ACA Rafting Instructor Certification Workshop

ACA Instructors come from a variety of backgrounds with different goals but reach similar outcomes through the certification process. First, there are the bits of knowledge and experience shared by fellow candidates. By seeing things from another perspective, we can deepen our understanding of paddling and its associated skill sets. Second, the Instructor Trainers will provide a proven set of instructional best practices. These educational models will give you a framework that allows for the addition of your own creativity and personality. Third, ACA Instructors have access to a slew of benefits. Whether you want to run your own courses utilizing ACA insurance or get great equipment at unbeatable prices with exclusive pro-deals, being an ACA Instructor is for you!

The American Canoe Association (ACA) L5 Advanced Whitewater Rafting Instructor Certification Exam (ICE) – Paddle & Oar is for current ACA L4 instructors interested in becoming L5 Instructors while refining the skills required to instruct and efficiently paddle and/or row a raft on rivers with class I-IV rapids. All candidates for this intensive 2-day upgrade should possess and be able to demonstrate all skills and concepts listed on the Instructor Criteria and Skills Course documents (see links below). Instructor candidates may choose to be a candidate for only the paddle or oar certification.

Since 1999, Kevin Terrell has been an outdoor and experiential educator working throughout the United States for a variety of non-profits and outdoor schools. That career led him to West Virginia where he became a commercial rafting guide in 2009 on the New and Gauley Rivers. During the winters of 2014 to 2018, he carried those skills abroad to New Zealand where he gained his Grade 4/5 Senior Raft Guide qualification working out of Queenstown on the South Island. In addition to these experiences, Kevin also spent one winter in Costa Rica guiding on the Savegre River and has paddled many sections of U.S. rivers from the Hudson to the Colorado. His loves of whitewater and education have come together in recent years as an American Canoe Association Level-5 Raft Instructor Trainer and Level-4 Swiftwater Rescue Instructor as well as a River Operations Manager and trainer for ACE Adventure Resort.

Jess Lewis is an ACA L5 Raft Instructor and Instructor Trainer Candidate with more than a decade of experience teaching rowing, safety, and leadership on rivers throughout the U.S. and across the world. As the founder of Wyld Heart Coaching, she’s known for her clear, confidence-building instruction and her ability to help women develop strong technical skills and embodied resilience behind the oars. Jess also serves on the ACA Rafting Committee and brings a grounded, empowering approach to every course she leads. She’s excited to offer all-women’s rowing courses at ACE Adventure Resort this May and June, creating supportive, high-skill environments where women can refine technique, run clean lines, and discover what they’re truly capable of.