British Canoeing Awarding Body announces NEW Stand Up Paddleboard Leadership Awards
8 November 2024

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BCAB is delighted to announce the NEW SUP Sheltered Water Leader and the NEW SUP Tidal Leader, which will be available from January 2025. These NEW awards complement the existing SUP Leadership Awards, which include the SUP White Water Leader, SUP Coastal Leader and SUP Inland Open Water Leader. 


All of our awards support leaders to run safe, quality, enjoyable trips, based on their group’s needs and aspirations.

The SUP Sheltered Water Leader is aimed at paddleboarders who wish to lead others on journeys in sheltered waters (both wind affected and slow moving water).


The SUP Tidal Leader is suitable for those leading trips in simple areas of coastline, which includes defined beaches and sheltered bays where the group could easily land and in winds not above Beaufort force 3, as well as in estuarine/tidal (flowing water) environments.


The journey to become a SUP Leader is personalised to suit your own development. You can choose optional BCAB Leadership Training or you may wish to opt for more bespoke training opportunities. For example, private tuition, in-house training through your workplace, working alongside/shadowing other Leaders, or conference/symposium workshops. Your individualised development journey is concluded by an assessment which is run over 1–2 days.


As the National Governing Body for Stand Up Paddleboarding, it is vital that we design programmes that the industry needs. We have worked with leading figures within the SUP and outdoor industry to develop our awards aimed at those wanting to lead stand up paddleboard journeys. Choosing the right programme is so important. At British Canoeing Awarding Body, we want paddlers to have choice, as well as have the assurance that, as an organisation regulated by Ofqual/CCEA/Qualification Wales and CIMSPA, you will receive the highest quality, recognised qualification’. - Lee Pooley, Paddle UK Director of Recreation and Development


From 2025, the SUP Inland Open Water Leader qualification remit will change, and will specifically support you to lead others on journeys on inland open water. This includes large areas of open water that exceed the sheltered water definition, where the paddlers are no more than 500 metres offshore and in wind strengths that do not exceed Beaufort force 4. The change in remit and assessment undertaken for this award will be from the 3rd January 2025.


  • The NEW Awards will be available from January 2025. Find out more on the BCAB website here.

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by Bonnie Ireland 6 August 2026
Every time I dip a paddle into a river, I'm reminded that water connects us all. The rain falling on a hillside. The stream running through a village. The river winding its way to the sea. What happens upstream never really stays upstream. It flows onwards, carrying everything with it. That includes the things we choose to flush down the toilet.
5 August 2026
Whether you're planning a gentle paddle on your local river, exploring Wales' stunning coastline, or leading trips for others, understanding the environment around you is one of the most important skills a paddler can develop. Conditions on the water can change quickly, and having the knowledge to make informed decisions can help you paddle more confidently, safely, and responsibly.
by VICKY BARLOW 7 July 2026
Mae caiacio môr yn ffordd wych o fwynhau cyfarfyddiadau â bywyd gwyllt, boed yn balod ar Sgomer, morloi oddi ar Ben y Gogarth neu ddolffiniaid ym Mae Aberteifi. Fodd bynnag, mae un creadur arall rydw i bob amser wedi bod eisiau ei weld, ac mae'n annhebygol y bydd yn digwydd ar arfordir Cymru, a dyna forfil. Mae gweld y rhain o gaiac môr yn gofyn am ychydig o gynllunio, o bosibl rhywfaint o deithio dramor a dos da o lwc. Dyna sut y cefais fy hun yn Baja, Mecsico’r llynedd, gyda bag o faw ar fy nec, pothelli ar fy nwylo a rhywfaint o'r bywyd gwyllt gorau rydw i erioed wedi'i weld. O, a gyda Pete. Roeddwn i'n cario rhywfaint o'i faw.
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