Rafting and white water rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk and the need for teamwork is often a part of the experience. This activity as a leisure sport has become popular since the 1950s, if not earlier, evolving from individuals paddling 10 feet (3.0 m) to 14 feet (4.3 m) rafts with double-bladed paddles or oars to multi-person rafts propelled by single-bladed paddles and steered by a person at the stern, or by the use of oars. Rafting on some sections of rivers is considered an extreme sport and can be fatal, while other sections are not so extreme or difficult. The International Rafting Federation often referred to as the IRF, is the worldwide body which oversees all aspects of the sport.
Classes of white water
Otherwise known as the International Scale of River Difficulty, below are the six grades of difficulty in white water rafting. They range from simple to very dangerous and potential death or serious injuries.
Class 1: Very small rough areas, might require slight maneuvering. (Skill level: Very basic)
Class 2: Some rough water, maybe some rocks, might require some maneuvering. (Skill level: Basic paddling skill)
Class 3: Small waves, maybe a small drop, but no considerable danger. May require significant maneuvering. (Skill level: Some experience in rafting)
Class 4: Whitewater, medium waves, maybe rocks, maybe a considerable drop, sharp maneuvers may be needed.(Skill level: Exceptional rafting experience)
Class 5: Whitewater, large waves, large volume, the possibility of large rocks and hazards, the possibility of a large drop, requires precise maneuvering. (Skill level: Full mastery of rafting)
Class 6: Class 6 rapids are considered to be so dangerous that they are effectively unnavigable on a reliably safe basis. Rafters can expect to encounter substantial whitewater, huge waves, huge rocks, and hazards, and/or substantial drops that will impart severe impacts beyond the structural capacities and impact ratings of almost all rafting equipment. Traversing a Class 6 rapid has a dramatically increased likelihood of ending in serious injury or death compared to lesser classes. (Skill level: Full mastery of rafting, and even then it may not be safe)
Techniques
Rafts in white water are very different vehicles than canoes or kayaks and have their own specific techniques to maneuver through whitewater obstacles. Examples of these techniques include.
- Punching– Rafts carry great momentum, and on rivers hydraulics that is dodged by canoes and kayaks are often punched by rafts. This involves the raft rower or rafting crew paddling the raft to give it enough speed to push through the hydraulic without getting stopped.
- High siding– If a raft is caught in a hydraulic it will often quickly go sideways. In order to stop the raft flipping on its inside edge, the rafters can climb to the side of the raft furthest downstream, which will also be the side of the raft highest in the air leading to its name. In this position, the rafters may be able to use the draw stroke to pull the raft out of the head.
- Low siding-– A maneuver sometimes used at LOW water to slide through a channel less than the size of the craft.
Capsizing
- Dump truck– Rafts are inherently stable craft because of their size and low center of mass, and often they will shed gear and passengers before they actually capsize. If a raft dumps some or all of its passengers but remains upright, it is said to have dump-trucked.
- Left over right or right over left – Rafts almost always flip side over side. If the left tube rises over the right tube, the draft is said to have flipped left over right and vice versa.
- Taco– If a raft is soft, or underinflated, it may taco, or reverse taco. Rafts are said to have taco if the middle of the raft buckles and the front of the raft touches or nearly touches the back of the raft. This is often a result of surfing in hydraulic or encountering boulders. A reverse taco is when the nose or stern of the raft is pulled down under water and buckles to touch the middle, back or nose of the raft.
- End over end– Occasionally rafts will flip end over end. This is usually after the draft has dump-trucked to lighten the load, allowing the water to overcome the weight of the boat, flipping it vertically before it lands upside down. Rafts will more often taco and turn sideways, making an end-over-end flip very rare in most drafts.
- Downstream flip– A raft capsizes after encountering an obstacle, such as a rock, a feature like a hydraulic, or even another raft. These objects are usually stationary or possibly surfing in a hydraulic. In this event, the raft becomes unstable and usually flips over downstream or in the direction of travel. A downstream flip may be exacerbated by a heavier load or more people in the raft. People may physically assist in the inertia of the flip by pulling the boat over on top of themselves.
- Back roller– A broad reversal such as that formed below a dam or ledge. Rafts can be particularly vulnerable to back rollers because they can quickly fill a raft and then push it down at the back. If there are snags at the bottom of the river, dumped rafters can be caught and drowned in the aerated and therefore less buoyant water.
- Dark-siding– A rafter climbing over a side tube as the raft flips. In swim beer rules, anyone who witnesses one of these owes the beer to the “successful dark-sider”. He or she may be responsible for any beer owed for the ensuing cleanup, depending on the region.
Source – Wikipedia
