Get hands-on practice with experienced instructors, a great learning environment, and a well-run course Increase your knowledge of the river environment to avoid hazards and work with the water, not against it Practice techniques such as swimming, wading, and throwing ropes to move around the river, perform self-rescues, and rescue others Gain the tools to carry out effective rescues with limited resources when doing field work Benefit from customized training for your group—tailored to those who do fieldwork in natural resource conservation, fisheries, and scientific research

Knowledge General concepts of whitewater and swiftwater rescue Personal and group equipment River safety and scene management River signals and communications River features and hydrology Related medical topics: drowning and hypothermia Basic Skills Swimming in moving water: self rescue and whitewater maneuvers Throw ropes Contact rescues Rescue of panicked subjects Shallow water crossings Knots, anchors, and basic tensioning systems ‘Strainer’ swim Rescue problems and scenarios Foot entrapment Kayak, canoe, and raft pins and wraps Managing flips and swims Rescue simulations—customized for your group’s needs Elective topics: working with hip waders, paddle boat handling

Swiftwater Safety and Rescue for Fieldwork

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Get swiftwater rescue training and certification for your group. Learn through professional instruction specific to conservation officers, scientists, fisheries staff, and those who work in natural resource management around rivers. Gain knowledge, skills, and confidence through hands-on practice.

Our instructors can travel to you or we can host you at one of our training sites. The course will be customized to meet the needs of your organization and the type of fieldwork that you do.

These courses are for groups. As an individual, you can join a 2 day Whitewater Rescue Course (WWR) or 5-day Whitewater Rescue Technician (WRT) course.

Course options

Swiftwater Rescue (Operations Level) – 3 days in-person
Swiftwater Rescue (Operations Level) – 2 days in-person + 4 to 6 hours online pre-course prep

Course Details

Learning Outcomes

Get hands-on practice with experienced instructors, a great learning environment, and a well-run course
Increase your knowledge of the river environment to avoid hazards and work with the water, not against it
Practice techniques such as swimming, wading, and throwing ropes to move around the river, perform self-rescues, and rescue others
Gain the tools to carry out effective rescues with limited resources when doing field work
Benefit from customized training for your group—tailored to those who do fieldwork in natural resource conservation, fisheries, and scientific research

Topics Covered

Knowledge

General concepts of whitewater and swiftwater rescue
Personal and group equipment
River safety and scene management
River signals and communications
River features and hydrology
Related medical topics: drowning and hypothermia

Basic Skills

Swimming in moving water: self rescue and whitewater maneuvers
Throw ropes
Contact rescues
Rescue of panicked subjects
Shallow water crossings
Knots, anchors, and basic tensioning systems
‘Strainer’ swim

Rescue problems and scenarios

Foot entrapment
Kayak, canoe, and raft pins and wraps
Managing flips and swims
Rescue simulations—customized for your group’s needs
Elective topics: working with hip waders, paddle boat handling

Pricing & Course Format

Pricing for Swiftwater Rescue (SWR) courses

For *10-12 participants:

2-days in-person + mandatory 4 to 6 hours online: $419 CAD per person—plus instructor travel costs
3-days in person (online optional): $559 CAD per person

*If you have less than 10 people, that’s no problem, but the price per person will be higher. This still often ends up working out better for you than paying for your whole team to travel elsewhere for training

What’s included in a group course?

Full days of professional instruction
All technical rescue equipment and group safety equipment

Take away materials

Waterproof course manual: Whitewater Rescue Field Guide
Digital certification card

Rental equipment available

Drysuit -$135 CAD for the whole course
PFD – $40 CAD for the whole course
Helmet – $12 CAD for the whole course

Customized training

While these courses have standardized curriculums, we’ll work with you to customize the training and delivery according to your group’s needs. Instructors choose training sites and design practice drills that are relevant to your group’s type of work and available resources.

Contact us to get information on group training, to learn about customizing courses and combining swiftwater rescue courses with other training.

Recertification and skill maintenance

Certification is valid for three years from the date of issue. Candidates are recertified by re-taking the course. An option for organizations seeking more frequent training is an annual 1-day recertification.