American canoe association (ACA) level 1/2 sup instructor certification workshop
Become an American Canoe Association Level 1 or 2 SUP Instructor
Train to become a safe and effective paddle board instructor with this industry leading credential.
🏄🏽♀️ Are you a strong paddler looking to become a certified instructor?
🏄🏻♂️ Are you already a SUP instructor wanting to add an industry-leading credential?
🏄♀️ Are you ready to fine-tune your paddle strokes while learning how to teach SUP skills in a safe, fun, and effective way?
🏄🏾♂️Do you want to share the stoke and help others fall in love with stand up paddle boarding?
🏄🏿♀️Do you want to learn rescue and tow skills to make your lessons and tours as safe as possible?
If you said “YES” to ANY of these questions, keep reading to find out more! 🏄🏽♀️🧘🏼♀️
what is ACA l1/l2 sup instructor certification workshop?
The American Canoe Association is the industry gold standard for paddling instructor certifications. This workshop includes both on water and off water training with the following topics:
Paddleboard stances: comfortably move around the board and paddle from neutral stance, hybrid stance, and surf stance
Paddleboard strokes, & maneuvers
Level 1 strokes & maneuvers: falling safely, self-rescue, forward stroke, forward sweep, reverse sweep, stopping the board, side draw, walking around the board, low brace
Level 2 strokes & maneuvers: nose draw, cross-nose draw, pivot turn, high brace, sculling side draw, side slip, canted forward stroke, smoothly combining various strokes
Paddleboard rescue techniques: towing with a tow line, towing with board stacking, assisted self-rescue, flip rescue & more
SUP etiquette to help you lead with confidence
Safety planning for injury prevention
PFDs for paddleboarding so you understand coast guard regulations and local regulations
Water dynamics and how to read water and select appropriate locations
Group management to help you step into the role of leader confidently
Effective teaching methods that will bring more clarity to your instruction
Board & equipment considerations to help refine your technical knowledge
how do i know if i’m ready for an ACA l1/l2 SUP Instructor certification workshop?
🏄🏾♂️ To successfully complete an ACA Instructor Certification Workshop and obtain certification, paddling experience and a high level of comfort on the water and on a paddleboard are essential pre-requisites. During the workshop, you will need to demonstrate and effectively teach all level 1 and 2 strokes and maneuvers with demonstration quality, demonstrate a high quality teaching ability, and demonstrate ability to lead groups, select venue, and show a high level of safety awareness in order to achieve certification. Please review the attachments below to review the level 1 criteria and the level 2 criteria.
🏄🏽♀️Current CPR & First Aid credentials are required in order to pursue ACA SUP Instructor certification. This must be an in-person training (not an online only one). American Red Cross training is recommended for CPR & First Aid to be accepted by ACA. If you don’t already have current & valid CPR and First Aid credentials, you can either take a course locally in advance of our ACA L1/L2 Instructor Training, or you can opt to add on our blended learning American Red Cross CPR & First Aid to your Instructor Training if that is more convenient.
🏄🏻♂️ You must be an ACA member in order to participate in an Instructor Certification Workshop (ICW). An ICW is combined ACA Instructor Development Workshop (IDW) and ACA Instructor Certification Exam (ICE). It costs $40 to join the ACA as an individual member (paid directly to the ACA through their website).
🏄♀️ If you are interested but do not have familiarity with all of the paddleboard strokes and maneuvers required, please reach out about taking a skills development workshop beforehand! This is highly recommended pre-requisite for all Instructor Candidates and will help set you up for success. We strongly recommend talking this skills workshop in advance, even if yo are an experienced paddler, as during the instructor workshop, Instructor Candidates are expected to show up ready to teach and demonstrate all L1 and L2 skills and maneuvers.
🏄🏻♂️ As with any training, being open to learning new things and having a positive attitude and growth mindset are key!
Please note: This training is not for you if you are a beginner paddler who is still developing basic skill and balance. You need to be able to demonstrate skills at an instructor-level with demonstration quality. You need to be comfortable and competent enough on your board to quickly help others in an emergency. This is not a skills course. If you are still developing your skills at this level, please consider taking an ACA Level 1/2 Skills Workshop first.
what equipment will i need?
You will need the following:
Paddleboard (all-around style board recommended), paddle, leash, PFD, whistle, tow-line, & dry bag.
If you would like to rent a board and the above equipment instead of bringing your own, please make sure to check the board rental add-on option at check out.
Upcoming training:
Next training date: Monday October 5-Thursday October 8, 2026
We will be training at a few different locations in South Florida mostly in the Pompano Beach & Boca Raton area. I recommend staying in or near Pompano Beach if you are traveling.
