Terms & Definitions

Professional Sea Kayak Guide:
A person who assumes a leadership or assistant leadership role on a sea kayak trip with other people who paid for the experience and consider that leadership is part of the experience.

Assistant Guide:
A person who has fulfilled and maintained the qualifications and requirements necessary to become an ACSKG Certified Assistant Guide.

Full Guide:
A person who has fulfilled and maintained the requirements necessary to become an ACSKG Certified Full Guide and is qualified to lead in CWC Class I and II.

Class III Full Guide:
A person who has fulfilled and maintained the requirements necessary to achieve an ACSKG Class III Full Guide Endorsement and is qualified to lead in CWC Class III.

Guided Mothership Kayak Tour:
Guided mothership kayak tours operate from a passenger vessel or permanent base, which is equipped with a rescue vessel.  When clients travel in kayaks separately from the mothership, they are accompanied by at least one certified sea kayak guide.
ACSKG Standards for Guided Mothership Kayak Tours

Coastal Water Classifications (CWC):
A three-tiered categorization of coastal waters that considers topography, bathymetry, fetch, tidal action, marine traffic and local anomalies affecting sea kayak risk management.  Boundaries are identified on ACSKG Water Classification Maps.
Guide to client ratios are determined by water classification and the type of kayaks used; single kayaks, double kayaks or a mixed fleet consisting of both single and double kayaks.

Class I  Protected waters
Guide requirements:  An ACSKG Certified Full Guide with smaller groups, or; an ACSKG Certified Full Guide and an Assistant Guide with larger groups.

Class II  Open coastal waters
Guide requirements:  An ACSKG Certified Full Guide and an Assistant Guide.

Class III  High energy waters with minimal refuge
Guide requirements:  An ACSKG Certified Class III Full Guide and an Assistant Guide.

The following ratios are for sea kayak outings that venture further than four nautical miles from the kayak launch site and/or are overnight or longer:

Guide to Client Ratios
Association of Canadian Sea Kayak Guides
Water
Classification
Single
kayaks
Mixed
fleets
Double
kayaks
Class I 1:4
2:5 to 8
1:5
2:6 to 10
1:6
2:7 to 10
Class II 2:6 2:8 2:10
Class III 2:4 2:6 2:8

Ratio Details  ·  Water Classification Maps


If discrepancies exist between ACSKG printed material and material published on the ACSKG website, the online content will be considered valid.  The most up-to-date content is published at:  ACSKG.ca

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