PTC Colab 2026 Offers Hard-to-Find ACA Instructor Update & Fishing Endorsement
Recorded July 16, 2026
If you're an ACA instructor, you know one of the biggest challenges isn't deciding whether to keep your certification current. It's finding a class that fits your schedule. Especially if you work for a specialty retailer or paddlesports outfitter. That's why the ACA instructor training opportunities being offered during PTC Colab 2026 are worth a closer look.
Designed for instructors, retailers, outfitters, and paddlesports professionals, these courses provide a rare opportunity to earn valuable credentials while taking advantage of everything else PTC Colab has to offer. The one-day, cross-discipline ACA Instructor Update is available to Level 1 and Level 2 canoe, kayak, and stand-up paddleboard instructors, allowing participants to renew their four-year certification while learning alongside instructors from multiple disciplines. And the Paddlesports Fishing Instructor Endorsement allows you take Instructor credentials from other disciplines and learn to help kayak anglers stay safe and enhance their boat control to be a more effective angler at the same time!
A One-Day Instructor Update: Multi-disciplinary
During the webinar, Andrea White noted just how unusual this opportunity is.
Many ACA instructors struggle to find instructor update courses before their certifications expire. Even when classes are available, they often require multiple days and focus on only one discipline. The PTC Colab update brings canoe, kayak, and SUP instructors together for a single day of professional development and skills refinement.
Beyond meeting certification requirements, the course emphasizes teaching, coaching, and instructional techniques that apply across multiple paddlecraft. Participants gain valuable exposure to other disciplines, helping instructors better serve beginners who often don't distinguish between kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards when they're just getting started.
Expand the Instruction you can Offer with a Paddlesports Fishing Endorsement
PTC Colab also offers an ACA Paddlesports Fishing Instructor Endorsement led by Instructor Trainers Jeff Atkins and supported by ACA Kayak Fishing instructor Jeff Little.
Open to certified ACA canoe, kayak, and SUP instructors, the endorsement prepares instructors to teach paddlesports fishing while introducing participants to instructional techniques designed to engage one of the fastest-growing segments of the paddlesports market.
The course is about more than fishing techniques. Anglers often aren't looking for a traditional safety class. By teaching fishing skills alongside boat control, balance, self-rescue, and decision-making, instructors can help their students become both better anglers and safer paddlers. It's a practical example of meeting participants where they are while naturally building essential paddling skills.
Learn New Skills Without Earning a Credential
Not everyone attending PTC Colab needs a certification. For those simply looking to build knowledge, Colab will also feature two-hour skills demonstrations covering kayak touring, stand-up paddleboarding, and kayak fishing. These hands-on sessions introduce practical skills, self-rescue techniques, equipment handling, and customer-facing knowledge that retailers, outfitters, and industry professionals can immediately apply in their businesses and communities.
Why It Matters
PTC Colab has always been about bringing the paddlesports community together.
Adding these ACA credentialing opportunities makes the event even more valuable by giving attendees a chance to invest in themselves while strengthening their organizations. Whether you're updating an instructor certification, expanding into paddlesports fishing, or simply broadening your understanding of multiple paddlecraft disciplines, these courses are designed to help you return home with new skills, greater confidence, and fresh ideas.
For retailers and outfitters, it's also an opportunity to invest in staff development while connecting employees with nationally recognized instructors and peers from across the industry.
Featured Guests
- Andrea White – Founder, Cross Currents Leadership (Host)
Jeff Atkins – Wavepaddler, ACA Instructor Trainer
Next Steps
- Register to attend PTC Colab 2026 (FREE)
- Register to Exhibit at PTC Colab 2026 (and nominate Retailers for Retailer Engagement Fund)
- Register to attend 1-day ACA Instructor Update
- Register to attend 1-day ACA Instructor Endorsement-Paddlesports Fishing