Planning, Guiding, and Leading
Learn how to plan, guide, and lead your group with confidence.
Quick Details
Format: Mix of land-based learning + on-water training
Schedule: 3 weeknight sessions (2 hrs each) + 1 weekend session (6 hrs)
Total Time: ~12 hours
Ages: 18+
Level: Intermediate / Adventure-Ready
Location: Salem Willows Park, Salem, MA
Equipment: Kayaks (bring your own or rent)
Add-ons:
Optional Paddleboard Module – apply leadership skills in a SUP-specific setting
What You’ll Learn
This course will focus on how reading the water, assessing conditions, and determining routes changes when you’re responsible for a group. Things that seem easy when you’re on your own, like paddling with a tail wind, take on a whole different challenge when you're trying to hold a group together.
You’ll learn how to:
Plan routes based on conditions, and how they relate to the abilities of your group
Use wind and tide to your advantage, while avoiding getting caught out in hazardous questions.
Apply the CLAP principles (Communication, Line of Sight, Avoidance, Positioning) to maintain awareness and control of a group on the water
Use Leadership Strategies such as mirroring, inside markers, chain linking, and others to keep a group together in challenging scenarios (like tailwinds, crossings, or shifting conditions)
Make decisions that balance safety, experience, and group goals and dynamics
Lead from a variety of positions, and understand how each position affects group safety and enjoyment.
Learn effective rescue and towing strategies for managing situations as they occur.
Planning, Guiding, and Leading Course:
Not every paddle needs a full-blown, in depth plan. Sometimes it’s just getting out on the water, seeing how things feel, and going from there.
But when you’re the one leading, even if just casually with a group of friends or family, there are a few things that make a big difference.
That’s what this course is for—Giving you the skills and confidence to step into that role when it matters most.
Essential Skills for Trip Leaders
How the Course Works
Weeknight Sessions
Three 2-hour evening sessions focused on planning, conditions, weather tools, and group leadership. We’ll work through real scenarios and build the decision-making framework behind leading a trip.
On-Water Session
A 6-hour practical session where everything comes together. We’ll apply the PGL framework in real conditions — managing group movement, positioning, rescues, towing, launching, and landing.
Built for Real Conditions
This isn’t a classroom-only course. We adapt to the weather and conditions we have — because that’s what leadership on the water actually looks like.
Who This Course Is For
This course is for the people who naturally end up leading — whether they planned to or not. The ones checking the weather before anyone else thinks to. The ones figuring out where to go, how far, and when to turn back. The ones people look to when things start to shift. Or, the ones who want to be the person people feel confident to go to.
It’s for:
The friend who always ends up organizing the trip
The parent guiding family adventures
Scout leaders and group organizers
The fun aunt or uncle planning something a little bigger
Anyone who wants to feel more confident being responsible for others on the water
This course won’t make you an expert, that only comes with time and experience. But it will give you the skills and judgment to keep a group safe, together, and having a great time on the water.
Basic paddling experience is helpful, along with a general comfort being on the water in a range of conditions.
Join the Course
If this feels like a role you're already stepping into — or want to — this course will give you the tools to do it well.
$449 per person
- 4-session course (3 evenings + 1 weekend day)
- Small group setting with personalized feedback
- Hands-on practice in real conditions
- Equipment available if needed (discount for using your own)
Course Starts: May 16
Evening Sessions: May 28, June 4, 11: 6pm-8pm
On-Water Session: June 13: 12pm-6pm
Limited group size to keep the experience hands-on.