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    <title>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</title>
    <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/list/send/21/</link>
    <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
    <language>EN</language>
    <pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:18:03 -0400</pubDate>
    <lastBuildDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:18:03 -0400</lastBuildDate>
    <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
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    <item>
      <title>Re: Quick Release Belt Question</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7339,8287/#msg-8287</link>
      <author>specialjay</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Hey, 

I'm a swiftwater rescue technician and paddler from the UK, quite simply the metal piece is threaded when the belt user is used as a belay/anchor and will NOT go in the water.

If you are on the end of a rope attached to your harness in the water you only use the plastic clip, it has enough strength to hold you against the force of water. And it can be released quickly and easily and won't jam. 

Get on a safety course to learn exactly what to do!!!

Jay]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7339,8287/#msg-8287</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:18:03 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Quick Release Belt Question</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7339,7723/#msg-7723</link>
      <author>mattmiskie</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Hi Johna and rob

I have and have used a rescue vest for about 6 years.  I recommend taking the ACA swiftwater rescue for recreational boaters.  This is an 18 hour training and covers the basics, including how to use this vest.  

Here is how the harness [ the quick release belt ] works.

 As you are wearing the vest and looking down to thread the harness, It threads through to the left side, then through two loops in the back, between which  a D ring lanyard can be attached.  Then it comes around to the right side, and back to the front.  This is where the metal piece is.  

This is the load bearing mechanism of the harness.  This provides the friction to hold the webbing in place under force. It works much like a bleay device such as an ATC or stitch plate.  

The plastic quick-release mechanism merely holds the webbing in the position required to make the belay device work, and keep the webbing from slipping out.

When you pull the quick release open, the angle that the webbing is being held at changes, thus releasing the load on the metal plate.

happy paddling]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7339,7723/#msg-7723</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:14:05 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: What is better than duct tape for fixing a kayak?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,4249,7704/#msg-7704</link>
      <author>Massey</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I have used wonder putty with much success. It is a 2 part epoxy putty, comes in a tube about the size of a roll of quarters, you can apply wet, made by loctite you can buy it for about 5 bucks @ wal-mart in the plumbing section.  Bonds like a mofo! Put some in your creeking kit. It is the bomb!]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,4249,7704/#msg-7704</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:33:41 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Quick Release Belt Question</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7339,7414/#msg-7414</link>
      <author>rob</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Since your post has been up for a week with no reply, I'll attempt to jump in on this answer. However, I do so with the disclaimer that I do not own a 'rescue PFD', have never used one, but have seen them once or twice. (In twenty years of boating, I have been fortunate that there have only been one or two instances where I may have actually been able to put one to good use.)

Anyway, as I understand (and recall) the 'quick release' situation on these . . .
The concern is that under HEAVY load, any plastic buckle or release might break or jam. If it breaks, you lose the whole thing to the river when you DIDN'T want or need to. If it jams, you CAN'T release yourself from the tethered object when you DO need to.

A belt without the metal piece might be 'sufficient' to pull a capsized boat to shore, under the most favorable of conditions. However, say you are in your boat doing the towing, and the tethered object or the rope gets hung up on something and is completely snagged. If the 'quick release' fails, you are now just as 'snagged' as the rope and the tethered object. If you can't get the release to work, you had better be able to get to your knife (you DO carry one if you carry a rope, right!?!) and you better be able to hold onto it and be able to get to the rope and be able to cut the rope, or you're dead meat.

A plastic buckle or plastic release can be impossible to release under the forces a strong current will exert upon them. The metal releases (usually something like a metal ring with a metal pin, through which the tether is connected) will not fail, and will be able to be released even under quite substantial load.

It's all about reducing the risk of the 'worst case scenario'. Other arrangements might work fine a substantial percentage of the time. But you don't want to take any more chances than you have to in that situation, and the metal releases are just that extra 'margin of safety' against the worst case scenario.

Hope that helps. Otherwise, write back, or someone else may (eventually) have something to add.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7339,7414/#msg-7414</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:40:30 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Quick Release Belt Question</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7339,7339/#msg-7339</link>
      <author>johna1</author>
      <description><![CDATA[First and foremost-you should get real on the water rescue training.  You can get yourself in real trouble by reading an article online and going out to the river and practicing what you think you've &quot;learned&quot;.

