Watersports · Careers
How to build a watersports career in Nigeria
From the creeks of Epe to the Olympic Games: canoe, rowing, sailing and surfing paths, the jobs on Nigeria's waterways and the safety rules.
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Careers in watersports
Your road into watersports
Nigeria is a nation of water: the Niger and the Benue, the Lagos Lagoon, the creeks of the Niger Delta and more than 850 km of Atlantic coast. For centuries, children in riverine communities learned to paddle almost as soon as they could walk. Today that heritage is producing Olympians: Ayomide Bello, who grew up in Epe, became Nigeria's first female Olympic canoeist at Tokyo 2020.
This page is written for young Nigerians who love the water, and for the parents, teachers and coaches who guide them. It covers the competitive paths in canoe and kayak, rowing, sailing and surfing, and the careers on the water: coach, instructor, boat captain, marine engineer and event crew. Every fact was checked on 1 October 2026.
The honest truth first: very few Nigerians are paid to compete in watersports. Our athletes are mostly amateurs supported by their federation, their state and their families, and equipment is a real barrier. But the paths are now clearer than ever, and the jobs on Nigeria's waterways are growing.
Career facts · Checked 1 October 2026
Nigerian watersports in numbers
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4
African Games golds
Ayomide Bello in canoe sprint, Rabat 2019.
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3
Paris 2024 canoe places
Won by Nigeria at the 2023 African qualifiers in Abuja.
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70
Athletes at national trials
Canoe sprint, Abuja, March 2026.
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1932
Lagos Yacht Club founded
Sailing courses, even for complete beginners.
The pathway at a glance
Six stages from swimmer to Olympian
Ages are a guide, not a rule. Many paddlers start in their community long before they meet a coach.
Childhood
Learn to swim
Every watersport starts with swimming. Learn in a pool or a supervised class, and always wear a life jacket on boats.
Early teens
Join a club or community programme
Canoe groups in riverine communities, the Jabi Boat Club in Abuja, the Lagos Yacht Club or a surf school at Tarkwa Bay.
Teens
State and national competition
Race for your state and enter national trials, such as the canoe sprint trials held in Abuja in March 2026.
Late teens and up
National team and Africa
African championships and the African Games: Ayomide Bello won four canoe sprint golds at the 2019 African Games.
Adult
Olympic qualification
Win a place at continental qualifiers. In 2023 Nigeria won three Paris 2024 canoe places at the African qualifiers in Abuja.
Any age
Careers on the water
Coaching, instructing, boat operations, marine engineering and event crews keep Nigeria's waterways working.
Step by step
Seven steps to a watersports career
Follow these in order. Each step builds on the one before it.
Learn to swim, and respect the water
No watersport career is possible without strong swimming. Learn in a pool or with a qualified teacher, then practise in calm open water under supervision. Always wear a life jacket on boats: it is the law on Lagos ferries and boats, and the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) run safety campaigns every year.
Choose your water
Different watersports suit different people and places:
- Canoe and kayak sprint: Olympic racing on flat water, strongest in Epe, Ilaje and Arogbo and at Jabi Lake, Abuja.
- Rowing: Olympic racing with sliding seats; see our rowing section.
- Sailing: from the Lagos Yacht Club at Magazine Point and the Navy Sailing Club at Ojo.
- Surfing: at Tarkwa Bay and Lighthouse Beach, Lagos.
- Powerboats and jet skis: on the Lagos Lagoon, home of the 2025 E1 Lagos Grand Prix.
Our venues and clubs page shows where each one happens.
Join a club, school or community programme
A coach and a club turn a love of the water into a sport. The Jabi Boat Club in Abuja is home to the national canoe lane, the Admiral Porbeni Canoe and Kayak Lane, opened in 2018. The Lagos Yacht Club, founded in 1932, offers sailing courses and says many of its members came to the club with no prior training. At Tarkwa Bay, instructor Godpower Tamarakuro Pekipuma runs GP Surfing School and has taught dozens of local children to surf at no cost.
Race for your state and enter national trials
The Nigeria Rowing, Canoe and Sailing Federation (NRCSF) picks its athletes through competition. From 21 to 23 March 2026 about 70 athletes raced the national canoe sprint time trials in Abuja over 200 m, 500 m and 1,000 m, in internationally certified fibreglass boats for the first time. Top performers move into elite training for the road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Ask your state sports council or the federation when the next trials take place.
