RYA Smallcraft First Aid Course in North Wales

The RYA First Aid course is designed to teach you basic skills needed when operating a boat. You learn what to do if a crew member falls into the water, how to cope with minor ailments like sunburn, headaches and small lesions, and how to respond to serious medical emergencies.

Seawake runs this as a boat-focused day in Menai Bridge. The certificate is valid for 3 years from the time of issue, and you leave with the RYA First Aid book as well as the ticket.

The day is open to anyone who goes afloat, from crew to skippers who want a boat-focused certificate rather than a generic first aid course. Skippers should encourage their crews to attend. It could be you who needs attention.

The RYA Small Craft First Aid certificate is also a prerequisite for those taking the Advanced Powerboat course and for those who wish the Advanced to be commercially endorsed, plus other offshore RYA courses.

No first aid experience is required. The day is organised in a very boat-focused way, so it suits people who have never practised CPR as well as skippers who want the maritime version of skills they already have ashore.

You will have the chance to try actions such as CPR and the recovery position. Wear comfortable clothing suitable for a classroom day. No equipment is needed from you.

There is emphasis on resuscitation techniques and first care of a man overboard victim. You also learn the procedures for obtaining outside medical help, and helicopter and coastguard rescue services will be explained.

Minor ailments such as sunburn, headaches and small lesions sit alongside the serious work, because those are the jobs that come up on a small boat as well as the rare emergencies. The practice is done in the kind of confined space you actually have afloat.

The day runs from 10:00 to 16:00 at the Menai Bridge classroom. It mixes explanation with hands-on practice, so you are not only listening to a talk about CPR and the recovery position.

Refreshments are provided through the day. Lunch is your own, brought or bought locally. The classroom is in the town itself, a short walk from where the boats are moored.

All necessary first aid equipment for practice is provided, including the kit you need for CPR and the recovery position. You do not need to bring a first aid bag of your own.

The instructor has had hands-on experience of administering first aid in confined spaces such as small boats, so the practice stays tied to the space you actually have on board rather than a sports-hall layout.

Yes. On successful completion you receive the RYA Small Craft First Aid certificate, which is valid for 3 years from the time of issue. You also leave with the RYA First Aid book.

That certificate is the one Advanced and commercially endorsed tickets look for, as well as other offshore RYA courses. Keep it with your VHF and powerboat paperwork if you plan to continue.

Wear comfortable clothing suitable for a classroom day. No equipment is needed from you. Bring lunch, or money to buy it locally in Menai Bridge.

Tea, coffee and light refreshments are provided. The classroom is at 40 High Street, with Pay and Display parking across the road if you arrive by car.

As skipper you have a responsibility to be able to care for your crew, and we have the responsibility to make sure you can. The day covers resuscitation, first care of a man overboard victim, and how to get outside medical help when you are away from the beach.

Skippers should encourage their crews to attend as well. It could be you who needs attention, and a crew member who has sat this day is then the person who can help.

This day is organised in a very boat-focused way. The practice sits in the kind of confined space you get on a small boat, and the syllabus includes man overboard, helicopter and coastguard rescue, not only workplace first aid.

Our First Aid instructor is a hugely experienced powerboat instructor and highly qualified mariner, and he also has experience as a paramedic. That mix is why the day stays tied to boats rather than a generic classroom certificate.