COURSE INFORMATION 

This course is designed for you to go from zero to hero.

Suitable for those who have no prior experience with Whitewater or Kayaking. In this intensive 5-day course your determination will be put to the test and you shall emerge stronger, hungrier and a well rounded white-water paddler. 

This course will be held in the pristine river sections of Iruvanjhipuza and Chalipuzha in Calicut district of Kerala. 

DAY 1 (6 HOURS)

The first day of the course is meant to get you familiar with the basics of the sport. You will be taught and made to practice the following skills in a section of a river that is fairly still . 

• River safety protocol

• Swimming in the river

• Gear familiarity and boat control

• Basic paddling strokes, forward, backward, side and turn strokes

• Self rescue and eskimo rescue technique

DAY 2 (6 HOURS)

Tn this session you will be taught to negotiate currents and we will introduce you to handling your kayak in moving water. You will be taught the different white water kayaking skills that are essential to maneuver the kayak down the river. 

The last 3 hours of this session we will guide you down a class II river section where will you have  an opportunity to test your newly acquired paddling skills. While kayaking down this section you will experience the true beauty of a wild jungle river, breathtaking views of the gorge along with the taste of adrenalin rush that is part and parcel of white water kayaking. 

DAY 3 (6 HOURS)

The focus today will to learn how to roll and to improve basic skills with boat control and paddle strokes as well as to introduce the Eskimo roll. Your time on the water will be equally divided between working on the roll and your core paddling technique. 

The eskimo roll is one of the most crucial moves hat a white water kayaker must master. A solid eskimo roll will accelerate your progress and help you gain confidence when running challenging white waters.  We will gradually delve into the mysterious dimensions of the eskimo roll, analyzing step by step the components that make up this complex move. After working on your hip snap, you will be able to try your roll assisted by an instructor, and finally on your own. 

Special attention is given to the development of comfort while upside down and under the water - one of the essential factors of success in a roll. Different variations of the roll will be demonstrated to you throughout the course.

In between the dunking underwater sessions you will be made to practise the moving water skills that you  would have learnt on day 2.  This would include ferrying/ eddying and mastering edge control.

DAY 4 (6 HOURS)

Running a river is an awesome experience. In order to do that we require a large amount of different skills , from the moment we start planning a trip at home, till the time we tie up the boats on the car after a great day on the river. This course was meant to provide you with all those skills, building a solid preparation to kayak rivers.

Focus for the day is River Reading and Rescue. Learning these techniques will help you make better decisions on the river and also become confident of facing bigger rapids. 

RIVER READING

The more we progress in river running the more is crucial to take fast decision while choosing a line or when placing our blade into the water. To do that is essential to comprehend the flow of the water, in every aspect, and to anticipate the features of the river. This is river reading. This is what we will practice on this course, from the shore, while scouting, and form the boat, while paddling.

RIVER RESCUE

Kayaking is a relatively safe sport, but while in the river many things can happen, and we need to know what to do. You will learn how to rescue yourself and how to rescue others, according to the most efficient rescue techniques hat are preferred in the river. We will teach you how how to decide what to do in case of an emergency on the river. You will swim rapids, learn how to use a throw bag, how to help other kayakers form the shore, and much more. 

RIVER RUNNING STRATEGIES

How do we run the river? What should we know before putting in? How do we organize our group? What is the plan of action? How we will communicate while paddling? What do we do in case of an emergency? In this course we will spend time reasoning on how we make sure we enter the river as a group that is aware and self sufficient, proactive and ready for the challenges ahead.

Sounds like a theory session ?  No it's not, all the above is going to be taught to you in a real white-water environment. Not only will be you be nailing the lines of your choosing you will be taught to negotiate them without a kayak. Yes, you read it right, without a kayak. Once you have swum a few rapids,  the fear of white-water will be out of your system and in no time you will styling class II- II+ rapids like a pro. 

DAY 5 (6 HOURS)

Today is the day when you put it all together. Everything that you have learnt in the last 4 days will be put to the test.  You will be running two different sections on two different rivers, i.e. the Chalipuzha and Iruvanjhipuza and you will be facing some of the classic rapids of the Malabar such as the Game of Thorns (Class 3+), Tooth Fairy (Class 3), Malabar Pool Rapid (Class 3), Jogi's Hole (Class 3) etc. 

You will be styling your moves on the River! While  catching an eddy, peeling out, or  ferrying, now we need to feel confident and clear. We will try to introduce new effective strokes while doing that, aiming to gain precision while paddling down the river. Today we will focus on how to cross obstacles like waves and holes, how to make sure we can follow our line, and how to change our line when things do not go according to our plan.  Back ferries, power strokes, duffecks, braces, S-turns and more... You will be busy applying in the river all of these techniques, and much more!

DAY 6 & 7 (6 HOURS per day)

These two days we will be working on fine tuning your river running skills. We will be paddling on the sections that you have covered on day 5 but instead of just simply coming down those sections our focus will be on trying to actually make the lines correctly. Depending your progression and also the water levels we may also attempt the class 3-4 sections on the Chalipuzha that includes some technical rapids like the 3-eyed raven, tropical paradise and jungle pinball.

COST : RS. 27500 /PERSON.

Break-up of the cost

• Kayak + Equipment ( Spray Deck + PFD + Helmet + Paddle) rental. Rs. 3000 (per day)

• Kayak instruction: Rs. 2500 (per day)

*Food, Accommodation and Local Transport charged as per actuals.  Hotel charges are Rs. 600 per night on a twin sharing basis and Rs. 1200 if you want your own room. 

Note that for this 7-day course you are effectively only paying for 5 days. 

PLEASE NOTE (IMPORTANT)

• Kayaking is an extremely instructor intensive activity and therefore to ensure safety of the participants we have a small ratio of only 3/4 students per instructors

• Our Students are given the top quality equipment which has been certified for use on any grade of whitewater.

• Our courses are based on the syllabus as prescribed by the ACA (American Canoe Association)

• Transport to and from the city can be arranged upon request at an extra cost

WHAT TO BRING ?

• A change of clothes to get wet in

• Water resistant shoes or sandals. Absolutely no slip-ons or floaters (Very important). The Sandals/shoes that you bring should not come off easily when swimming or floating in the rapids.

• Sun Screen

• Medicines for any existing ailments of allergies

• Sleeping bags (optional, if you don't like using hotel bed sheets)

COURSE REGISTRATION

1. Complete the registration form & waiver  : http://goodwave.in/waiver

2. Use the following button to make the payment via credit or debit card. If this payment method doesn't work for you please transfer the amount of Rs. 27,500 via the UPI code displayed below

3. Transfer the course fee using the following UPI code

CANCELLATION FEE

• 100 % refund between 7 days prior to the course date

• 50% refund or 100% credit between 2-7 days prior to the course date

• No refund or 50% credit between 0-48 hrs prior to the course date