You need a smartphone (with a video stabilization app) or a waterproof video camera with 8x to 20x zoom (Go Pros aren’t permitted), a monopod or tripod, a helmet, an impact vest, a kite and a board. You’ll use this equipment during your coach course and to coach students.

Review the latest Assistant and Instructor Manuals and study each trick in the discipline you are certified as Coach Level 1 - Freeride, Freestyle, Wave Riding, Hydrofoil and Wing Foil. The tricks are listed in the Appendices of the Coach Level 1 Manual. Revisit your first aid and CPR course material. Study the Coach Level 2 Manual (which you will receive after enrolling in the course). Practice filming riders with your smartphone or your camera so that you can give students feedback. Ride as much as you can to improve your riding skills. A great Coach is a great rider.

Both Evolution Courses and Clinics train riders in the Evolution disciplines - wing foil, hydrofoil, freestyle, freeride and wave riding.

Evolution Courses usually take place over several hours and are taught by Level 1 Coaches (only one student at a time) or Level 2 Coaches (more than one student at a time).

Evolution Clinics take place over five days at an IKO Center and can only be run by Level 2 Coaches.

Yes, the $150 Coach Course fee allows you to get certified in as many Evolution Course disciplines as you want. You can get certified to teach up to five disciplines. The disciplines are Freeride, Freestyle, Wave Riding, Hydrofoil and Wing Foil.

After you record the videos, you upload the footage to your IKO profile so we can review it. Once the footage has been reviewed, we’ll contact you to let you know whether or not you passed. You must be recognizable in the video and the footage must be high quality and stabilized for it to be accepted. If your skills are not demonstrated clearly in the video because of poor quality recording (bad angle, water on the lens, etc.) the video will be rejected.

To lead IKO Adventures, you must be able to do all of the skills mentioned in the manual in the Freeride Evolution Course.

This is the first step in the course. Once you’ve submitted your payment and enrolled in the course, you must send us videos of yourself doing all of the tricks mentioned in the Evolution Course discipline/s you want to teach. Our training department will then contact you to confirm you have the riding level to become a coach.

You must complete two steps to get your Coach Level 1 certificate. Step one is a riding skills demonstration and step two is an exam. Both are completed online.

You must be a certified IKO Instructor (Level 1 or above) with active IKO membership and demonstrate in the video the following Level 1 to 4 Safety procedures and the following tricks in at least one of the Evolution Courses - Freeride, Freestyle, Wave Riding, Hydrofoil and/or Wing Foil.

Level 1 to 4 Safety Procedures:

Self-rescue

Self-launching

Self-landing

Level 5 – Freeride (to be a certified Freeride Coach)
¨  Ride blind

¨  Transition with back-roll

¨  Jump with various grabs

¨  Dark slide

¨  Downloop jibe

Level 5 – Freestyle (to be a certified Freestyle Coach)
¨  Transition with frontroll and grab

¨  Unhooked railey

¨  Surface handle pass

¨  Jump with kite-loop and land with down-loop

¨  Unhooked jump with grab

Level 5 – Wave Riding (to be a certified Wave Riding Coach)
¨  Jibe strapless

¨  Tack strapless

¨  Floater strapless

¨  Snap back strapless

Level 5 – Hydrofoil (to be a certified Hydrofoil Coach)
¨  Riding in any direction

¨  Jibe

¨  Tack

¨  Toeside riding

Level 5 – Wing Foil (to be a certified Wing Foil Coach)
¨  Ride upwind/downwind

¨  Foot change

¨  Jibes

¨  Tacks

Catching the swell

When activating your account, you will be invited to leave feedback for your Instructor, the school and the lessons. If you missed that step, you can always leave feedback by going in your IKO account, click on the details icon of your certification and then on the "Leave your feedback" button.

If you failed the Pro course (ATC or ITC), it means that you did not meet the requirements to pass the course and that you are not ready to follow an internship yet. This decision is final and up to the Assistant Trainer's or Examiner's judgement with confirmation of the Training Department for special cases. Note that none of the fees are refundable.

If you wish to make a new attempt, first of all ensure that the reason of your failure allows you to do another ATC or ITC (if you are not sure, please directly ask to the IKO Office). You will then need to attend another event. To find a Pro course event, you can search on the Training Calendar. Once you find the course that you want to join, contact the IKO Office at [email protected] to book your course. Be aware that the IKO fees are only going to be $90 USD for your second attempt.

1. Log in to your IKO account.
2. On the left-hand menu, scroll to the bottom and click “My Profile”.
3. In your profile page, look for the Certification section.
4. Click and you will be able to see all you certification. 

Only live course give access to a diploma.

Yes. Because the IKO is internationally recognized, earning an IKO Instructor diploma makes it easier to find work around the world. As a member, you’ll also have access to job listings through the “Jobs” section of your personal account.

With IKO Centers in more than 60 countries, there are opportunities to work globally. In addition, the IKO training pathway is designed to support your professional growth—allowing you to progress to higher instructor levels as you gain experience, take on more responsibilities, and unlock even more career opportunities.

The IKO Instructor diploma is valid for one year. Instructors must renew membership annually to have a valid diploma again.