Combined water and rock activities

FS120630 (Published November 2024 replacing January 2017)

Introduction

Combined water and rock activities is a term which refers to any activity where a multi-discipline approach needs to be adopted to provide appropriate management and safety cover, this will often include rules for a variety of activities to be followed or permits to be held.

This generally includes activities referred to as; gorge walking, coasteering, and canyoning. These activities will vary depending on location, time of year, weather conditions and experience of the group.

The diversity of these types of activity led to specific guidance notes being issued by the Adventurous Activities Industry Advisory Committee (AAIAC).  These notes assist the Adventurous Activities Licensing Authority (AALA in their assessment of providers who come within the scope of the legislation, typically commercial providers, and are a useful guide to best practice.

This guidance is written for the purpose of running combined water and rock activities as a scout-led activity. The rules on running these activities using an external provider can be found at www.scouts.org.uk/a-z. 

Management

Many young people have little exposure to the challenges of combined water and rock activities.  The diverse nature of the activities means that there will be unique considerations for volunteer to take account of.

Within Scouting these activities are managed using the rules for the elements of the activity. So for example, if the activity involves swimming and climbing then both sets of rules must be followed at appropriate points within the activity. In the majority of cases, this kind of activity will be led by one person with both sets of skills, however, there may be occasions where the activity is delivered by a team of people who between them have the skills and qualifications for the elements of the activity. In these cases there must be one single designated volunteer who will oversee the whole activity, this follows the volunteer in charge principle which must be applied to all activities.  The designated volunteer has responsibility for coordinating all adults and young people. Recent experience has shown that accidents can happen when there isn't a volunteer designated as being in charge overall, or when that person makes an assumption that other people are looking after safety issues. Responses to accidents are also impaired in such circumstances.

The designated leader should have really good knowledge of the location where the activity is taking place. This includes knowledge of rescue points, tidal information and the potential impact the weather could have on this location.

The supervision ratios for the individual activity elements must be followed. These can be found in the factsheets of each activity. It is recommended that the group size does not exceed 10 with a single leader (not including the leader) or 16 with two leaders. Groups exceeding 16 participants may be better managed as two or more separate groups. The ratios may vary depending on the participant’s ability, local conditions, participant’s expectations or volunteer experience and other factors.

All activities require the approval of the relevant Lead Volunteer as outlined in POR rule 9.1, the Lead Volunteer will consider the planning and management of the activity before approval.

Definitions

Combined water/rock activities are activities where hazards associated with a rock environment may at times combine or alternate with those of a water environment. There are a number of different names and definitions used to describe the range of combined water and rock activities including:

Sea-level traversing, primarily a dry rock climbing activity and sometimes requiring the use of ropes and other rock-climbing equipment;

Coasteering is usually a wet activity often involving swimming and/or jumping from a height into the water as an integral part;

Canyoning is usually wet. It traditionally involves the descent of a steep water course and sometimes involves technical rope work;

Adventure swimming is another name for coasteering or a non-technical variation of canyoning;

Gorge walks, Gorge Scrambling or Ghyll Scrambles can be wet, dry or alternating – generally accepted as the ascent of a steep water course.

Specific factors to consider

Risk Assessment

As there are so many different factors to consider each time an activity takes place, providers will need to determine what the site specific hazards are at any one time including the hazards associated with the route to and from the venue where the activity is taking place. However, when producing a general risk assessment for combined water/rock activities, providers may find it useful to assure themselves that the following issues have been considered:

Water Safety

An awareness of the possible dangers associated with water activities is essential for these activities. Proper training in the background to the dangers and self-help techniques of survival can help to eliminate or minimise the dangers.

The Group Safety at Water Margins leaflet lists a number of things to take into account which will help to plan and lead a safe and enjoyable visit to areas that are near or in water.

The activity leader is responsible for choosing an appropriate personal floatation device for the participants taking part in the session.

Suitable Locations

The below links provide information on where these activities are possible.

• Canyon guides
• Coasteering providers

This is not an exhaustive list but before doing this activity the designated volunteer should have really good knowledge of the location where the activity is taking place. This includes knowledge of rescue points, tidal information and the potential impact the weather could have on this location.