Two men paddling down whitewater in a red canoe.

Location: Bonaventure River, Quebec. Photo credit: Felix Serre

Intermediate Tandem Moving Water Canoeing

Discipline: Canoeing Program: Moving Water Stream: Skills Development

The Intermediate Tandem Moving Water Canoeing is an intermediate level course that introduces paddlers to the use of helpful water features to make manoeuvres easier and more efficient.

The focus of this course is on canoe stability, using water features, and paddling techniques for navigating Class II waters.

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Course Overview

Typical Course Length

14 hours of instruction.

Course Topics

Safety and Rescue

International river classification
Morphology (causes of features)
Expanded canoe and swimmer rescues and procedures
Water levels and flow rates
Personal gear for whitewater paddling

General Paddling Skills

Eddy exits into troughs
Stroke timing and placement
Controlling the arc

Paddling Strokes

Sculling draw
Sculling pry
Cut (powerface and non-powerface)
Righting pry
Low brace

Manoeuvres

Landing with back ferry
Jet ferries
Eddy exit and entry with wave troughs
S-turns with wave interference patterns
Front surf
Shift
Navigating eddies with back ferries

Concepts

Troughs
Crossing the grain
Scouting for shore

Knowledge

Class II river anatomy
Carving
Water features
Water reading - current patterns
Canoe designs

Course Prerequisites

Introduction to Tandem Moving Water Canoeing or permission of the Instructor, based on proof of prior learning of equivalent skill and knowledge.

The Small Print

The content on this page is provided for information only and could be incorrect or outdated. The course program manual is the official syllabus.

If you have any specific syllabus questions, please get in touch with the Canoe Program Committee who is responsible for the development and maintaince of this course.