When you register at the OCF, you will have to indicate your level of practice: beginner, intermediate or advanced. It is not that simple. Read this article carefully before registering.

The OCF’s team of instructors counts 30 coaches, including some of the best specialists in Europe. They all know that OCF participants have difficulty qualifying their technical level. Very few participants consider themselves to be beginners, when in fact they are! This can result in groups with very different technical levels, which we want to avoid.

Therefore, to determine your level, we invite you to ask yourself the following questions which are valid for all types of boats (tandem or solo canoes, inflatables, kayaks, packrafts…):

Level 3/ Advanced:

• My partner and I master boat edging when eddying in and out, regardless of the strength of the current.
• We master the techniques of back steering and bow rudders.
• We know how to stop precisely in a chosen eddy line.
• We can read the river and its dangers.
• We are autonomous in our recovery technique in case of capsizing.

Level 2/ Intermediate:

• My crew does not always master the canoe edging while eddying in or out in all current strengths.
• We do not always master the techniques of back steering and bow rudders.
• We do not always know how to stop precisely in a chosen eddy line.
• We do not know how to read the river and its dangers completely.
• We are not always autonomous in our recovery technique in case of capsizing.

Level 1/ Beginner:

• Beware, just because you have done the Ardèche (or other tourist classic) does not mean you are no longer a beginner!
• My partner and I do not know how to make a ferry, an eddy in or out, or a stop, or we do not know what it is.
• We do not know how to read the river from a canoeist’s point of view, even if we have done some kayaking.