Safety
We are serious about your fun.
Qualifications and training:
Your safety is most important to us. We have spent countless hours developing and testing our safety procedures to provide you with the safest possible trip. Our guides are qualified through the New Zealand Outdoors Instructors Association, Commission Internationale de Canyon, ICOpro and/or UK Canyon Guides. All guides are trained in first aid, most of them up to either Outdoor/Wilderness First Aid or Pre Hospital Emergency Care level. The guides who transport our clients have a Passenger Endorsement drivers licence. On top of this guides undergo continuous in-house and external training to improve their rope rescue techniques, white water rescue techniques, and first aid knowledge. This way they are prepared for anything at all times. The Managing Director of Abel Tasman Canyons has been directly involved in establishing the NZOIA Canyon 1 and 2 qualification and is one of three canyoning assessors in New Zealand. In conjunction with other canyoning operators he established the national safety guidelines for commercial canyoning in New Zealand. We also operate the New Zealand Canyoning School, our senior instructors run training courses at all levels.
Safety audit
Abel Tasman Canyons is externally audited by AdventureMark, an independent outdoor safety audit programme. Every year we complete a surveillance check and every third year we complete a rigorous paperwork and on-site audit to ensure we comply with the highest standards for adventure tourism. Mandatory external safety audits became a law in New Zealand in 2014 with the new Adventure Activity Regulations. Abel Tasman Canyons completed their first voluntary audit in 2013 to be well ahead of the game. Since then we’ve been passing our audits with flying colours.
Equipment
We provide you with top notch equipment to keep you safe and toasty warm. We use specialised canyoning gear sourced from the leading safety equipment manufacturers. All gear is checked and maintained during regular safety inspections.
Risk disclosure
Before making a decision on whether you would like to go canyoning or not, it is important to understand the risks involved in the activity. We recommend that you read the risk disclosure information before you make your booking. If you have any questions or concerns about the risk involved with any of our trips, please feel free to contact us. We’re more than happy to help. Your professional and friendly guides will talk you through this information again when you meet them on the day of your trip. You can ask more questions then. They will then ask you to sign that you have understood the risk disclosure information you have been given.
“Torrential Fun!”
As a super keen outdoor adventurer and instructor I was incredibly impressed with the trip from a to z. The guides had the perfect balance of professionalism and fun, catering for everyone’s unique background comfort zones and demonstrating impeccable safety practises. Not only an amazing canyon trip, the guides weaved in interesting environmental snippets allowing an even deeper experience.
Anna L, Picton, New Zealand
