The one-day RYA First Aid course covers all the usual first aid subjects from a boating perspective. It’s aimed at anyone who goes afloat, whether on inland waters, rivers, estuaries, or cross-channel passages.
Check below for available dates & times.
The one-day RYA First Aid course covers all the usual first aid subjects from a boating perspective. It’s aimed at anyone who goes afloat, whether on inland waters, rivers, estuaries, or cross-channel passages.
The course is designed with the marine environment in mind, teaching you what to do when accidents occur. It covers resuscitation, CPR, drowning, cold shock, hypothermia, head injuries, bleeding, how to recognise and treat seasickness and dehydration through burns, cuts, and bruises, and how to call for help and prepare for a helicopter evacuation. A little first aid knowledge and immediate action can save lives in a medical emergency, especially in remote locations.
The course is designed to provide a working knowledge of first aid for people using small craft, skippers and crew members.
The course is aimed at:
Anyone who spends time on the water would benefit from attending this course but it also fulfils specific requirements for:
- Watersports instructors & Yacht Skippers;
- Professional skippers (commercial endorsement) of small craft working within 60 miles of a safe haven, including Boatmasters;
- The Senior First Aid certificate needed by offshore racers subject to World Sailing’s regulations on first aid training (OSR 4.08.4), including CAT C Medial kit usage;
- Covers use of Category C First Aid kit required for commercially endorsed skippers.
Furthermore, the course is highly recommended by the MCA and HSE. Even if you just sail for pleasure, this course would be hugely beneficial in the event of an incident at sea.
The subjects specific to boating include:
- The recovery position in a confined space
- CPR, including the drowning protocol
- Cold shock and hypothermia from immersion and/or exposure
- Seasickness and dehydration
- Medical assistance or advice by VHF
- Helicopter rescue
- CPR (Adult – Child – Baby)
- Practice with a Defibrillator
- Actions for drowning
- The recovery position
- Control bleeding – Bandaging, Tourniquets and Haemostatic dressings
- Shock; recognise and treat it
- Cold water shock and hypothermia
- Reduced consciousness
- General treatment for:- breathing difficulties, chest pain, seasickness, diabetic
emergency, anaphylaxis, hyperthermia, fractures, seizures, burns, and heart conditions - Equipping a suitable First Aid Kit
- How to get medical advice or assistance by VHF/SRC radio
- How to prepare for the evacuation of a casualty by helicopter
- Category C First Aid Kits and Equipment
