Dragon boating
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Description
A dragon boat is a long, narrow, open boat
which seats and is paddled by up to 20 people who row to the beat
of a drum played by a ‘caller’.
Forms
An Information and Consent
for Event/Activity form is required to
participate in this activity.
Who can
participate?
Open to those aged seven and over.
Some activity providers have their own age,
height and weight restrictions.
Participants must be able to:
- swim 50 metres
- keep afloat for five minutes in the clothes
normally worn for the activity.
Participants may fulfil these rules wearing a
buoyancy aid or life jacket when either is required for the
activity.
If you have a participant with a medical
condition that will affect her ability to swim, ensure that you
inform the instructor and make provision to allow her to
participate safely.
Ratio of adults to
girls
Normal ratios for activities away from the
meeting place are required.
Guiding Manual ratios
Regulations
- The Leader must ensure that all participants
under 18 have written permission to take part from an adult with
parental responsibility.
- The local Commissioner must be informed that
the activity is taking place.
- Carry out a risk
assessment for the activity.
- When offering this activity to participants under the age of
18, and in sea, tidal or inland water that is more than 50 metres
from land, it is a legal requirement that the activity
provider be properly licenced by the Adventurous Activities
Licencing Authority: AALA. Additional
awards to help you determine the quality of a centre are Adventuremark or
LotC Quality Badge for Adventure.
The above endorsements are not applicable in Northern Ireland,
where you should ask your local Outdoor Activities Adviser to
recommend an approved provider.
Ensure the required buoyancy aids/life jackets
are used.
The Leader must:
- ensure that safety rules and alarm signals
have been explained to the participants
- be satisfied that everyone understands the
need for instructions to be obeyed immediately
- follow the guidelines in the Water
Safety Code and ensure that the responsible adult helpers are
familiar with them
- ensure that the water is suitable for
boating, seeking advice if necessary
- decide on the day, with the instructor(s),
whether conditions are safe for boating.
Instructor
qualifications
Instructors of dragon boating activities
require a minimum of one of the British Dragon Boat Racing
Association (BDA) qualifications:
- BDA Coach level 2
- BDA Activity Centre Coach award.
If you are unsure, please seek advice from
your Outdoor Activities Adviser or contact activities@girlguiding.org.uk
to ensure the instructor’s qualification is appropriate to the
nature of the activity.
Useful
information
Ensure the equipment being used is in good
condition.
On the day, the Leader should ensure that the
water is safe for the activity. Water should be inspected for signs
of visible pollution, for example rubbish, blue-green algae or chemicals.
If either the Leader or the instructor is not
satisfied that the conditions are safe, the activity must be
abandoned.
The Leader should ensure each participant (or
her parent if the participant is under 18 years old) is aware of
the dangers and symptoms of Weil’s
disease and knows what action to take if infection is
suspected. On the day of the activity participants should be
advised to cover cuts and grazes with waterproof plasters to avoid
infection.
Useful websites
British Dragon Boat Racing Association –
http://www.dragonboat.org.uk/
British Canoe Union (BCU) –
http://www.bcu.org.uk/
Water and leisure safety advice from
the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents:
www.rospa.com/leisuresafety/adviceandinformation/watersafety
Page last updated: 5/18/2012