Jacob Waller joined us with a lifelong ambition to become a bodyboard and surf instructor as well as an open water lifeguard. Through our Outdoor Activity Instructor Academy (OAIA) we made that possible for him.
Living in London Jacobs’ passion for the ocean was hard to fulfil. Knowing that only he could make the changes for him to live and work around the ocean, in 2021 he took the plunge and signed up for our Outdoor Activity Instructor Course. One year later and with a full season under his belt, Jacob looks back and tells us about a decision he will never regret.
“The OAIC allowed me to take my skills in bodyboarding to new levels. It gave me opportunities to learn from the best and get in the water almost every day of the week to put these skills into practice. As well as improving my bodyboarding I have also been able to learn new skills such as coasteering and paddle boarding which I had never tried before the course.”
“After finishing the course I decided that I wanted to work a full summer season with the incredible team at Newquay Activity Centre. Being able to deliver all the activities on offer, it has been a life changing experience. I have also been lucky enough to work with Bodyboard Holidays on coaching weekends in Newquay and Croyde. The course has completely changed my outlook on life and has given me some incredible friends and opportunities to go abroad and teach in other areas of the world.”
The Outdoor Activity Instructor Course gives individuals the opportunity to turn their dreams into reality. People travel from all over the world to gain these qualifications that can be applied across the globe. To maximise working opportunities in the great outdoors the OAIA provides skills in Surfing, Coasteering, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Kayaking, Bodysurfing and Bushcraft as well as Bodyboarding. Students also gain the necessary qualifications for Beach Lifeguarding and First Aid allowing them to gain employment on completing the course.
Director of Bodyboard Holidays and Newquay Activity Centre Rob Barber told us, “We developed the Outdoor Activity Instructor Academy in order to streamline the process of going from zero to hero by attaining the relevant qualifications. In 3 short months you can transform your whole life.” He added, “With a completely new career path the course guarantees to deliver a quality of life that is better than most! As bodyboarders, we love spending as much time in the water as possible. This is the way to get paid for it!”
Our September course has just started with the latest cohort of pupils who want to change their life for the better. We have spots available for our April Outdoor Activity Instructor Course but it’s filling up fast!