Ty Smith

Ty Smith is a WMA International Assistant Instructor. He has spent a majority of his career as a whitewater expedition guide (predominantly rafting) and whitewater rescue instructor. During this time he has kept up his WFR certification and has found this training invaluable on a number of occasions. This real-life application of WMA skills was a big motivation in Ty’s path to teaching wilderness medicine. He has also taught in whitewater guide schools, university-level labs on atmosphere, weather and climate, and at an outdoor education and indigenous cultural centre for elementary school students. In short, he enjoys helping people learn new, fascinating and practical things in a wilderness setting.

Ty has a BScH and an MSc in Environmental Science, focusing on contaminants in rivers.

For several years Ty has guided on the Magpie and Ottawa-area rivers in Canada and then travelled to Chile and the Futaleufu River, completing a near-endless summer. During expeditions – and sometimes for fun – he plays mandolin, guitar, and sings – for ambience. When not on the river or instructing with WMA International, he resides at a water-access property on Georgian Bay, Ontario with his dog McCoy. Despite the near-constant proximity to water, he is a proficient but relatively reluctant swimmer.