White Water Rafting &Ndash; An Attractive Activity

White water rafting is an extreme sport, but it is precisely this – its danger and adrenaline rush – that makes it such an attractive activity for most rafters. Experience is the best way to keep yourself safe, but if you’re just starting out, it will help you to gain some knowledge of the best tricks and techniques. There’s a lot of specific terminology that comes as standard with white water rafting practice, so it’s best to go armed with the basics.

A push stroke is the first stroke to learn. It is used to move the raft forward. Plant the blades in the water in front of you, position your hands near your chest then stretch your arms forward. To move backwards, plant the blades in the water behind you, stretch your arms forward then pull your hands toward you.

When you want to turn your raft around, here’s what you do. Start with both blades in the water, then push on one oar and then pull on the other. Do this simultaneously and the raft will turn towards the direction of the oar that is stroking backwards.

As you learn, you will also learn about the various dangers involved in rafting. When you are in the water, there may be rocks or debris around you that can damage the oars, so make sure you keep the blades tucked in against the side of the raft. You can tuck them in front of you or against the side of the stern to keep them safe from obstacles.

As you become more proficient, you will want to gain knowledge of some white water rafting tricks to help you along your way. ‘Punching’ is a useful way of building up momentum with minimal effort, so you conserve energy for more difficult manoeuvres. It involves paddling the raft to give it enough speed to push through the rushing water without hindrance. ‘High siding’ is a term used to describe the way that rafters clamber to the side of the raft that is highest in the air in order to prevent the raft from going sideways.

You will also inevitably encounter problems with capsizing. When this happens, small rafts that are not too loaded up with gear can be ‘knee flipped’. This involves the rafter holding the webbing on the underside of the raft and then lifting their body out of the water, leaning back to overturn the raft. Safety restored. But remember: showing off is best left to the experts.