Guides Exchange Skills

December 1998 - January 1999

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Sue Handel

The Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC held its bi-annual Guides Exchange this October in Tofino on Vancouver Island, BC. It was a brilliantly sunny fall weekend on the west coast, perfect for on-water paddling sessions, and a chance to meet the guides and business owners who make up this industry.

The Alliance is made up of people who have managed to meld work and passion into a day to day ritual that satisfies. Of course politics and money have a habit of getting in the way of a good thing and the sea kayak industry in BC is not immune to those. That's where organizations such as the Alliance come in, for as well as developing safety and operating standards for tour operators and guides, the Alliance exists to speak for the kayak industry and the natural environment in which it is based.

According to the Alliance president Liam Edwards, members receive many benefits, the most important being the power of unity. Liam encourages Alliance members to view themselves as a support community, able to share problems and seek solutions. This is especially important for guides, who tend to contract themselves out individually and work in isolated locales. By being a member of a group which promotes safety and training standards, guides can better resist any potential to accept unsafe practices.

Other benefits of membership in the Alliance include the option to attend the bi-annual exchanges. For tour companies and guides alike, the exchanges are a chance to share skills and information as well as make friends with those who may never have crossed your wake. As well, exchanges can serve as a sort of job placement service where guides and owners can connect for the upcoming kayak season.

This year's Alliance exchange was a huge success. The people I met at the exchange - the guides and operators who have taken up this business of exposing the public to the world at sea level - I found to be colorful, genuine, thoroughly entertaining, and very much in love with sea kayaking. Who better to lead the way on a kayak adventure?

The schedule for this exchange was not one for the tired or uninspired. Between meetings and presentations and onwater (sometimes under water!) practice sessions, the three day exchange was highly informative. The weekend included discussion of the Alliance's safety standards and a choice of five different on-water sessions including practice of rough water rescues, advanced paddle strokes and bracing techniques. Saturday afternoon was devoted to presentations by BC Parks and Assets & Lands, and a discussion of business liability by Wayne Taylor of Sea Otter Kayaking.

Sunday was all about surf. In preparation, Michael Pardy of Current Designs and Natasha Baert discussed safe surf landings and launches as well as how to set up a safe surf kayaking play session. The event was taken very seriously as you can see by the categories of prizes that were awarded to the following auspicious surfers! Thanks to Brooks of Slipstream Backcountry for donating Wilderness First Aid training certificates to the four lucky winners.

The winners were... Tremendous Tiimblerm - Miles Morisson; Luscious Line - Gavin Clarke; Fat Air - Katie Holms; Dedicated to Surf - Jorge Rivas

For more information about the Alliance, including membership rates, and guide certification procedures, contact the president, Liam Edwards at 250-285-3308, or the direct Alliance line: 250/247-9895.