Basic River Safety Tips for Whitewater Rafting

Series Summary

Rafting is one of the earliest forms of transportation and shipping in recorded history. The Ancient Egyptians used rafts on the Nile River to transport wheat and other food and resources. In 1842, the military began using rubber tubes to float and travel down rivers as they expanded America to the West. Now whitewater rafting has become an exciting outdoor sport especially popular in places like the Grand Canyon and Colorado. Because of the nature of whitewater rafting there are inherent dangers worth being aware of before taking a trip down the river. River rapids can be dangerous, so it is important to learn how the river works and get safety tips as you plan your whitewater rafting trip.

In this free video series, watch as expert river rafter Kevin McMillan teaches how to read rivers & safety tips for whitewater rafting. Learn how to organize a whitewater rafting trip, how to do paddle signals, different safety gear for whitewater rafting, how to read the river before rafting, how to swim in moving whitewater, how to pull someone in a raft, how to lean into obstacles, how to rescue rafters, how to bump a capsized raft to shore, and how to right a capsized raft. Whitewater rafting is great outdoor sport full of adventure, so watch these videos and learn how to be safe while having fun.

Video Transcript

"As a raft guide you have a responsibility to your crew to understand exactly what’s going to be out in front of you when you plan a trip to head downstream. You need to understand what sort of river features you are going to see and also come up with a plan of action to make your trip successful. There are guidebooks around that will help you understand the section of river that you are about to paddle. It’s a great idea to sort of review those guidebooks and have a good understanding of what’s out there. Also you need to understand moving water, uh white water, regardless of class, has a phenomenal amount of power and so there are areas of the river that look pretty calm and uh, and pretty harmless that actually have the ability to make your day complicated and potentially dangerous to yourself and your crew and so beyond understanding the river you also need to know that things change on the river all the time as well. Certain sections of the river that you’ve become quite familiar with, or quite comfortable can change also so you need to never relax too much and always keep your guard up. You need to remember that as a guide again, you’re responsible for your crew and they’re looking to you for their safety. And so, always have a heightened sense of awareness and an understanding of what you’re doing and where you’re going. "