The RYA Instructor Courses in South Africa

The boating scene of South Africa is quite a lively deal, especially during the seasonal peak. During the summer and holiday seasons, plenty of brand-new faces show up to enjoy watersports, leisure boating activities, and learning. And the good news is that the seasonal demand for powerboat or jet ski instructors is on the rise. So, if you have a decent skill-set around operating a powerboat/jet ski, how about you utilise them to teach others? With the RYA courses, it is indeed possible. Let’s take a look at the Rya Instructor Courses available in South Africa.

The RYA Instructor Courses in South Africa

So, what are the RYA instructor courses? If you have the powerboating licenses (RYA Powerboat Level 2 minimum), then you can utilise your skills and experience to become an instructor. However, to certify potential instructors and regular the environment, RYA has created three distinct instructor courses: 

• The RYA Instructor Course.
• RYA Advanced Instructor’s Course.
• The RYA PWC Instructor Course.

These courses equip an instructor with the necessary knowledge to teach the ropes around powerboating or jet skiing in a safe manner. Having a structural method means your candidates can rely on you for knowledge, safety, and all the necessary information.

All of these RYA Instructor Courses are available in South Africa. Let’s take a brief look at these courses.

The RYA Powerboat Instructor Course – Basic/Entry Level

The entry-level RYA Instructor course will teach you various techniques and teaching methods so that you can efficiently instruct the RYA Level 1 and 2 syllabus. In other words, with these qualifications, you are qualified to teach RYA Powerboat Level 1 and Level 2 courses.

You can enrol on the course if you meet the following requirements.

• The minimum age requirement is 16.
• Proficiency in First Aid. You can easily get a First-Aid qualification with STCW certifications. Alternatively, you can enrol on the RYA First-Aid course.
• The RYA Powerboat Level 2 Course. You can directly take the level 2 course and skip the level 1 course.
• VHF Radio course. Recommended but not necessary.
• Good experience with boats and theoretical knowledge.

Before you enrol on the course, a certified RYA training will assess your knowledge to see if you are fit for it. This course will last for 3 days, consisting of classroom lectures (theory) and practical knowledge on the seas.

The RYA Advanced Powerboat Instructors Course

If you want to teach courses beyond RYA Level 2, you will need the RYA Advanced Instructor Course. We highly recommend this course if you are looking forward to consolidating your skills, advancing in your career, or finding a suitable position on a superyacht. The advanced instructors are highly skilled and highly experienced powerboaters.

To enter the course, you will have to fulfil the following requirements.

• Experience as a powerboat instructor. You will need at least 100+ teaching hours to enrol on this course.
• Advanced Powerboat course.
• Yachtmaster Coastal Theory. This course goes a long way especially if you are working on a superyacht.
• First-Aid Course. 
• Mandatory VHF License.

This course will last for two days and includes night training as well. The candidates have to be a minimum of 18 years old and must fulfil all the mandatory requirements above. 

The RYA Personal Watercraft (PWC/Jet Ski) Instructor Course

The RYA Personal Watercraft Instructor course is a bit different than the RYA Powerboat course. The requirements are not as strict. To enrol on this course, you will have to fulfil the following requirements.

• Minimum 17 years old.
• Holding at least an RYA Powerboat Level 2 license.
• A Valid First-Aid certification (STCW or RYA First-Aid)
• Experience equivalent to one full season’s worth of handling a jet ski.

This instructor course will be running for 3 days, delivered by an RYA PWC trainer. As a PWC trainer, however, you will not be allowed to teach powerboat courses. However, if you hold at least the basic RYA Powerboat Instructor license, then you can just take a one-day conversion course and you will be qualified to teach jet skis to others in South Africa and internationally.

Related: Becoming a Jet Ski Instructor in South Africa

Final Words

The RYA Instructor courses in South Africa can provide fruitful career options to you, especially on international scenes. As an aspiring deckhand, being a jetski/powerboat instructor can bring significant value to your resume, thus increasing your chances of getting hired. Even in South Africa, licensed instructors are in increasing demand.

If you are looking for an RYA instructor course in South Africa, Skipper Training SA has got you covered. Simply connect with us for opportunities and we will do our best to help you.