Whitewater Rafting - How to Keep Your Rafting Trip Safe

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For some people, the thought of going on a white water rafting trip can conjure up images of Meryl Streep in "The River Wild," or Burt Reynolds in "Deliverance." Concerns about a raft flipping over, or the fear of falling out of the raft, can frighten some would-be vacationers, keeping them on dry land though millions of others are flocking to this increasingly well known adventure trip every single year. What are the genuine risks in whitewater rafting? And the genuine safety statistics? You might just be surprised.

Take into consideration, for example, the Lehigh River in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania ... 1 of the most well known whitewater vacation destinations in America. Guided whitewater rafting trips had been introduced there in 1975, by an outfit named Whitewater Challengers. These days, four specialist whitewater outfitters offer you day-to-day rafting trips on a lot more than 25 miles of whitewater rapids in the Lehigh Gorge State Park. More than the past three and a half decades, specialist whitewater rafting outfitters have hosted more than 3 million rafting visitors on far more than 25 million miles of guided whitewater rafting trips (the equivalent of going to the moon and back, 52 times!), racking up an impeccable safety record in the method.

In spite the lingering angst have about signing up for what some people still call an "extreme" sport, the truth is, a guided whitewater rafting trip down the Lehigh River is statistically safer than obtaining into your vehicle and driving there. There are numerous reasons that whitewater rafting outfitters can compile such exceptional safety records, including:

1. These are guided whitewater rafting trips. Expert whitewater rafting guides are with you all day. They know the river they know the hazards they know the most beneficial route by way of the whitewater they know how to aid you prevent mistakes and they know what to do if it looks like items may possibly commence to go wrong. For example, at Whitewater Challengers, guides obtain training in swift water rescue, Red Cross first aid (normal and advanced) and CPR. In addition, they accumulate thousands of hours on the river, becoming familiar with every single section of whitewater at each of dozens of numerous water levels. This is essential because two trips down the precise exact same section of river at numerous water levels can result in drastically several levels of excitement.

two. You're in a whitewater raft, not a canoe. If you try this sport in a whitewater canoe or whitewater kayak, and it is a complete unique ball game. Expert whitewater rafts are designed with two issues in mind: not tipping over and not puncturing. A correctly constructed commercial-grade whitewater raft will bounce off most boulders, and maintain a steady course in remarkably turbulent water. In most places, you can float through the whitewater rapids forwards, backwards or even sideways, and it's all just part of the enjoyable. If you do that in a canoe, a kayak, or a flimsy swimming pool raft, the results can be disappointing, to say the least.

three. You're wearing a whitewater PFD (individual flotation device). It is surprising how several many people who take the do-it-your self approach to whitewater rafting either fail to use the perfect kind of raft, or fail to wear a PFD. On commercially guided whitewater rafting trips, wearing a PFD is not an option it is a requirement. And if you so much as unbuckle the straps, the first rafting guide who notices it will be gently reminding you that putting your self at risk that way just "is not acceptable."

4. Teaching and training are component of the package. A guided whitewater rafting trip begins with what's known as a "Safety Speak." Your rafting guide goes more than all the basics: how to appropriately sit in the raft how to hold your paddle how to splash your friends safely how to support steer the raft how to float through whitewater if you take place to fall into the drink and most importantly, how to steer clear of falling in. There is also information and facts about rescue approaches that are used in the event you do get oneself in the river. Most safety talks are also sprinkled with time-tested river humor, and a dose of interesting details about the history, the geology, the flora and fauna of the river and its surroundings.

5. And finally, there is consistently medical training and supplies at the ready. In the unlikely event something does go wrong, whitewater rafting guides are trained in initial aid, CPR and swiftwater rescue, they have with them initially aid supplies if needed, and they are supported by a network of land-based Lehigh Gorge State Park officials who can support effect a rapid evacuation if needed.

With upwards of a hundred thousand people a year going whitewater rafting on the Lehigh River alone, and millions far more on hundreds of professionally outfitted whitewater rivers about the globe, it could be time to stop thinking of this as an "extreme" sport, particularly given that a significant percentage of those rafters are school groups, boy and girl scout troops, church youth groups, and households with young youngsters. The statistics tell the story. With the suitable gear, the suitable instruction, and the proper supervision, your time spent on a whitewater rafting trip can be the safest part of your day.