New Safety Incident Reporting Form: Helping Us Keep Paddlesports Safer Together

Paddle UK have developed a new, enhanced Incident Reporting Form.

The new form is structured to:

Accurately Identify Themes: We will now be able to identify recurring patterns, such as specific injuries and craft types.
Understand Needs: By seeing the data more clearly, we can accurately understand where safety improvements are needed most – whether that means new guidance, educational resources or simply increased awareness.
Create Targeted Solutions: Instead of general advice, we can develop highly relevant and effective safety initiatives that directly address the most significant risks facing our members and paddling community.

These changes have been made as incident data can sometimes be inconsistent, making it more challenging to pinpoint the exact causes and themes across the community.

This initiative is only as effective as the data received. Whether you've experienced a major incident or a “near miss” that taught you a valuable lesson, we urge you to use this new form. Every report contributes a vital piece of information that helps to build a complete picture of safety across all disciplines..

Crucially, this is a non-punitive system. The goal is learning and improvement, not blame. Your report is treated confidentially and is used purely for the purpose of developing and improving safety within paddlesports.

Click here to access the full article.

Click here to access the Online Incident Reporting form.

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Paddle NI's Participation and Development Officer, Mark Stephens Trip to Iceland

by Ben Hamilton • 10 July 2026

Paddle NI’s Participation and Development Officer, Mark, travelled to Iceland after being invited to coach at the Iceland Sea Kayak Symposium, an event that brings together sea kayakers and coaches from across the world. The invitation reflects Mark’s growing expertise and the work he does to support paddlers and clubs here in Northern Ireland. Sea kayaking continues to be one of the most popular areas within our progressive paddles programme and opportunities like this help us keep our development work aligned with the highest coaching standards. The symposium focuses on sharing best practice, developing coaching approaches, and building the skills needed for safe paddling in moderate and advanced water environments, all of which directly supports our club work, leadership development and participation programmes. Paddle NI Head of Operations Rodger Hamilton said, “We encouraged and supported Mark to attend because staying up‑to‑date with the latest coaching methods and technical skills directly benefits the paddlers and volunteers he works with throughout the year. He has returned with new ideas, fresh perspectives and useful learning from working alongside international coaches”. We’re proud to see Northern Ireland represented at an event like this and delighted that Mark has come back with knowledge and connections that will strengthen our local programmes and the wider paddlesport community. Our next series of progressive paddles will run from September, keep an eye on social media channels for details.