The SUP RESCUE Course

Your SUP board is actually an excellent rescue tool. With the skills you will learn in this 2 hour course, you will be equipped to save someone from drowning. It’s a vital skill that every stand up paddleboarder should have. Unfortunately, preventable drowning incidents are all too common around the New Zealand waters, and you never know when you might come across someone in trouble. 

The course starts in the classroom, and then progresses to the water, where you will be shown the techniques required, and you’ll then carry out a number of different rescues, until you are completely comfortable with the techniques.

You will learn about:

• The drowning sequence
• Recognising who might be at risk
• Rescue theory
• Unassisted and assisted rescue scenarios
• How to minimise the risks during a rescue
• Rescuing conscious and unconscious casualties
• How to get the casualty to shore
• Calling for help
• Alternative rescue methods

You will find this course extremely empowering and enjoyable – you’ll be astonished at how easy and effective the techniques are.

The course fee will depend on the local presenter (as some have support from local councils etc in order to run them FOC, while others have to recoup costs for renting rooms etc), but should not be more than $40 per person. A small outlay in return for knowledge that may save someone’s life!

Check out also the SUP SAFE course. This 2.5 hour classroom course covers how to choose and use your safety equipment, understanding the conditions, and what to do when things go wrong. It’s a fun and easy way to really improve your general water knowledge – we guarantee you’ll learn something new!