Earn your place on the national team
The national team races at African championships and the African Games. Ayomide Bello won four canoe sprint golds (C-1 and C-2 over 200 m and 500 m) at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, then raced at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics. In November 2023 Abuja hosted Africa's first continental canoe sprint Olympic qualifiers, where Nigeria won three Paris 2024 places.
If you live abroad, Nigeria can still be your team
Nigerians in the diaspora can also represent the country. Johnathan Akinyemi, born in Warrington, England, raced for Great Britain as a junior in 2006, represented Nigeria from 2007 and became Nigeria's first Olympic canoeist, racing canoe slalom at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Contact the federation early if you have Nigerian roots and race overseas.
Build a career on the water
Many of the best jobs in watersports are not as athletes. Nigeria's waterways need coaches, instructors, boat captains, deckhands, marine engineers and safety officers. In May 2026 LASWA and Interferry began an 18-month safety programme for 50 ferry professionals: captains, deckhands, marine engineers, safety officers and fleet managers. See the table of careers below.
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Pay
Making a living from watersports
Watersports in Nigeria are mostly amateur. We found no published salaries for Nigerian canoeists, rowers, sailors or surfers. These are the facts we could verify.
| What | What we could verify | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Athletes' pay | No reliable figure is published | SitesNG |
| Equipment | Tarkwa Bay surfers' boards are old and broken, and equipment is expensive, says the maker of the documentary Beyond Tarkwa Bay | Premium Times, January 2026 |
| Training for waterways jobs | LASWA and Interferry: an 18-month safety programme for 50 ferry professionals from May 2026 | Vanguard, May 2026 |
| Professional racing | No Nigerian pilot raced at the 2025 E1 Lagos GP; E1 has said it wants an African pilot in future | SitesNG |
How people actually earn: by teaching (surf, sailing and canoe lessons), by coaching clubs and state teams, by working on boats and ferries, and in marine jobs on the lagoon and the rivers. Top performers at the national canoe trials move into the federation's elite training programme. If you want to compete, keep studying or learn a trade alongside your training.
Beyond competing
Careers on Nigeria's waterways
Nigeria's lagoons, rivers and coast are a workplace for thousands of people. These careers connect directly to watersports.
| Career | How to start in Nigeria | Next level |
|---|---|---|
| Canoe, rowing or sailing coach | Help at your club, then ask the NRCSF and your state sports council about coaching courses. | State, national and international coaching qualifications. |
| Surf or sailing instructor | Learn the sport well, then assist at a surf school or the Lagos Yacht Club's courses. | Run your own school or camps for tourists and diaspora visitors. |
| Boat captain or deckhand | Start as crew on a licensed boat; LASWA runs safety training for ferry professionals. | Captain, fleet manager, safety officer. |
| Marine engineer | Study marine engineering; boats, ferries and race boats need technicians. | Chief engineer, race boat technician. |
| Event and race crew | Volunteer at regattas, the Lagos Yacht Club's races and big events like the E1 Lagos GP. | Event operations, water safety management. |
| Federation administrator | Volunteer with your state association and study sports management. | Federation and Olympic committee roles. |
Women in watersports
Girls and women on the water
Nigerian women have already made watersports history, and the doors are open.
- Ayomide Bello became Nigeria's first female Olympic canoeist at Tokyo 2020, then raced again at Paris 2024 with Beauty Otuedo, reaching the C-1 200 m quarter-final.
- The E1 electric powerboat championship, which raced in Lagos in October 2025, requires every team to field one female and one male pilot.
- Sailing and surfing are open to everyone, and clubs welcome beginners. If your family worries about safety, take them to meet the coach and see the life jackets and rescue boats.
Stay safe
Life jackets, weather and anti-doping
Water is the best playground and the most dangerous one. These rules protect you.
Rules that keep you safe on the water
- Life jacket, every time. It is the law on Lagos ferries and boats, and in 2025 the Federal Government donated 3,500 life jackets to LASWA.
- Never train alone. Paddle, sail and surf with a coach, a club or a buddy, and tell someone where you are going.
- Respect the season and the weather. LASWA and NIWA run extra safety campaigns in the “ember months” from September to December. A storm even delayed the 2025 E1 Lagos final.
