The Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of British Columbia (SKGABC) aims to keep our professional standards fair, consistent, and transparent. To support this, we have updated our policy on how guides log their days.
Members have asked how to count shorter trips when logging guide days. This has sometimes caused confusion, with similar trips logged in different ways. To make things clearer and fair for everyone, SKGABC now has a more exact definition of half-day and full guide days.
Here is what the new policy says:
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Trips lasting less than or including three (3) hours are to be logged as a half day.
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Trips lasting more than three (3) hours are to be logged as a full day.
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Trips cannot accumulate more than one day in a calendar day.
This rule applies to all trips, no matter the type, location, or client group. It is based on the total time spent on the water. The change is meant to:
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Create consistency in how guide experience is documented
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Reflect the actual scope and workload of guiding shorter trips
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Support fair assessment for certifications and exam challenges
We know that even short trips take preparation, good judgment, and skill. Setting this clear rule helps make sure that logged days truly show the time spent guiding.
Example Entries
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A 2-hour guided harbour tour → 0.5 guide day
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A 3.5-hour instructional paddle → 1.0 guide day
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Two separate 1.5-hour guided trips in the same day → 1.0 guide day
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A single full-day expedition paddle → 1.0 guide day
An additional revision is to the ratio of guiding days. The guiding days required for Level 2, Level 3, and higher certifications are based on overnight professional kayak trips on multi-day expeditions. Single-day trips can also count toward this certification, but at a 3:1 ratio and up to a maximum of 33% of the required days in each water classification.
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33% of 30 is 10, so 10 of the required overnight days may be substituted by day trips at a 3:1 ratio
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3 x 10 = 30
Therefore, 10 overnight kayaking days plus 30 day tripping days = equivalent to 30 required days for L2 guide eligibility.
We ask members to apply this policy when logging guide days going forward. If you have questions about how this applies to a specific scenario, or need clarification on logging practices, please reach out to info@skgabc.com for guidance.