Maine's Outdoor Learning Center

Maine's Outdoor Learning CenterMaine's Outdoor Learning CenterMaine's Outdoor Learning Center

Maine's Outdoor Learning Center

Maine's Outdoor Learning CenterMaine's Outdoor Learning CenterMaine's Outdoor Learning Center
  • Home
  • Becoming a Maine Guide
    • Becoming a Maine Guide
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  • CLASSES
    • Maine Guide School: 3 Day
    • Maine Guide School: 4 Day
    • Maine Guide School: 6 Day
    • Tidewater Guide School
    • Specialized Sea Kayaking
    • Private Classes
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  • ABOUT
    • About MOLC
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  • More
    • Home
    • Becoming a Maine Guide
      • Becoming a Maine Guide
      • Testing Process
      • Student Policies
      • Enrollment Policy
      • Cancellation Policy
    • CLASSES
      • Maine Guide School: 3 Day
      • Maine Guide School: 4 Day
      • Maine Guide School: 6 Day
      • Tidewater Guide School
      • Specialized Sea Kayaking
      • Private Classes
    • Schedule
    • BUY NOW
    • ABOUT
      • About MOLC
      • Instructors
    • Veterans Benefits
    • Guided Bass Fishing
    • Nature's Retreat Lodging

  • Home
  • Becoming a Maine Guide
    • Becoming a Maine Guide
    • Testing Process
    • Student Policies
    • Enrollment Policy
    • Cancellation Policy
  • CLASSES
    • Maine Guide School: 3 Day
    • Maine Guide School: 4 Day
    • Maine Guide School: 6 Day
    • Tidewater Guide School
    • Specialized Sea Kayaking
    • Private Classes
  • Schedule
  • BUY NOW
  • ABOUT
    • About MOLC
    • Instructors
  • Veterans Benefits
  • Guided Bass Fishing
  • Nature's Retreat Lodging

Sea Kayaking & Recreation Guide License Training

Coastal Paddle-craft Guide Training & Inland Paddling

 

Combined Sea Kayaking & Recreation Guide License Training


Maine’s Outdoor Learning Center
In Partnership with L.L.Bean — Freeport, Maine
March 2027
3-Day Training | 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Instruction by Two Master Maine Guide Instructors

 - John Rogers and Gregory Sarnacki


 

Course Overview


This three-day, comprehensive training is designed for individuals preparing for the Maine Sea Kayaking Guide License and Recreation Guide License examinations.

Because these two Maine Guide licenses share many foundational competencies, this course combines the overlapping material—such as Maine Guide laws and regulations, client care, trip planning, weather, safety, and decision-making—with the specialized knowledge required for each license.

Students will receive both classroom instruction and practical, scenario-based learning designed to help them develop the knowledge, judgment, navigation skills, and safety awareness necessary to become responsible Maine Guides.

The course is taught by two experienced Master Maine Guide instructors, providing students with a broad range of guiding experience and perspectives.


Sea Kayaking • Stand Up Paddle-boarding • Sea Canoeing + PLUS Inland Kayaking & Paddle-boarding Recreation Guide License


 As a Student, you'll come with experience. We provide the guidance, clarity, and preparation needed to pass the Maine Guide test. When experience is paired with knowledge, confidence, and judgment, great guides are born. 

 Our role is to refine that experience, deepen your knowledge, and guide you in preparing for the Registered Maine Guide examination. 


Experience and knowledge together create confident, capable guides. 


A Tradition of Training Maine Guides

At Maine’s Outdoor Learning Center, we train guides the way guides have always been trained to pass the testing with IF&W. Professional guide training rooted in judgment, seamanship, and responsibility.
 

Leadership & Maine Guide Responsibilities

  • Professional guide conduct and ethics 
  • Client care, instruction, and decision-making 
  • Maine Guide laws, rules, and expectations
  • Trip leadership, judgement, and adaptability


Who This Program Is For

  • Aspiring Registered Maine Guides 
  • Experienced paddlers seeking professional credentials 
  • Outdoor educators and trip leaders 
  • Individuals committed to guiding with skill, integrity, and respect for the sea
     

Preparing You for the Maine Guide Exam—and Beyond

This program prepares candidates for the Registered Maine Guide Paddle-craft examination and supports the experience and skill development required for licensure. More importantly, it builds the confidence and judgment needed to guide responsibly in Maine’s coastal waters.

 

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this three-day training, students will have received instruction and practice in:

  • Maine Guide laws, rules, and regulations
  • Guide responsibilities and client care
  • Trip planning and risk assessment
  • Weather awareness and decision-making
  • Topographic map and compass navigation
  • Nautical chart reading and plotting
  • Dead reckoning
  • GPS navigation
  • Tides and tidal currents
  • Buoys and aids to navigation
  • Boating regulations
  • Sea kayaking equipment and safety
  • Kayak rescue knowledge
  • Canoe rescue knowledge
  • Inland-water navigation
  • Coastal navigation
  • Emergency planning
  • Scenario-based guiding and decision-making
  • Preparation for the Maine Sea Kayaking and Recreation Guide examinations


A Practical Approach to Becoming a Maine Guide

Our goal is not simply to help students prepare for an examination. It is to help them understand the knowledge, judgment, preparation, and responsibility that come with becoming a Maine Guide.

Through classroom instruction, navigation exercises, discussion, and realistic scenarios, students will have the opportunity to build confidence in their ability to make sound decisions and care for their clients on the water.


Course Materials Included

Each student receives:

  • Nautical Chart 
  • Topographic Map 
  • Map & Compass Study Guide 
  • Silva Compass 
  • Maine Guide Handbook 
  • Practice Tests


3 Days

$495


From Class to Patch, We've Got Your Back!


Carrying on the Legacy

Maine’s Outdoor Learning Center is proud to continue the legacy of training capable, ethical, and highly skilled Maine Guides. When you train with us, you are stepping into a lineage of outdoor leadership built on knowledge, experience, and respect for the land and sea.


March 2027

LL Bean, Freeport, Maine

Enroll Today
  • Becoming a Maine Guide
  • Maine Guide School: 3 Day
  • Maine Guide School: 6 Day
  • Private Classes
  • Schedule
  • BUY NOW
  • About MOLC
  • Veterans Benefits
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Maine's Outdoor Learning Center

OFFICE: LINCOLNVILLE, ME 04849 US

(207) 290-1496

Copyright © 2026 Maine's Outdoor Learning Center - All Rights Reserved.

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