- Use licensed boats and operators. Avoid overloaded boats and unlicensed operators on any waterway.
- Anti-doping applies to you. Canoe, rowing, sailing and surfing are Olympic sports under the World Anti-Doping Code, and Nigeria's National Anti-Doping Act, signed in 2025, created an independent National Anti-Doping Organisation. Check every medicine and supplement first.
Advice from the stars
What Nigerian watersports people want you to know
Every quote below was checked word for word against the outlet named under it. We add one practical lesson to each.
If there are coaches that stand by me and train me, I believe I am coming back with something.
Ayomide BelloNigeria's first female Olympic canoeist
Africanews, 27 November 2023The lesson: Find a coach who believes in you, and keep training.
Our target is not just to attend international competitions but to win medals for Nigeria.
Dr Akin OgunbiyiPresident, Nigeria Rowing, Canoe and Sailing Federation
Daily Trust, 25 March 2026The lesson: Trials are about medals, not just places: train to win.
I thought they were like Jesus Christ walking on top of water.
Godpower Tamarakuro PekipumaSurf instructor, GP Surfing School, Tarkwa Bay
The World, 27 March 2023The lesson: Something that looks impossible today can become your job tomorrow.
Ensuring the safety of everyone who journeys on our waterways is not just a duty, it is a calling.
Damilola EmmanuelGeneral Manager, Lagos State Waterways Authority
Vanguard, May 2026The lesson: Careers on the water start with taking safety seriously.
Your first move
Where to start this week
Whatever your age, you can start this week. Tick these off:
- If you cannot swim well yet, book swimming lessons first.
- Visit a club: the Jabi Boat Club, the Lagos Yacht Club or a surf school at Tarkwa Bay.
- Ask the Nigeria Rowing, Canoe and Sailing Federation or your state sports council about the next trials.
- Buy or borrow a proper life jacket, and wear it every time.
- Keep a training diary: sessions, times and distances.
- Keep up your schoolwork or a trade alongside training.
- Parents and coaches: contact the federations on our contact page about youth programmes.
Find the NRCSF, the Nigeria Surfing Federation and the Lagos Yacht Club on our watersports contact page, and see where to paddle, sail and surf on our venues and clubs page.
Keep exploring
Explore watersports in Nigeria
E1 Lagos Grand Prix
Africa's first electric powerboat race, October 2025.Read more
Venues and clubs
Where to paddle, sail and surf in Nigeria.Read more
History of watersports
War canoes, regattas and Olympic paddlers.Read more
Contact the federations
Canoe, sailing, surfing and the waterways authorities.Read more
Quick answers
Watersports careers in Nigeria: your questions
How do I become an Olympic canoeist in Nigeria?
Learn to swim, join a canoe club or community programme, and enter the national trials run by the Nigeria Rowing, Canoe and Sailing Federation. About 70 athletes raced the canoe sprint trials in Abuja in March 2026, with top performers moving into elite training for Los Angeles 2028.
Who are Nigeria's Olympic canoeists?
Johnathan Akinyemi raced canoe slalom at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Ayomide Bello became Nigeria's first female Olympic canoeist at Tokyo 2020 and raced again at Paris 2024 with Beauty Otuedo.
Where do Nigerian canoeists train?
At the Admiral Porbeni Canoe and Kayak Lane on Jabi Lake, Abuja, opened in 2018, and in riverine communities such as Epe, Ilaje and Arogbo.
Can I learn to sail in Lagos?
Yes. The Lagos Yacht Club at Magazine Point, founded in 1932, offers sailing courses and says many of its members joined with no prior training.
Can you make a living from watersports in Nigeria?
Few people are paid to compete. Most income comes from coaching, teaching surfing or sailing, and working on boats and ferries as captains, deckhands, marine engineers and safety officers.
Is surfing a sport in Nigeria?
Yes. The Nigeria Surfing Federation is based at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, and held a national competition at Tarkwa Bay in 2023. Tarkwa Bay surfers have also travelled to events in Liberia and training in Senegal.
Has a Nigerian raced in E1 powerboats?
Not yet. No Nigerian pilot raced at the 2025 E1 Lagos GP; E1 has said it wants to bring an African pilot into the championship in future.