Our Instructors
Dan Hall
Dan Hall has been kayak racing, instructing and guiding on whitewater for over 30 years and instructing packrafting courses for more than 10 years. He is one of the most experienced and accomplished whitewater kayakers in Australia, having competed internationally across a 20+ year racing career. He is an internationally renowned coach and instructor but is best known for dominating the extreme whitewater kayak races in Australia since to 2003. A feat that he is continuing to maintain.
Dan is qualified with Paddle Australia as:
- Senior Whitewater Instructor – Kayak (since 1995)
- Paddle Australia Whitewater Assessor (since 2005)
- Whitewater Instructor – Packraft
- Whitewater Instructor – Canoe
Various accolades include:
Paddle Australia Instructor of the Year Award 2022-2021 (co-recipient)
Unbeaten Australian Extreme Kayak Champion - Present - 2003
Australian Wildwater Racing champion (Sprint and Classic) 2018, 2019 & 2010 - 2003
World Cup medals - Silver and Bronze 2009, Silver 2007
Overall World Cup ranking - 6th 2009, 7th 2007, 8th 2006
Numerous top 10 finishes at World Cup races
First person to paddle the Franklin River in one day
Numerous first descents of Tasmanian rivers
Franklin River Guide – 1999 to present with over 70 trips
Has worked professionally on paddling programs in Japan, Samoa, Norway, Scotland and Canada
Mark Oates
Mark Oates has been guiding groups on whitewater for 30 years and a whitewater instructor for the past 25 years. Mark has worked as an outdoor education teacher in both Tasmania and Victoria for 35 years. He has formerly been the Head/Director of Outdoor Education at two well-known private schools in Melbourne. Mark is known internationally for his passion for increasing the technical knowledge of packrafters.
Mark is qualified with Paddle Australia as:
- Senior Whitewater Instructor – Kayak
- Paddle Australia Whitewater Assessor
- Whitewater Instructor – Packraft
- Sea Instructor
Various accolades include:
Paddle Australia Instructor of the Year Award 2022-2021 (co-recipient)
Has run whitewater workshops in New Zealand, United States, Slovenia, Austria, Sweden & France. He has also paddled in Norway, Bosnia, Croatia and Scotland.
He instigated and co-developed the courses that led to Paddle Australia officially adopting packrafting as a recognised specialty paddling stream from 2016.
Numerous first descents of Tasmanian rivers in packrafts.
Additional qualifications for Mark Oates include:
- Whitewater Rescue Technician – Professional (Rescue3 via Wild Education Tasmania)
- Top Rope & Abseil Guide with TCIA (Tasmanian Climbing Instructors Association)
- Multi Pitch Abseiling Guide (5-Star Training & Consulting)
- Canyoning Guide - Easy to Intermediate Canyons (5-Star Training & Consulting)
- Community Surf Rescue (Surf Lifesaving South Australia)
- Wilderness First Aid- SISSS00126
Jen MacGibbon (Oates)
Jen MacGibbon has been has been undertaking whitewater multi-day adventures with packrafts since 2011. She qualified as a Whitewater Packraft Instructor since 2021 and was previously involved in assisting on courses for 5 years prior to this. Jen loves exploring river environments with packrafts and has paddled whitewater all over the world. Thanks to her main profession as a secondary school teacher, Jen brings a high-level knowledge of teaching and education principles into her packrafting courses.
Jen is a Paddle Australia qualifed:
- Whitewater Instructor – Packraft
Various accolades include:
- Running whitewater workshops in Slovenia, New Zealand, France, Austria & Sweden
- Jen has also paddled in the USA, Norway, Austria, Germany, Switzerland as well as Bosnia and Croatia
- Numerous first descents of Tasmanian rivers in packrafts
- Jen loves multi day packrafting trips and has even packrafted the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, USA, as a 21-day trip.
Jen also has:
Wilderness First Aid SISSS00126
All three of us are incredibly passionate about passing on our love for river environments to others.
We want to help others to enjoy, respect, stay safe and be comfortable journeying down rivers.
Join us to master the skills, art and joy of whitewater packrafting!