What is your favorite part about guiding ?

There is always something to learn on the water and guiding requires you to really be present and in the moment. Even if you do the same routes over and over again, you always get to see it for the first time through your clients. It makes it hard to forget what a beautiful place I get to work everyday. It is really rewarding to create and share that experience with others. Each tour is an opportunity for people to have a great time, have fun and appreciate the natural world. 

Most challenging part of guiding? 

Choosing this path is not easy. One of the biggest challenges is the amount of mental energy you have to give each day. You need a high level of energy for the clients and deliver it in an effective way. It is really important to be able to read the audience and adjust that energy level to be appropriate for your group.  

You also need the energy and focus for making countless decisions before and during the tour.

Part of my mental preparation to get in the guiding mindset is visualizing the tour in my head. The tour prep of checking the weather, currents, tides is also really important for that process. 

Lessons from the program 

There have been a lot of lessons I have used from the program. Probably the most valuable was our training with group management. At the time, I didn’t expect or think that it was so important but I quickly realized that it was absolutely critical to being a guide.  

Also, building a solid foundation with weather systems, tides and currents has given me the confidence and skill to plan my tours and manage my group in the field.  

A really enjoyable part of the program was meeting and learning with my peers. I had a great cohort that I was proud to be part of.