2022

£3145pp + £238 for all awarding body membership and certification costs.

Equipment, accommodation and transportation

Equipment

Although we do have equipment available, including 5mm wetsuits, Buoyancy aids & helmets, you would have to provide your own wetsuit boots, gloves and hoods.

We highly recommend that you buy a winter 5mm or 6mm wetsuit, boots, hood & gloves of your own. You may already have them but if not they will be valuable items of kit for your work in the outdoor industry and a good investment. Please see the following links which have a good range of equipment:

Accommodation and transportation

Accommodation and transport are not included. Ideally having your own transport would be best but if you have none available to you we may be able to look at introducing you to other members of the course to share both transportation and accommodation as required. Please see some links below for recommendations for accommodation:

Get in touch with us and we are happy to chat the programme through to make sure that it is the right choice, or not, for you at your stage in the industry.  The sooner you do this, the sooner we can make it work for you. Looking forward to chatting it through. 

The Lizard Adventure Team.

07845204040

bookings@lizardadventure.co.uk