Why I am NOT an ACA instructor

Everyones journey is a little different. This is mine. And unlike a lot of paddling instructors I chose NOT to work with ACA. Here is why.
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The Gear I use:
Kayak - Delta Seventeen - tinyurl.com/bd6p26zx
Paddle - Werner Camano -
Paddle - Werner Kalliste - bit.ly/3L7GPCD
PFD - Astral Greenjacket - bit.ly/3mF0RKI
Drysuit - Kokatat Gore-tex Meridian - bit.ly/3JkUoMH
Personal Locator Beacon - ACR Resqlink - bit.ly/3L7wHtG
If you need help getting started paddling or backpacking, check out my books on Amazon and Apple Books. tinyurl.com/r79u9mnd
The Simple Guide to Kayak Camping - tinyurl.com/bd5x2d29
The Simple Guide to Kayaking - tinyurl.com/yzm9dwye
GO! - the trip planning book -tinyurl.com/mrxa6vxy
The Simple Guide to Backpacking - tinyurl.com/mws2t92k
The Simple Guide to SUP - tinyurl.com/26y3m82d
The Adventure Journal - tinyurl.com/s8sefaw6
All my books for iPAd - tinyurl.com/aya5pc3j
My Most Popular Videos:
Choosing a kayak - Length Matters - • Choosing a kayak - len...
Choosing a kayak - Understanding rocker - • Choosing a Kayak Und...
3 season VS 4 season tents - • 3 season vs 4 season t...
First Aid Kits - • NOLS Wilderness First ...
Paddling in High Winds - • Kayak Instructor Life:...
KOA Campgrounds - • Now I understand KOA c...
Kayaking Skills Videos
Packing your kayak - • Packing for Kayak Camp...
Edging your kayak - • Edging your Kayak - Fo...
Turning a long Kayak - • Turning A Long Kayak*
Mastering the Forward Stroke - • Mastering the Kayak Fo...
Teaching the Forward Stroke - • Kayak Instructor Life ...
Tips for the outdoors:
Ten tips for Sea kayakers - • 10 Tips for Sea Kayakers
Ten more! - • 10 MORE kayaking tips!
The Ten Essentials - • The Ten Essentials For...
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on Instagram / adventure.otaku
The Adventure Otaku Theme was composed and performed by IainB - and you can get it on Bandcamp - iainb.bandcamp.com
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[@lauraphillips6512]

I have ACA certifications and can understand why it is not as important to many people. Obtain skill in a safe manner and learn how to paddle safer, is more important than checking a box.

[@AdventureOtaku]

And this is the sentence I should have said in the video. Thank you. I love it when my viewers are smarter than me and also dont make me feel dumb.

[@robertkerner4833]

Good points. You’re either in the ACA, BCU or neither camp. Not having some rating can be limiting. The club I belong to is very safety conscious and requires an L2 rating to go on trips. But getting that rating can be challenging to align schedules for training and assessment. I’m not losing a day of work midweek to attend a rating session. From a learning/ mentorship standpoint it shouldn’t matter who you learn from as long as you get along and are learning and getting better. Personally I’d rather see something more experiential; for example, “I’ve paddled with bob in the real world and know he can handle himself”

[@AdventureOtaku]

I also - and I think I said this in the video - put a higher priority on experience. There is a big difference between knowing a bunch of strokes and how to do them, versus knowing a bunch of strokes and using them in the real world. Or using them on a trip lasting days or weeks. It is in that real world experience that strokes and skills become fluid.

[@khelben1979]

I truly respect you for choosing your own path! that will be the same I will do for myself, like I always do. You have to feel what's best for you!

[@AdventureOtaku]

Thank you. Thanks for watching. And of course I would never ask anyone to not do something, I can only express my experience.

[@bobaf796]

Great video! Loved all the different shots - seeing you prep to drop in, the music, the discussion. Loved it.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Glad you enjoyed it! I put a lot of work into my videos, but they still aren’t where I want them to be, quality wise. Thanks for watching.

