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NCC Coasteering Guide Award

Become a Professional Coasteering Guide to lead groups anywhere in the U.K.

£220pp

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About Us

We are passionate about the natural world and its beautiful wild places.

We have a deep respect and appreciation for the environment and a love for adventure and silent human-powered sports.

More about us

Professional Coasteering Guide Training in East Lothian

Ocean Vertical deliver National Coasteering Charter (NCC) Guide award training and assessments for; existing coasteering guides looking to gain the NNC guide award; those wanting to become an adventure guide.

The NCC Coasteering Guide Award is a newly developed yet robust guiding qualification for professional coasteering guides in the U.K. The qualification roadmap includes:

Two-day Intensive Training Course

  • Within the two-day training course, candidates learn the necessary skills required to become a competent guide. Some training modules include group management and leadership, rescue methods, management of water entry and exit, and a coasteering guide swim/fitness test.

Consolidation and Experience period

  • Following the two-day training course, candidates are required to complete a consolidation and experience period, whereby they develop the skills learned in training and implement them within an operational environment – assisting and 2nd guiding a variety of groups and documenting evidence of this.

Proving Appropriate Prior Learning

  • Existing guides that have completed appropriate prior learning, can provide evidence of this, and can prove a level of competency are able to apply straight for assessment. If this applies to you, feel free to Get In Touch.

Award Assessment

  • Once the consolidation period is complete, candidates must complete the final assessment. This formal assessment includes a physical assessment lead guiding a group, as well as a theory assessment paper. A candidate that meets the NCC Award standard will be signed off as a fully qualified NCC Coasteering Guide.

Where are the NCC courses delivered?

Ocean Vertical deliver the NCC Coasteering Guide training and assessments on the beautiful East Coast of Scotland from our  Our Base. in East Lothian; a renovated Victorian stable building with a log burning stoves, classroom space, plenty of coffee and snacks, and surrounded by epic coastline.

The location of our Base enables us to visit multiple coasteering sites each day with different rock types, marine life, and adventure levels to train well rounded and highly proficient coasteering guides.

If you want to read more about coasteering in detail, you can read all About Coasteering in Scotland here. Thanks Folks.

Recent Coasteering Guide Training with Ocean Vertical

Recent Coasteering Guide Training with Ocean Vertical

Recent Coasteering Guide Training with Ocean Vertical

Recent Coasteering Guide Training with Ocean Vertical

Recent Coasteering Guide Training with Ocean Vertical

Recent Coasteering Guide Training with Ocean Vertical

Recent Coasteering Guide Training with Ocean Vertical

Customer Reviews

Wowza, that was amazing! Never really understood what coasteering was until now. We were close to Dunbar in East Lothian. Get ready to go where you have never been before. Coasteering is exploring, climbing and jumping when the tide is way out. Ocean Vertical took us on a “journey” into the sea, literally [and often under]. We saw so much wildlife. We even saw a distant pod of dolphins! Awesome time, thanks Ocean Vertical

Brian | Edinburgh

Exhilarating, Stunning, Nerve-wracking, Challenging, Body rush…
What an adventure…

Spent Sunday afternoon coasteering in East Lothian with the fantastic team from Ocean Vertical round the craggy cliffs at Dunbar.

Stevie, Gav and Adrian were so knowledgeable about the area and they and made you feel very safe whilst encouraging you to push yourself. We jumped off rocks and dived through the swell increasing the difficulty as we went.

If you haven’t done it before, go for it, you will love it.
Thanks, guys for an amazing day.

Bev | Edinburgh

That was unbelievable! We didn’t really know what coasteering was. I booked in with a bunch of girlfriends for one of their birthdays and it was just epic. Never thought I would do something like that! The guys at Ocean Vertical kept us safe as we climber rocks, swam and did some pretty big jumps. We even saw seals! We will be doing this again for sure :]

Beth | Glasgow

What a hidden wee gem. A company a stone throw away from where I live and hadn’t heard of but deserves so much more recognition. A friend and myself went coasteering and had a great time from start to finish. The team were super friendly and professional and conducted the afternoon superbly. For anyone on the fence I would say get booking, it’s worth every penny and you will love it.

Chris | Haddington

Unbelievable afternoon with Jacob and Adrian Coasteering. Great instructor, wonderful experience with good quality kit. Felt supported and challenged and had the most amazing time. Thoroughly recommend and will be back!!!!

