Central Portugal. Accommodation is in 2-4-person-rooms. The exact course location and description will be sent with the course manuals.

Getting there

 The exact course location and description will be sent with the course manuals.

As you are experienced surfers and travellers we just want to remind you of the most important things: Surfing gear:

• board, leash, wetsuit, wax etc.
• Sport / jogging shoes
• Pen and paper!
• Travel insurance, vaccinations, first-aid-kit (if you are not sure what to bring please consult a travel medicine center)

Registration

• Complete the registration form incl. the course date with all required fields.
• Your registration automatically (and FOR FREE) makes you an Austrian Surfing 1 - the 1st Austrian Surfing Club community member, which is a prerequisite for participating in the course and being awarded the accreditation
• Wait for the OK for the date from our office. ATTENTION: THE WEBSITE IS UPDATED BY OUR OFFICE AND CAN WRONGLY SHOW FREE PLACES! EVEN IF THE GREEN OR YELLOW COLORS ARE DISPLAYED, THE COURSE CAN ALREADY BE BOOKED UP. THE OK HAS TO COME FROM OUR OFFICE PER EMAIL!
• Payment of course fee to reserve a place
• You are receiving the invoice, the course manuals, etc. as soon as (and only if!) you have made the payment AND registered; the invoice is also the reservation of your place!

Relevant surfing skills (on board type of your choice):

• Controlled surfing in beach breaks up to 1.5m faces
• Basic front- and backside bottom and top turns while
• Surfing green waves
• If the necessary surfing skills cannot be shown during the course, the participants can send in a video (2-3 waves frontside and backside) by 1 year after the course. Please note that in this case the Level 1 accreditations cannot be issued before we have received the videos. However, you will receive a document stating you have participated for use in the tax office, employment center etc.

Other prerequisites:

• Surf Coach Lifesaver Award: The surf instructor course can be done without a lifesaving certificate; however, please note that in this case the Level 1 accreditations cannot be issued before we have received the lifesaving certificate (up to 1 year after the course). It is possible though to receive a document stating you have participated for use in the tax office, employment center etc.
  We are offering lifesaving courses right after our instructor courses - the lifesaving course starts on exactly the same day the instructor course ends - this is the perfect combination :)
• 4 weeks practical in a surf school / surf camp: see below at "practical training". The surf instructor course can be done without pre-course practical training; however, please note that in this case the Level 1 accreditations cannot be issued before the practical has been done (up to 1 year after the course). It is possible though to receive a document stating you have participated for use in the tax office, employment center etc.

An 80 hours practical is a prerequisite for being awarded the accreditation. Compared to other sports, surfing - as a sport characterized by direct interaction with nature, i.e. the power and at times unpredictability of the ocean - and surf coaching need a lot more experience that cannot be completely covered in the course. The practical can be done pre- or post-course, or as a combination of both, however it fits better into your plans. 2 weeks pre- and 2 weeks post-course would be ideal. We do not want to build any bureaucratic obstacles, we just want to ensure the high quality of our coaching programs! 

A pre-course practical also helps you get your first experiences in the daily business of coaching and the surf camp vibes - please click here for our partner schools. We are also accepting practicals done in other schools, but the head coach or surf school manager has to hold either a valid ISA / Austrian Surfing certificate or a certificate issued by an official federation recognised by the ISA (such as FFS, FESURF, FPS).

We only need an email by the camp manager / head coach (sent to office@austriansurfing.at) as a proof of your practical.

The surf instructor course can be done without pre-course practical training; however, please note that in this case the Level 1 accreditations cannot be issued before the practical has been done (up to 1 year after the course).

The practical must not be older than 2 years.

Content of the coaching courses:

• Improving the future coach´s surfing skills (including video analysis)
• Teaching theoretical subjects
• Delivery of the practical lesson
• Freesurfing
• Fun!

Table of contents (short version):

• Definition of the term "surfing"
• Didactics
• Austrian Surfing and surfing in landlocked countries
• Equipment
• The Ocean
• Dangers and risks of surfing
• Safety and occupational knowledge
• First Aid and lifesaving techniques with the surf board
• Training theory and surf fitness training
• Surf rules and etiquette
• Surfing and the environment
• Surfing Terminology

Exams:

• Written exams covering all parts of the course manual
• worksheets and essays
• Practicals: teaching theoretical subjects and delivering the practical lesson
• Surfing skills (demonstrating beginner techniques as well as own surfing skills)

If all prerequisites for participation are met and the examinations have been passed, the licenses are issued.

Validity of the accreditations: 1 year

Renewals:

ISA accreditations:

• Check your status: https://isasurf.org/learning/isa-coaching/surf-coach-instructor_directory/
• Click http://theisafoundation.org/product/coaching-renewals and follow the instructions.

AS-Licences:

Everyone who is currently registered in the ISA Online register (ISA accreditations) and sends us an email receives the AS licence (with an exact listing of the content and hours needed to get the licence).

Please note "ISA and AS L1 course" in the money transfer!

You are receiving the invoice, the course manuals, etc., as soon as (and only if!) you have made the bank transfer AND registered; the invoice is also the reservation of your place! The payment should be made at least 4 weeks before the course. It is NOT possible to pay in cash on the spot for legal reasons. If the money transfer has not arrived in our account by the start of the course, a 50 € processing fee applies!

Cancellation fees:

• Cancellation until 3 months before the course start or cancellation due to exceptional incidents (i.e. if Austrian Surfing cannot run the course): Only a 50 € booking fee applies. This booking fee covering our administrative office services (course lists, emails, invoices, etc.) applies for every booking and can under no circumstances be reduced or waived.
• Cancellation between 3 months and 1 month before the course start: 300 € cancellation fee.
• Cancellation between 1 month and 2 weeks before the course start: 50% of the course fees are charged.
• Cancellation within 2 weeks before the course start: 80% of the course fees are charged.
• No-show: Full course fee is charged.