[@georgemorcom9700]

I enjoyed your video. I completely respect your opinion. I’m a 40 year paddler but I don’t consider myself to be the level you are. I’m tentatively signed up to take an ACA course on kayaking. I’m still thinking of taking it but maybe not renewing each time. I want to learn some better techniques and improve some things I may not be as good as I’d like to be. I’d also like to learn to roll not to necessarily roll all the time but gain skills to possibly keep me from needing to roll. I came from a medical clinical profession that made us keep up certifications as well. Did it make us better? Probably not but did expose us to additional skills and knowledge that maybe could help us from time to time. Not a bad thing. I love paddling and just want to be better. Thank you for this video. I watch lots of your videos.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Thanks for watching. I have no doubt you will learn stuff, I am sure it will be a good experience.

[@barry4fish19]

I have read that certain places will not rent a kayak to a person for the day, if you don’t have at least the basic skills cert.(L0 or L1). This may be a National Park thing (for example, Pictured Rocks and Apostle Islands parks on Lake Superior), probably related to liability, etc. Also, some states require that State Park employees have ACA Cert. to teach others to paddle within the park lands. But let’s face it, this doesn’t affect most of us and serious paddlers will have their own boats anyway. Some of us look for the ACA skills courses because we need the training and can’t get it very easily close by, or don’t know where else to look. But, I totally get what you are saying. I just wish hands-on training for kayakers (whether it’s from a certified instructor or not) was more readily available in my area.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Regarding not renting to people without ACA basic certifications, I have never seen this. Doesn’t mean it isn’t true, but I haven’t seen it. A quick google search does show that at least one kayak rental company requires something… but it doesn’t have to be ACA. Regarding the state employees having it so they can teach this makes perfect sense, its the default organization. I can totally see that. BUT the thing you hit on the head is this. It needs to be easier for people to get instruction and people have to know enough TO WANT to get instruction. Which most don’t. Thanks for a great comment, I really appreciate it.

[@jimbokayaker5247]

You can go straight to ACA level 3 - all you have to do is assess, and pay for that assessment. But it’s in the ocean… with waves… perhaps when they said you couldn’t assess at a certain level they meant YOU couldn’t make it.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Well THEY had never paddled with me. This was quite a while ago but what I described is accurate to the situation. I was told it wasn’t a thing. It may be now

[@chrisprysok7634]

You can't go right to lvl 3 as Instructor. You have to start at 2 when going for instructior permit. I agree with the arguments, I won't pay someone who can't ride a mtb as well as myself to certify me. However demonstration of competency Is important for certain teaching positions. The student won't choose you if they need a card for work.

[@AdventureOtaku]

My students don’t need a card…. I get that though. Needing a cert for work. It just needs to be a better system.

[@paddlefaster]

I was turned down for a job because I wasn't ACA certified. I explained did the owner of the company that I paddled an average of 1800 Mi a year and I've been doing so for 20-plus years. My racing record and the fact that I teach proper paddling form on surf skis meant nothing to them, they were laser focused on that certification . Turns out the owner of the company had that particular certification and was a horrible teacher because he just didn't have the experience

[@AdventureOtaku]

Yeah, this doesn't surprise me. The other aspect is his insurance or just general fear of liability pushed people to demand what can be a meaningless certification. I am sorry you had that experience.

[@MillerSean]

I've also heard some mixed things about ACA, but can say from personal experience that British Canoeing (BCU) has an excellent program. How do you handle things like liability waivers & insurance without the ACA?

[@AdventureOtaku]

I’ve heard many good things about BCU and if I HAD to get a certification they would be my first choice. I’ve gotten a number of emails about this. I use a generic liability waiver. I use an app for insurance called thimble. Email me if you have questions.

