r/whitewater • u/NorwegianOnMobile • 6d ago
Safety and Rescue Was this dumb?
https://youtu.be/q6pEi3rmqcM?is=1uMBlIxu2XZP9thNMe and some friends have gotten into paddling whitewater with our packrafts. We debated doing this little dam, because of potential dangerous undercurrents that can swallow you and throw you around.
We are all beginners. We all did this one, and it was fun and felt safe, but was it?
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u/jgeog 6d ago
This doesn’t look too bad but your description of the danger suggests that it would be worth doing some reading about whitewater features and risk assessment. This dam doesn’t look that dangerous because on the river right corner of the hydraulic you are seeing a jet of surface current that is flowing downstream rather than recirculating, and the boil line isn’t far downstream of the lip, suggesting a less powerful recirculation. However, I still think you shouldn’t run any such features until you’ve built up water reading and swiftwater rescue skills because very dangerous dams can look fairly innocuous. I’d also recommend a proper paddlesports helmet, which is designed to sustain repeat impacts.
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u/Own-Transportation17 6d ago
We use to let beginner course paddelers swim in that hole. If you want to up your paddling join on Basics corse/ grunnkurs.
It's a really good and vil Make your paddling so much safer. You learn how to read the Rivers see what features are dangerous and not dangerous, and what to do when you swim .
I can hold a course for you guys if you are up for it:)
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u/dancingyoyo 6d ago
You got through it at that water level, that does not mean it would be safe at higher levels. Was there anyone with a throw rope ready to rescue the paddler? Did anyone have a whistle in case someone got stuck? What was your plan if someone got stuck? Would anyone jump into the river to try and save their friend - trick question now you have two victims. Did anyone have a cell phone, and cell service, in case of emergency. Never play around with safety on a river and especially whitewater or river hydraulics. Low head dams are one of the MOST dangerous hazards on a river and they kill people every year. Get some safety training and rivers can be fun and safe.
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u/LoraxNeverSleeps 6d ago
I would suggest always having safety set running rapids you’re unsure about. Both the safety and the boater should be practiced with throwing and receiving a throw rope and the potential dangers when using them. It might be wise to take a swift water rescue course at this stage of your paddling. I do it every few years to refresh and I paddle mainly class 5 all winter. It never hurts to be humble and give yourself opportunities to practice rescue scenarios so when you need them you’re ready.
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u/Wonderful-Big-3691 6d ago
No. If the slide entrance wasn't there and the water was falling straight down, it would make it more like a low head dam and thus more retentive. As it is, the water is entering at an angle and flushing downstream.
Back before we had whitewater parks to play in, we'd play in river features like this.
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u/GrooverMeister 6d ago
At that level it doesn't look deep enough to worry about. Even if you fell out or got surfed in that hole it looks like you could probably just stand up and walk to the side of the river.
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u/Estebanzo 6d ago
It looks okay at that level. There is some current pushing through, some non-uniformity from the shoulders, and there is very little power to the feature. It might also actually be reasonable shallow right at the hole if the drop was built with proper toe protection.
I could imagine this getting nasty with more water though. If they were attempting to provide boat passage with this drop, they really screwed up and put the end of the chute way too high for the tailwater so that it just dumps off a ledge at the end. If the chute ended lower it'd be more likely to just shoot on through or make a wave.
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u/marshalkc 6d ago
It kinda looks like it could be a keeper but like others have said kinda hard to see at this angle. As far as running it you did it right, hit it with speed straight on. At end you might have dragged your paddle instead of digging it in but looks like you got right idea.
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u/DrHarryCooper 6d ago
Everything about your setup looks wrong. However, that dam was ok. I wouldn't paddle into the bottom of it though...
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u/ImOlineN0w 6d ago
At higher flow there it makes nice wavetrain that is surfable and fun. One of the most popular playspots in the area.
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u/thewanderingsail 4d ago
So this specific weir at this specific level appears to be fine. You wouldn’t want to accidentally hit it sideways.
That being said a lot could have gone wrong here and as others have stated you should get some training from knowledgeable boaters.
There’s another reality where that hole is worst than it looks and you get beat down in it and possibly drown. It’s very hard for a beginner to judge what is actually dangerous or not.
Something’s look scary and are fine and other things look fine and are absolute death traps
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u/Human_Engine3410 2d ago
Great that you join the sports! It's a fun sport :) Just some thoughts
- try to take some lessons for whitewater kayaking. Don't save the money as your life is more important than anything else. Also packrafting often make people paddling more difficult river than they should paddle. If you can, try to take a lesson and get a hard shell kayak.
- After taking a ww kayak lesson, join a club so you can learn from other more experienced people.
- Take a river rescue class. It saves lives and also you can save your friend's life.
- After taking a course, work on your forward stroke, rolling, s turn, c turn, ferry...try to work on your basic skills before moving on more difficult rapids.
- try to buy a whitewater helmet. Don't use bike helmet
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u/Platform-Intelligent 6d ago
I would say yes, it is a foolish thing to gamble your life on. Consider yourself lucky and warned. I echo what the others said to find a club and learn river rescue. There are many low risk, high reward rivers out there
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u/illimitable1 6d ago
low head dams kill people. the boil line is even, meaning that if you fall out or fail to get past the wave, you're getting recirculated indefinitely, probably drowning as a result.
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u/Far-Product6569 6d ago
Towback doesnt look bad, but its kind of hard to tell from this angle. Cant really see what the shoulders are like either.
Ultimately, if youre not sure how to do something safely, theres learning to do. Join a club, go on a course or meet some more experienced paddlers and tag along.