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Eric David is Vice President and Director of Operations at Drive a Boat Canada, an online boating safety school accredited by Transport Canada that allows Canadian boaters to get their Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) entirely online.
Since 2020, under Eric’s leadership, the platform has become one of Canada’s leading providers of PCOC courses and exams. Many boaters have looked to Drive a Boat Canada when obtaining their boating license.
Eric holds one firm belief: a well-trained boater is a safer boater. That’s why he built a tightly structured online format, where every module meets current federal requirements, to make boating incident prevention accessible to as many people as possible.
Role and Responsibilities at Drive a Boat Canada
As Vice President and Director of Operations, with more than five years of experience in the boating safety industry, Eric David holds several strategic responsibilities and roles:
- Regulatory compliance: ongoing monitoring of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, the Small Vessel Regulations, and the Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations.
- Educational oversight: a central role in designing, writing, and updating training modules, exam questions, and the boating safety manual.
- Official exam integrity: overseeing the testing process in accordance with Transport Canada requirements (50 questions, 75% passing grade).
Professional Background and Expertise
Eric David built his career at the intersection of business management and boating safety. He holds a degree in business administration and economics, and quickly moved into leadership roles, eventually becoming Vice President of an accredited boating safety course provider. His command of the regulatory framework is recognized by the industry’s leading authorities: he holds accreditations from Transport Canada as well as NASBLA.
- Degree in Business Administration and Economics, Elmira College (New York)
- Vice President of an accredited boating safety course provider
- Transport Canada accreditation
- NASBLA (National Association of State Boating Law Administrators) accreditation for the United States
Professional Affiliations and Recognition
Drive a Boat Canada relies on a network of partners and affiliations recognized throughout the boating industry:
- Partnership with Princecraft and Mercury Marine, two major names in recreational boating
- Collaboration with Power Boating Canada magazine
- Affiliation with the Outdoor Council of Canada
- Certification services offered to various school boards and organizations across the country
Commitment to Boating Safety in Canada
For Eric David, boating safety deserves more than a quick, surface-level course. That conviction was shaped by a defining personal experience. In 2019, while on vacation, he saw a man drowning in rough seas not far from the beach. Without hesitation, he dove in to try to save him, only to find himself caught in a rip current. For 45 minutes, he fought the waves to stay afloat before he was rescued. At the time, he had no basic knowledge of what to do in an emergency.
A year later, when he was offered the chance to put together a boating safety course, he seized the opportunity without hesitation, going so far as to title one of the course’s chapters “What to Do in an Emergency.” That experience still shapes his approach to the work today.
Every card issued carries a responsibility, both to Transport Canada and, above all, to the boater who will take the helm. His work rests on three principles: regulatory rigor, genuine accessibility, and a demanding balance between compliance and teaching. It’s this conviction, that a well-trained boater makes a real difference on the water for themselves, their passengers, and other users of Canada’s waterways, that has guided his decisions since 2020.
Social Profiles
You can follow Eric on LinkedIn or get a glimpse of his day-to-day as an entrepreneur on Instagram.