[@fakaweetribe588]

So im a newbie. I have a bad back , the sit on top puts strain on my back . Sit in is relaxing for me. Wanted a kayak for camping 5 days or longer. So more room is better. I found a tight Capsul if im saying it right , that fits tight is more Controllable for me. No nothing about paddles. So need help there as well. I dont mind spending big money if i get more load capacity performance in speed and tracking . And a comfortable seat . I like the delta 17 but dont know if im able to put a better seat in that. Im not a fan of the bungies they dont seem like they would last long. Any help would be appreciated . I dont think haveing the perfect setup is being a snob. I think with todays tech they should be able to put the perfect combination together. Thx

[@AdventureOtaku]

Hey Jeremy, there is a lot to unpack in this comment. Happy to help, but you have some misconceptions I'd like to help you with. Email me and let's talk. BrettATadventureotaku.com

[@Trapster99]

Smart call on the fog. Certification: School of Hard Knocks

[@AdventureOtaku]

I was a little disappointed the GoPro really didn’t portray the fog well! You could see it a bit at the end behind me, but it was really thick. Yeah, my certification is the school of the real world… thanks for watching.

[@Trapster99]

@@AdventureOtaku Um, yeah, it was spooky looking at the end of the vid when you really decided it was bad. Not trying to show you up, but accurate Marine Forecast is the way to go, and even then they sometimes get fog wrong. You were out were the Big Boys go. Around Connecticut shore, when the fog really rolls in, I have navigated by the sound of the waves hitting the shore and the sea gulls squawking on islands that I know. It got bad for me once, relied on the birds to get me to safe land.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Accurate is the key word. I checked the marine forecast and regular weather, and no mention of fog. Though I have to say I have never navigated by sound of gulls.

[@wisenber]

Society in general has developed into credentialism and too many people have bought into it. The organizations issuing the credentials develop a system that provides a steady flow of cash for themseilves. Those holding the credentials tend to want barriers of entry to protect the investment they made in getting them. Testing out bypasses the gatekeepers and floods the market with more instructors (or plumbers or attorneys). What ACA isn't seeing is that fewer instructors yields fewer paddling enthusiasts. Fewer paddling enthusiasts yields fewer people interested in instruction. Having a virtual monopoly locks that market into the course that the ACA is setting. That course is a slow death spiral for formalized paddling development and a lot of KZbin channels dedicated to kayak fishing or $200 plastic boats from Walmart. The gatekeepers aren't seeing the area their fence is surrounding is shrinking as a direct result of their system. I took fewer courses than I did assessments. I stopped with L3 Coastal as I didn't see a benefit to the progressively higher costs. My skills continue to build, but not by paying ACA.

[@AdventureOtaku]

I agree on all counts. I wish I had more to say, but you covered it. Well done.

[@wisenber]

@@AdventureOtaku While I really don't have an interest in pursuing the professional instructor side of things, I would like to see more paddlers developing paddling skills. The two ACA affiliated clubs in my area of East Tennessee dropped their ACA individual membership requirements and started self-insuring. It dropped the individual cost from about $70 a year to $20 year. Paddlers and paddling groups need to ask whether the ACA is there to serve the paddling community, or if the paddling community is there to keep the ACA afloat. If enough of the community woke up to what you're saying, the organization could be refocused on delivering its mission rather than restricting access. I do see the value of standardized curricula to help paddlers gauge where they are in terms of skills. However, I also believe there will always be a place for less formal individual instruction. I see the convergence of those two ecosystems as being collectively greater than the two alone. It would be nice to see a steady stream of paddlers developing and mentoring their skills to support a larger community. But there's still $200 Walmart boats and fishing kayaks to overcome.

[@AdventureOtaku]

First, I don’t think the ACA can be refocused, because I am not sure it knows what its mission is, other than making money. They have their fingers in many bowls, and all of them feed the monster. My over riding goal is to get people on the water, having amazing experiences, safely. If that has to start in a $200 Walmart boat, so be it. But If I can get the itch, for more miles, and better adventures started, these folks will gradually move away from boats like that, because the scratch for that itch is a touring kayak, and some form of instruction. Maybe from me. Granted, with each layer of separation from Walmart (or dicks, or sports authority, or even cabelas) the numbers will get smaller and smaller. So be it.

