Marine Education and Courses

Day Skipper

Tutor: John Riley
Fee: $150

A weekend course in basic boating, the Day Skipper course is designed for all those who are new to boating whether in large craft or small (launches, yachts, runabouts, Jet Skis/PWC's, sea kayaks or trailer yachts).

Not just for skippers, it is ideal for all members of the family or crew. The aim of the course is to help recreational boaties to avoid getting into difficulties by knowing the capabilities of their boat, the correct safety equipment to carry and what action to take in an emergency.

Modules Included: The Boat, Navigation Rules & Regulations, Emergencies, Knots.

Boatmasters

Tutor: John Riley
Fee: $370

A comprehensive course for boaties with some existing knowledge and experience. Applies to a range of vessels including yachts, launches and power boats.

Aim: To provide detailed boating knowledge.
Prerequisites: Day Skipper recommended
Modules: Navigation, Compass and chart work, Rules of the "road" and sea, Tides and weather, and boat handling.

Marine VHF Operators Qualification

Turor: Gary Van Der WERFF
Fee: $75

Aim: To teach correct VHF proceedures
Modules: Operating procedure, distress and urgency calls, channel allocation.

A two evening course, a must for all boat skippers, the Marine VHF Operator's Qualification (MVOQ) has been created specifically for recreational marine VHF radio users. The MVOQ is a legal requirement for any user of a marine VHF radio (an exception is made for radio use in cases of genuine distress or emergency).

VHF Call Signs for recreational and commercial boats are now handled by the Coastguard Boating Education Service (CBES). Call signs are registered on a national database, the details of which are made available solely to Search and Rescue (SAR) agencies. This information is invaluable in the event of a vessel getting into a search and rescue situation.

An individual VHF call sign can be issued for a 5 year period at the cost of $30, ($27 if issued in conjunction with the VHF Operator's course). Updates and changes thereafter are free but renewals will incur a fee.

Basic GPS

Tutor: Gary Van Der WERFF
Fee: $85

A 8 hour course to improve your understanding and operation of your GPS including its limitations and potential hazards

For details and bookings contact Coastguard Whakatane ph 07 3087110