ROCKtheboat by john dowd illustration by lorenzo delbianco The Scourge of Certification


Level 1, 2, 3, 4…. The move to certify kayakers is endangering the freedom that we’re paddling for, argues John Dowd.


I recently did consulting work for a dive and kayak


store. I asked the staff what they were really selling in the kayak section. The answer eventually came back that they were selling freedom. So what were they selling in the dive section? Everyone agreed they were selling belonging (to the club of divers). What makes diving so different from kayaking is its emphasis on certification. Look around at what’s happen-


ing in the sea kayaking industry in Canada and you’ll see that formal certification is like a virus that has started to infect our sport too. The process gained momentum when Parks Canada recently demanded certification for kayak- ing guides, while in the field of kayak instruction, some companies are obliging their employees, who often earn little more than minimum wage, to pay up to $800 for in- house certification courses before they can work with


18 Summer 2004


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