[@wisenber]

@@AdventureOtaku I get your pessimism. Yet the two ACA affiliated clubs in my section of the state has about 1300 paying members between them. If clubs like that (which have already dropped the ACA insurance) start actually voting for ACA changes (or threaten to withhold funding), that would either change or kill the ACA. Creating an entirely new system for a dwindling group could just splinter what little cohesion there is. I'm not looking to be a crusader, but I do let the boards of the local paddling groups know what I prefer. As you noted, the ACA isn't alone on the certification front. The local National Forest where I've volunteered doing trail maintenance for around 4000 hours over the years recently told me I could not continue giving away my time to maintain trails until I paid to complete an update for my expired WFA cert. They want me to fork over 500 bucks for the privilege of cutting, sawing , digging and hauling 200 hours a year to keep trails passable.

[@martin.feuchtwanger]

I've had several employers for paddling instructing/guiding. Those that are large organizations but have small paddle-sports departments will insist on certs from

[@AdventureOtaku]

I would agree with this, meaning I have seen similar stuff. Rei used it, but didn’t require it. But would pay to train its staff in it… again because only game in town

[@martin.feuchtwanger]

The problem in Canada is that Paddle Canada is not *the* authority, it is *an* authority -- one of many. As well as PC, there are these: Canoe Kayak Canada; Sea Kayak Guides Association of BC; Association of Canadian Sea Kayak Guides; Recreational Canoe Association of BC (tho, they don't cover kayaking); and various other provincial orgs -- all competing to offer certs, all claiming to be better than the other guys. Very frustrating, time consuming and expensive.

[@AdventureOtaku]

I guess no situation is perfect. I wasn’t aware that Canada had so many options…. I’m gonna have to do some research!

[@anothercar]

ASA for sailing isnt far off from what your describing from what i've heard- I know you took an ASA accredited course, I'd be interested to hear your comparison.

[@AdventureOtaku]

You’re right it is a very similar structure, that hadn’t occurred to me. I wasn’t terribly impressed with the ASA course, but I hear US sailing courses are better - their books certainly are….

[@mrthehanson]

Sorry you were misinformed by certain instructors (sounds like perhaps this was many years ago?). All organizations have their pros and cons for sure, but most of what you've stated here about ACA assessment and certification pathways is not factually accurate. As with all things, quality is quality, regardless of what certification organization is in the title. As you say, certifications are very much secondary to whether someone's teaching style works for you, and whether it's effective.

[@AdventureOtaku]

My original interactions with ACA was early 2000’s when I started teaching, but when I ran REI Outdoor school I worked with ACA and ACA instructors again. That was 2014/15… so I wouldn’t say MANY years ago. I agree with your statement about teaching style - I also personally believe that real world experience is a big teacher - But I got probably half a dozen emails after I made this video which said not only was I accurate, but that I didn’t know the half of it. Several complained about how much money they end up having to kick back to ACA for every student they teach per day. Which Is why I made a second video on this topic. I don’t doubt your experience I am sure there are differences person to person and area to area. Thanks for watching.

[@kevincasey2947]

Digg'n da music...do mo, do mo... Yu pay fo park'n? wa fo, wha fo...? 🤣 ACA is a Ponzi Scheme.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Dude, I dont want a $70 parking ticket to paddle for an hour. Vs. 1.60 for parking….

[@kevincasey2947]

@@AdventureOtaku I thought for sure my Ponzi Scheme dig would yerk you, but it didn't and my Busta Rhyme thing did? 🤣

[@AdventureOtaku]

I spent some time trying to figure out if it really was a ponzu scheme….But I didn’t get that it was Busta Rhyme…. I think I am too old for that reference.