DIACE offers outdoor safety courses

First-aid and water safety classes are part of effort to expand outdoor curriculum

May 18, 2026

By Staff

DEER ISLE—Deer Isle Adult and Community Education, in partnership with Osprey’s Echo Sea Kayaking, is offering water safety kayaking course June 6, according to a press release. DIACE is also soliciting community input for how to expand their safety programming in the future, the release said.

During recent kayak safety clinics at the Blue Hill YMCA pool, participants learned important skills such as wet exits, self-rescue techniques, and assisted rescues, the release said. The pool provides a safe, controlled environment in which students can practice these vital skills. 

Participants in the recent kayak safety clinic practiced wet exits, self-rescue techniques and assisted rescues at the Blue Hill YMCA. Photo courtesy of Deer Isle Adult and Community Education.

DIACE also recently hosted a weekend-long wilderness first aid course. According to the release, 15 “outdoor enthusiasts and professionals of all ages” gained hands-on first-aid skills for remote scenarios. The Healthy Island Project provided indoor and outdoor classroom space for the class. Many students also benefited from a CPR certification, which was generously offered at cost by the instructor, the release said. 

The upcoming kayak class will focus on navigating working waterfronts and will be led by Will Steinharter and Dwight Staples. Steinharter and Staples “designed the class for kayakers interested in exploring our local waterways, with an emphasis on safely sharing the Stonington Archipelago with commercial vessels,” the release said. 

DIACE said they plan to run these courses annually.

For more information about the upcoming kayak safety class, visit bit.ly/islekayak. To submit ideas for future outdoor safety and recreation classes, email gupham@su76.org.