Basic River Safety Tips for Whitewater Rafting

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.