Eleanor | Edinburgh

A fantastic and memorable experience! Three friends and I tried coasteering in North Berwick, East Lothian and absolutely loved it. The guides were great we felt really safe and surprisingly warm in the winter wetsuits.

Freya | Edinburgh

We had the most amazing day going coasteering with OceanVertical! Stevie and Mollie were great guides making sure everyone felt safe and had fun. It was so much fun to jump into the water and climb out and explore the coast. We also saw seals, which was awesome 🙂 would definitely recommend this activity for anyone who enjoys being outdoors and wants to explore a beautiful coast!

Giulia | Spain

We went coasteering in Dunbar with a group of friends and had an amazing time! Swimming, climbing and jumping off cliffs in impressive and wild scenery.
We were with a small group and were impressed by the quality of the equipment and excellent guides. I would definitely recommend this activity to everyone who’s looking for a memorable outdoor activity in East Lothian, Scotland!

Guido | The Netherlands

We had an amazing experience with the Ocean Vertical team coasteering in Dunbar, East Lothian. Adrian and Stevie are very professional and know their stuff well making the whole experience awesome. We got the chance to explore the coastline that we wouldn’t ordinarily see; we climbed, jumped, and slid off rocks into the open sea giving us a real adrenaline rush. We even saw seals! The guys made us feel really safe and took us through the different types of jumps so we felt more confident with each one. We would definitely recommend them to anyone who likes an adventure in Scotland!

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Fantastic day coasteering with Ocean Vertical, guides Stevie and Mollie were experts and the route was loads of fun. Great size group and well planned route, lots of laughs! Will be back for other adventure activities.

James | London

Ocean Vertical –  Thank you!
Yesterday I went coasteering with Ocean Vertical in East Lothian. Not only was the ratio of instructor to client perfect at 1 : 3 [1 : 10 is usual in my experience], the kit was also first class as were the instructors
The experience was by far the best out of more than 20 coasteering trips I have done.
It wasn’t all about the jumps – Learning about the evolution of sea urchins, the life and needs of seals, the biodiversity in rock pools and so much more like the effects of plastics in the sea was inspiring.

James | Wales

I spent a brilliant afternoon Coasteering with Ocean Vertical; climbing, swimming, scrambling and jumping off rocks into the sea by Dunbar in East lothian. I was able to disconnect from the busyness of normal life and enjoy a magical couple of hours exploring a totally new environment, scrambling over inaccessible tidal islands, connecting with local marine wildlife and having serious fun. Adrian and Stevie nudge you safely out of your comfort zone, jumping 25 feet into the water or going through underwater passes is not normal for me!  After playing rugby professionally nothing provides a buzz quite the same but this came very close.

Jason White - Former Scottish Rugby Captain and British Lion | North Berwick

We had an amazing day out coasteering with friends. Our guide, Jacob, was helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. The kit provided was well fitted and kept us warm and safe from the elements. While it was a physically exerting activity, I would highly recommend this for anybody, as at no point did we feel unsafe, and I cannot think of a better way to experience the wild coast line of Scotland!

Lindsay | London

We had an amazing day out coasteering with friends. Our guide, Jacob, was helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. The kit provided was well fitted and kept us warm and safe from the elements. While it was a physically exerting activity, I would highly recommend this for anybody, as at no point did we feel unsafe, and I cannot think of a better way to experience the wild coast line of Scotland!

Lindsey | Edinburgh

Scotland you saucy devil; climbing, coasteering, sea swimming, dolphin spotting and seals bobbing.

There really is nothing like taking a leap of faith off a big old rock into the sweet, sweet (and awfully salty) Scottish sea to blow away the cobwebs. Talk about plunging oneself into the deep end – thanks Ocean Vertical – awesome coasteering in East lothian.

Lucy | Edinburgh

Thank you to Jacob and the OV team for taking us Coasteering at Dunbar at the weekend. The whole experience from start to finish was just fantastic. Great kit to keep you warm was provided and a fire back at OV HQ with a coffee was magical.

