Specialized Sea Kayak Guide License

 Sea Kayaking • Stand Up Paddle-boarding • Sea Canoeing 

Registered Maine Guide Preparation

Maine’s Outdoor Learning Center offers a comprehensive Coastal Paddle-craft Guide Training Program designed to prepare candidates for Registered Maine Guide licensure while carrying forward the long-standing tradition of excellence that defines Maine Guide Schools.

This immersive program provides professional-level instruction in Sea Kayaking, Stand Up Paddle-boarding (SUP), and Sea Canoeing, equipping students with the technical skill, leadership ability, and coastal awareness required to guide safely and confidently in Maine’s dynamic marine environment.

 Students 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 their knowledge, and guide them in preparing for the Registered Maine Guide examination. Experience and knowledge together create confident, capable 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.

• Chart and compass navigation 
• Tides, currents, wind, and weather interpretation 
• Coastal route planning and hazard assessment 
• Decision-making in changing marine conditions
   

• Cold water awareness and immersion risks 
• Incident prevention and response
• Communication systems and emergency protocols
• Leave No Trace ethics for coastal environments
   

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

• 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
   

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.

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.