rafting Grand Canyon

Rowing Skills Development

These Rowing courses teach essential skills that range from beginners to advanced and help you learn skills used to navigate Class I-4 whitewater. Participants will focus on fundamental maneuvers, river reading, hazard identification (like holes/waves), basic safety, and self/group rescue, introducing skills needed to guide a raft, emphasizing personal judgment, proper equipment use, and team responsibility for an enjoyable experience. 

Core Objectives & Skills

  • River Reading: Identifying features, hazards, and safe lines in rapids (waves, hydraulics).

  • Rowing Techniques: Efficient strokes, and maneuvers to control the raft.

  • River Safety: Understanding river dynamics, personal safety, and basic rescue techniques (self-rescue, swimmer recovery).

  • Raft Handling: Maneuvering the raft effectively and learning guiding skills for oar rafts.

  • Equipment: Familiarization with oar raft gear and appropriate personal clothing. 

What You Learn

  • "Hard Skills": Strokes, boat control, and how to navigate specific river features.

  • "Soft Skills": Developing judgment, awareness, and responsibility for others in your group.

Who It's For

  • Paddlers looking for more advanced skills and to gain confidence in larger, more difficult rapids.

  • Those wanting to learn the fundamentals of rowing a raft for personal or future guiding roles. 

Take your skills to the next level

Private raft trip camping on the Grand Canyon

Guide Schools

We specialize in personalized Multi-day Guide Schools for both commercial raft companies, and private boaters of all levels.

ACA Rowing course on the Potomac River in Maryland

‍ ‍Personalized Instruction

All of our Rowing courses have a low 6:1 participant-Instructor ratio. This allows us to deliver high-quality instruction, increases time management, enhances individualized attention, helps form more personal relationships, and promotes a more positive learning environment.
personalized rowing instruction

We offer the following ACA Courses:

  • Level 2: Essentials of Rafting - Oars

  • Level 3: Rafting - Oars

  • Level 4: Whitewater Rafting - Oars

  • Level 5: Advanced Whitewater Rafting - Oars

custom rowing instruction
intermediate rowing instruction

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

group discounts rafting

GROUP DISCOUNTS

low instructor to participant ratios

BEST LOCAL INSTRUCTOR/STUDENT RATIO

kids rowing harpers ferry wv

KIDS WELCOME

advanced whitewater education

NEXT LEVEL: ROWING GUIDE CERTIFICATION

Course Bundle Deals

kayak lessons harpers ferry

Whitewater Sampler Package

rafting for kids

Mentorship Program

Check our schedule to find this and other great courses!


ACA level 4: rafting Oars

All courses are internationally recognized as official American Canoe Association (ACA) courses. We teach paddling courses based upon approved ACA course outlines for both skills courses and assessments.

Contact:

Got questions?

We are happy to customize courses, offer private events, and travel to your location. Get in touch!

We look forward to hearing from you!