Jacob was very knowledgeable about the area, marine and wildlife and we had a fantastic trip. Thanks again and cant wait to come back with the family. Cheers

Marcus | Edinburgh

Had a great time coasteering last week with friends by Dunbar in East Lothian. All equipment was provided, and Kirsty and Stevie were great instructors, full confidence in them. This was a great way to see and learn more about the coast with a big dollop of adventure chucked in! Will definitely be back for more scrambling, exploring, swimming and cliff jumping. Thanks Ocean Vertical 💙

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Had a great time coasteering with Ocean Vertical last week, with a gang of friends. All equipment was provided and Kirsty and Stevie were great instructors, full confidence in them. This was a great way to see and learn more about the coast with a big dollop of adventure chucked in! Will definitely be back for more scrambling, exploring, swimming and cliff jumping. Thanks guys 💙

Mella Bella | Edinburgh

Had a fantastic time Coasteering with Stevie and Sally a few weeks ago by Dunbar in East Lothian. The boys and I loved it. Highly recommend Ocean Vertical if you want an adventure in the ocean – like nothing you’ve experienced before! Thanks guys.

Nick | London

Awesome day coasteering with Jacob & Mollie from the ocean virtual team. Everything was great, the head quarters, wetsuits, transport, knowledge and lots of fun! Thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a Sunday. Would definitely recommend. Thank you!

Sarah | North Berwick

Sunday Funday!! Coasteering in East Lothian today with the incredible Ocean Vertical.

Didn’t even realize an experience like this was possible and it’s right at our doorstep! Embarked on this adventure today with the amazing Lizzy – Stevie Boyle and Adrian Boot coached us through it and led the way – they are top class! Highly, highly recommend this! Check out Ocean Vertical and get yourself out there!

Sarah | Haddingon

Thanks very much to Stevie and Jacob for today’s Coasteering trip in East Lothian. Amazing couple of hours on the rocks and in the water, and always felt safe with these professional instructors. Spotted many pods of Dolphins while we were jumping which was awesome to see! Great kit to keep you safe too. I would highly recommend giving this a shot, you won’t be disappointed!

Scott | Wales

Wow- have never experienced anything like it. From learning about our beautiful coast, sea-life and seeing seals to the amazing feeling of exploring this all from the sea and jumping off rocks. Our guide was amazing and made the whole experience a lot of fun. Would definitely recommend and will be doing it again.

Shona | Yorkshire

I went on a coasteering session in East Lothian yesterday and absolutely loved it!!

I would recommend this to anyone who has a sense of adventure… it’s definitely an experience you won’t forget and Stevie, Adrian and Gavin were super experienced and knowledgeable. What an amazing thing to do in East Lothian.
5 stars

Steph | North Berwick

Had a great time with OV coasteering, conditions were wild and it was challenging which made it even better and the guys give you the confidence to enjoy it. The Set up is great and the log burner and coffee back at base to warm up was a nice end to the adventure.

Stewart | Dunbar

Brilliant time coasteering along the Dunbar coastline in East Lothian! Jacob was a great instructor & the whole ethos of Ocean Vertical shines through everything – from the more eco choice of kit, to the friendly staff & welcoming newly opened centre at Hedderwick Hill Stables. Thanks for a great day out. Highly recommend :]

Tilly | Edinburgh

Course Overview

Course Overview

Availability

Year Round

Course Overview

Duration

2 Days

Course Overview

Difficulty

Professional Level

Course Overview

Language

English

Course Overview

Meeting Point

Ocean Vertical, Hedderwick Hill Stables, 9am

Course Overview

Minimum Age

18

Course Overview

Day duration

9 - 5pm

Course Overview

Group Size

Maximum 8

Course Overview

Minimum Number

4

Course Overview

Weather

We have access to multiple locations in case of challenging conditions

What’s included (and not)

Included

  • Tea / coffee / water
  • Drying facilities
  • WiFI
  • Equipment rental [on request]

Not Included

  • Coasteering equipment
  • Lunch
  • Transport

Optional extras

  • Equipment rental

What to bring with you

Appropriate coasteering guide equipment

Wetsuit

Helmet

Footwear

Gloves

Buoyancy aid

Rescue kit - throw / tow line, knife, communication, first aid bag

Warm clothes for classroom based workshop

Pack lunch [can be purchased locally]

Ocean Vertical HQ at Hedderwick Hill Stables, by Dunbar in East Lothian.

We are just 40 minutes from Edinburgh

Accreditations
Adventure Activities Licensing Authority ASI Accredited School - Stand Up Paddle ASI Academy of Surfing Instructors NCC Promoting Safe Coasteering