<i>ISKGA</i> <i>Incident Management</i>
<i>ISKGA</i> <i>Incident Management</i>
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ISKGA Incident Management

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Course

29.03.–03.04.2026

Prices & Booking
Prices & Booking

ISKGA Incident Management 2026:
Roses, Cap de Creus

This course, which we run together with our partner Jeff Allen, is an official module of the International Sea Kayak Guide Alliance (ISKGA) training programme. It is aimed at anyone who wants to take on more responsibility on the water and places value on a solid foundation for more safety. This is the best and most robust sea kayak rescue training on the market.

Attention: When we say this is "the best sea kayak rescue training on the market", we do not mean that this week is a normal "rescue course". Because when you come here, you should already be familiar with various basic sea kayak rescue techniques. You best learn and practice these systematically and calmly on flat water, e.g. in our safety course or in the Course Week Roses and in the Playa de Isla Camp. In the incident management training you will then take up these techniques again and take them a step further. You will train realistic, complex and often stressful rescue scenarios and learn to solve them with a calm head and a clear system. You will not only carry out the rescue of a capsized paddler, but you will also learn to ensure that the other paddlers in your group do not get into danger.

This course will be held in Roses, Catalonia. The course language is English. Please register early, the available places will probably be booked quickly. The six-day course ends on Good Friday (= public holiday).

DETAILS

Programme Day 1
Day 1
Our course camp begins on Sunday at around 10:00 with the official welcome and introduction round and the distribution of kayaks and gear. Of course, we will also go paddling afterwards – depending on what makes sense given the conditions. Either directly from the beach at the campsite or somewhere else. We will see…

On the first day we will review basic rescue techniques and discuss group leadership in rescue scenarios, as well as the different priorities in rescue situations. We will learn to differentiate between "casualty" and "victim" and what this difference means for our rescue strategies and methods.
Programme Days 2–5
Day 2-5
While the ISKGA Incident Management module is normally taught in four days, in the Salty Cosmos we allow six days for it.

In addition to the "standard" kayak-based rescue techniques that we repeated on the first day, we now learn new elements every day, such as:

- Jump, swim and rope techniques for rescues over cliffs;

- Rock, surf, swim and other difficult landings;

- Rescues with the throw-tow and other materials (Preach-Throw-Reach-Go scheme);

- Rescue of injured and unconscious paddlers (scoop rescue and Hand of God);

- Rescues in gullies and caves;

- Live bait and swim rescues;

- Rescues in the surf.

Of course, we also practice various towing scenarios, from simple to highly complex. And of course, if possible, we also practice in more difficult conditions, in waves and between the rocks.

We repeatedly practice group management, emergency calls and communication, the transition between rescue (extraction) and first aid* on and at the water, and the handover to the rescue team/coast guard.

*This is, however, not a first aid course. The Marine Wilderness First Responder (MWFR) course is a separate element of the ISKGA training, which will follow later in the Salty Cosmos.
Programme Day 6
On our last day of paddling we will make sure we get off the water by 16:00 at the latest and end the course with a feedback session. You have enough time to take care of your equipment or preparing for your departure. We recommend planning this for Friday evening at the earliest, or even better Saturday.

If you have borrowed gear from us, we ask that you rinse everything with fresh water and return it to us clean and salt-free by Friday evening.
More Info
Participant Numbers: Minimum 4, Maximum 12
Languages: English and German Translations where necessary

TYPICAL CONDITIONS

This is what you may hope for

Weather
It is spring on the Costa Brava and certainly warmer than in more northern regions. However, it can still be cool at night and the water temperature will probably still be in the rather cold range of about 15°C, which is why we strongly recommend a dry suit. Rain is rare, although not impossible.

Wind
Anything is possible and windy days are not uncommon. The prevailing wind direction is northwest. This can mean Tramuntana, a strong and cold local downdraft - the Catalan sister of the Mistral. Southerly winds are also common and bring waves.

Waves
Basically, we are looking for waves for this course. And we will find them. If the wind is southerly, we have them on "our" side of the peninsula, and if the wind is northerly, on the north coast. It's all a question of dosage and what exactly we are looking for on which day.

ACTIVITIES

This is what you may expect

Click on the pictures to learn more about the activities.

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Dynamic Water: Widen Your Comfort Zone

Paddling in dynamic water – whether generated by wind, tide or swell – provides variety and excitement. And it makes you a better paddler.

It is part of our course structure to accompany you step by step from the calm lake to increasingly challenging conditions. What is “challenging” on this journey and what is specifically understood as “dynamic water” – that is highly subjective and is ultimately determined by you, your skills and, above all, your comfort zone, which we will try to carefully expand together. That's why we work with you to find conditions that challenge you without overwhelming you or generating bad experiences. Because we want you to have new experiences, become a safer paddler and walk away from the water with a good feeling and a big grin after each day with us.
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Safety & Rescue: Absolutely Essential for All of Us

If you really want to be safe on the sea in a kayak, you have to practice rescues regularly. By the way, this also applies to paddlers who go on guided tours! The stronger and safer a group, the more your guide can do with you. And the feeling is even better.

That's why our courses include rescue training: from simple and common to difficult and complex. We always practice first in calm water, but eventually in places that are a little more realistic and challenging.

In addition to training on the water, other things are also very important to us in this context: Above all, essential knowledge about topics such as radio, signaling devices and emergency equipment, first aid, sea survival and hypothermia.
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Seriously Fun Stuff…

Land on a cliff just to make espresso... Open your spraydeck and go for a swim in a bubbling gully… Get up in your kayak and do some "stand up paddling"… Go backwards through the tide race... Surf without a paddle... Or what about a rodeo with a person on the back deck? Or would you rather try a roll with a “koala” on your bow? Why? Just because you can do it. And because it's fun. There are a thousand ways to have fun and learn in sea kayaking (and a million more that we haven't invented yet)! At least for everyone who doesn't take themselves too seriously and who hasn't stopped being curious.
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What is this?
What is this?