This is an intensive 4 day training. You will be expected to show up ready to demonstrate and teach level 1 and level 2 strokes, maneuvers, and concepts as well as demonstrate ability to safely select areas to teach, and ability to give feedback with a critical eye. You will be given several “formal teaching topics” to prepare in advance. You will also be asked to do some impromptu teaching during the training. Please understand that payment and participation do not guarantee certification. Possible outcomes include no certification, continued at level 1, level 1 certification, continued at level 2, or level 2 certification. Participants must be able to execute all level 1 and 2 paddling strokes and maneuvers with demonstration quality as well as demonstrate quality teaching ability, group leadership, venue selection, and safety sense in order to become certified at level 2.
There is a 3 participant minimum in order for this workshop to run, as per ACA requirements.
Have any questions or want to chat to find out more about the training? Call or email and we’ll be happy to help you out!
training schedule / what to expect:
Please note that this is an expected schedule and we may need to make adjustments based on weather considerations!
Day 1 8:30am - 4:30 pm. We’ll start the morning with at least an hour on land for a meet & greet, introduction to the ACA, and review of possible outcomes of the course. Then we’ll prepare our gear and launch our boards into the waterway to give all instructor candidates the opportunity to teach their level 1 flatwater strokes and maneuvers (your specific formal teaching topics will be assigned in advance so that you can prepare). Expect to give and receive feedback on teaching! We will also record all instructor candidates performing the L1 skills which will be used for video review later in the day. We’ll complete a video review to practice critical eye.
Day 2 8:30am - 4:30 pm. We’ll open with a Q&A opportunity of skills covered on day 1. We’ll then launch into the waterway. All instructor candidates will have an opportunity to teach their assigned level 2 strokes and maneuvers (assigned in advance). Expect to give and receive feedback both on teaching and paddle skills! We’ll also do some buoy work in order to provide all instructor candidates an opportunity to demonstrate (and refine) their level 2 skills. Candidates will also have the opportunity to teach their assigned off-water topics. We’ll end the day with individual check-ins with all Instructor Candidates.
Day 3 8:30am - 4:30 pm. We will meet at another nearby location to start the morning. We’ll start with a discussion of safety awareness and safety priorities. Then we’ll launch our boards and Instructor Candidates will teach and practice towing and rescue skills. After wrapping up rescues, we’ll set out buoys for one more opportunity to practice skills and maneuvers in L2 conditions. Instructor Candidates will have an opportunity to share location specific considerations based on the planning they did. Instructor Candidates will then each have opportunities to lead the group and select venues for various activities throughout the morning.
Day 4 8:30am - 4:30 pm. Instructor Candidates will then each have opportunities to lead the group and select venues for various activities throughout the morning. Instructor Candidates will have the opportunity to do a collaborative activity around planning paddle lessons. Instructor Candidates will also have the opportunity to teach their remaining off-water topics. We will wrap up with some information on maintaining ACA certification and course reporting. We’ll wrap up with individual meetings with each Instructor Candidate.
training location:
The training home base will be Pompano Beach, FL (which is just north for Fort Lauderdale) and the surrounding area. We will also be paddling at a variety of locations likely including Boca Raton (and possibly Dania Beach). If you are traveling for the training, there are several hotels nearby as well as many AirBNBs, depending on what you are looking for. I recommend either staying in or near Pompano Beach as it’s our home base and the most central location. There are many hotel and AirBNB options nearby. If you are flying in, Fort Lauderdale (FLL) s the closest airport.
*Please be aware that we will paddle at two-three different locations depending on wind/weather conditions. This is in order to ensure that you are able to demonstrate your skills in both level 1 conditions and level 2 conditions.
want us to come to you?
We are not able to offer individual private session for this training because giving feedback to other instructor candidates is an integral part of the training. As such, the ACA requires 3 participants minimum in order for an Instructor Certification Workshop to run.
However, we are willing to travel to you to make it happen! If you run a paddleshop/ outfitter/ organization that would like us to train your staff, please reach out. We have an option to bring the workshop to you to train onsite.
about the instructor trainer:
Hi! I’m Meghan Swanson. I’m the owner of TFY and will be leading this training. I’m an ACA Level 2 SUP IT and SUP Yoga Endorser. You can find out more about my background and experience here:
value & investment
When you sign up for our ACA SUP Instructor Training you will get the following:
ACA SUP Instructor Training $899 Value
Zoom Q&A Session prior to Training $50 Value
Paddle Skills Videos to Practice before Training $50 Value
Total Value $999
Total investment only $799
