8 Rafting Safety Tips – Every Rafter Must Follow
White Water Rafting, as a sport, is gaining popularity day by day perhaps because of the thrills, it provides. The rivers in the Himalayan region are perfect for white water rafting due to the gradient and many staircase rapids that these rivers hold. However, rafting can be quite tricky and you need to take precautions so as to prevent any form of tragedy. In this article, we provide the 8 rafting safety tips, that every rafter must keep in their mind.
1. Proper fittings:
You need to choose proper equipment. While shopping ask questions about the equipment you will be using. Ask the owners, how long have they been in this business and if the equipment carry any guarantees? It is always a good habit to carry sunscreen.
2. Wear a life jacket or other personal flotation devices (PFD) properly:
You need to wear proper floatation devices. Make sure your life jacket fits snug to your body. You should be comfortable with it, but make sure that there are no chances of your life jacket being pulled up over your head.
3. Wear helmet:
Do not be over confident, always wear helmet period. No excuses. You will never know, when it will come handy.
4. Hold paddle Properly:
It is very important to handle your paddle properly. One of your hand needs to be at the base of a paddle while the other hand must be holding the end of the shaft over the “T” grip. This will help to cushion any accidental blows to your eye or teeth by the T-grip of the paddle, should they occur.
5. Position yourself properly on the raft:
You need to properly balance yourself in the raft. Most of the times, you should stay at the outer rim of the raft for balance, with your feet placed lightly under the air tube.
6. Get ready to swim, if in trouble:
Even with best precautions, you may find yourself in the water so if you know how to swim, be ready to swim. Always look for guide’s cues in case you fall into the water.
7. Paddle together:
Rafting is a group effort, do not try on paddling harder but work together as a team for smooth unison paddling. Front rafters need to watch each other and maintain the sync while everyone else has to follow their leads.
8. Follow your guide:
This is the most important one. Your guide will always know better than you. They know the rivers that they run. They will tell you how and when to paddle, where to swim in case you fall out. So remain alert and always keep an ear open for your guide's instructions.
If you follow these advices, you will certainly be safer. Nepal River Runner has been conducting white water rafting safely for several years. If you want to raft safely in white waters of Nepal, you can contact us at
info@nepalriverrunner.com .