Our Skill-o-meter is intended to give you a quick, rough guide to the approximate level of experience and paddling skills we require to take part in this programme.

It says NOTHING about what conditions we will encounter on site.

To find out exactly what skills we expect from you to take part in this programme, please be sure to read the specifications below ("What we expect from you").

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SKILLS

This is what we expect from you

You can swim

Minimum two weeks experience on the sea

Experience in waves of 1 m and F4 winds

Launching and landing on a suitable beach in waves of ca. 1m

You can tow another paddler

When capsized, you can perform a self-rescue or roll

You can effect a simple partner rescue in deep water

Roses is located at Cap de Creus in Catalonia.

Learn more about the area
Learn more about the area

EVERYTHING ELSE

This is what you need to organise by yourself

For all of our programmes, arrival and departure as well as all transport and on-site accommodation are the responsibility of the participants. This means that you have to take care of these things yourself. Below you will find all the information you need:
Meeting point & arrival
GETTING THERE

Meeting point:
Camping Ampurdanes
Carrer Rembrandt, 8
17480 Roses, Girona
España
Website: https://campingampurdanes.es

Time:
For a quieter and relaxed start to the course, we recommend arriving the day before (Saturday). When exactly you arrive is completely your choice. Please prepare to be self-sufficient on the day of arrival and note that your Salty Cosmos team is also busy preparing and will not be available before the course begins.

The course starts on Sunday morning (March 29th) at 10:00.

Getting there:
The campsite at the far eastern end of Roses is very easy to reach by car (e.g. from Bern in just about 9 hours). When making travel arrangements, please don't forget to ask the other participants whether they are looking for or offering a ride.

Public transport is relatively uncomplicated up to the central Roses bus station. However, from there we recommend taking a taxi.

We can particularly recommend traveling by TGV. There is a direct connection between Lyon Part Dieu and Figueres Vilafant without changing trains. Public transport between Figueres and Roses is also relatively straightforward to the Roses central bus station. However, we recommend a taxi from there at the latest.

For anyone who lives a little further away and wants or needs to fly, we recommend Girona, which is much closer, as a destination in addition to the large airport of Barcelona (e.g. very cheap with Ryanair from Karlsruhe, Memmingen or Düsseldorf non-stop). Cheap flights to Barcelona are mainly available from Vueling or EasyJet.
Accommodation
During this course week, we will be staying on the quiet and very nice campsite Ampurdanes in Roses, which is practically located directly by the sea. In addition to plenty of spaces for tents and mobile homes or caravans, Ampurdanes also offers bungalows for rent.

If you don't want to stay at the campsite, you can of course also look for an alternative nearby (holiday apartment, AirBnB, hotel, etc.). However, it is important that you are able to get to the agreed meeting point on time, independently and without any problems.
Please remember that either way you are responsible for organising, booking and paying your accommodation.
Rations
In all Salty Cosmos programmes, food and drinks are generally the responsibility of the participants. Please consider whether you would like to cook for yourself or eat in a privately organised communal group.
Insurance
Accident insurance, travel health insurance, rescue and recovery insurance
In all Salty Cosmos programs, accident insurance, travel health insurance and rescue and recovery insurance are the responsibility of the participants. Please take care of these things early.

Cancellation cost insurance
Please take out cancellation insurance when you complete your booking. If you were to become sick ahead of the programme, it would be a pity if you were not only missing out, but also losing money.

More questions? See our FAQs

This is what Silvy Seal says

ISKGA Incident Management is a brilliant course! As you already know, I love learning and there is a lot to learn and practice here. The swimming exercises and landings on rocks are not particularly difficult for me personally and I sometimes find it very amusing how you guys slosh back and forth in the water in your dry suits... But of course we are obviously made completely different. I am, on the other hand, a bit slower on the land.

I love how systematically we learn and practice in this course, often from early in the morning until in the evening, and I love the strong commitment to safety. And even though some of you may sometimes reach your limits, no one is ever put in truly dangerous situations. Instead, your self-confidence grows with each day, along with your skills and routine. And in the end, you all calmly manage to solve the most difficult emergencies and help each other. A fantastic thing!

This is what Silvy Seal says

ISKGA Incident Management is a brilliant course! As you already know, I love learning and there is a lot to learn and practice here. The swimming exercises and landings on rocks are not particularly difficult for me personally and I sometimes find it very amusing how you guys slosh back and forth in the water in your dry suits... But of course we are obviously made completely different. I am, on the other hand, a bit slower on the land.

I love how systematically we learn and practice in this course, often from early in the morning until in the evening, and I love the strong commitment to safety. And even though some of you may sometimes reach your limits, no one is ever put in truly dangerous situations. Instead, your self-confidence grows with each day, along with your skills and routine. And in the end, you all calmly manage to solve the most difficult emergencies and help each other. A fantastic thing!
 

Normal price
1250 CHF*

Price including use of our gear

This price includes a kayak, paddle and all the gear you need for participating. You need to order this gear separately after booking, ahead the programme.

Arrival and departure, accommodation and meals are the responsibility of the participants and are therefore not included in the price.

Reduced Price
1100 CHF*

Price with your own material

Price if you participate with your own equipment. You are responsible for bringing your kayak and equipment and, if necessary, transporting them during the programme.

Arrival and departure, accommodation and meals are the responsibility of the participants and are therefore not included in the price.

*Net price plus Spanish VAT (21%)

BOOK NOW*
BOOK NOW*
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