Having said that, I just picked up whitewater kayaking and haven't taken a rescue class yet.  I'm a certified rescue scuba diver, and have taken some other basic rescue/first aid courses.  Today I was in the shop looking at rescue pfds and noticed a metal piece that the belt was threaded through, just behind the plastic right hand quick release.  Asked a store clerk and he said it was because the plastic buckle could break under a heavy load without it.  Could someone explain to me how this works and when it needs to be used, I haven't seen this before, I've simply seen/used/been trained with a simple plastic belt release but they that was just carrying light loads (no live bait rescues, just hauling gear/dropping weight).  Would a belt without the metal piece be sufficient to pull a capsized boat to shore?

Thanks much]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7339,7339/#msg-7339</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:29:18 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Escaping a large hydraulic?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7185,7326/#msg-7326</link>
      <author>sandman2211</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Well, I've looked through about 100 accidents on the accident database and thought I'd share my findings for posterity.

It looks like the vast majority of the whitewater related fatalities I read about could have been avoided by observing one or all of the following guidelines:

1.  Wear your lifejacket and [b]make sure it fits properly[/b].
2.  Don't go alone.
3.  Secure anything (ropes, gear, straps, clothing) that could
entangle you during or after a flip.
4.  During life and death situations, being drunk is not a good idea.
5.  Stay away from strainers and logjams at all costs.

Also, being old, very young, or out of shape makes you a lot more likely to drown.  Of the people who were doing everything right but drowned anyway, most of them were under 15, over 55, or overweight.  If you fall into any of those categories, make sure you have a Type V lifejacket to keep your face out of water if you're unconscious and a buddy that can fish you out and get you breathing again.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7185,7326/#msg-7326</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:36:30 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Escaping a large hydraulic?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7185,7312/#msg-7312</link>
      <author>sandman2211</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Alright, thanks for the great advice!  I swam the hole in House Rock in the Grand Canyon at about 20,000 cfs and know what you mean about the long swim.  I don't think I was underwater for 200 yards though, probably only 50-60 but that was still the longest 20 seconds of my life.  What really stuck with me though is how completely helpless I felt in the power of all that water.  The cold didn't hit me until was out of the rapid but being in 48 degree water for 2 minutes really takes it out of you.

But that was with a commercial trip.  The guides are professionals and deal with that stuff all the time, so I didn't worry about drowning very much.  I've got 3 full canyon trips as a passenger in an oarboat and 1 Diamond-down trip as a rower, but that's about it as far as my experience goes.  We don't have any professionals or guides on this trip so I'm just trying to play it as safe as possible and prepare for everything I can.  It looks like Cataract will be down below 20,000 cfs by the time we hit the Big Drops next week so I'm not really that worried about it anymore.

My main worry was that hole on the right side at the bottom of Big Drop 2.  From my research I figured the most likely way for somebody to drown on my trip would be if their boat was sucked into that thing sideways.  From the videos on youtube, it looks like it gets bigger and meaner every spring than anything I've seen in the Grand Canyon.  The accident database (awesome resource, by the way) listed a couple deaths from it.  It looks like they were because of the cold, long swim and exhaustion, not from being held underwater by a hydraulic or obstruction though.  I'm in good physical shape and won't wear myself out trying to fight the river so I'm not too worried about that part.  Also according to NOAA the river should be down below 20,000 cfs by the time we hit it so I might actually get through right-side up.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7185,7312/#msg-7312</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:57:33 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Appalachian Wilderness Medicine Conference</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7297,7297/#msg-7297</link>
      <author>jditty</author>
      <description><![CDATA[The 2008 Appalachian Wilderness Medicine Conference is in Morgantown, WV Aug 8-10, hosted by WVU Department of Emergency Medicine and WV ACEP. There's lots of good information for paddlers, including wilderness CPR, shoulder reduction, drowning and hypothermia, splinting, etc. We'll also have a search and rescue course on Friday, simulated rescue scenarios and other practical skills workshops at Cooper's Rock State Park on Saturday, and a choice of cave rescue with the Mountaineer Area Rescue Group, or river rescue with Charley Walbridge, Eric Nies, and Adam Robbins on Sunday. 
Friday night we'll be showing some films from the National Paddling Film Festival. 

The upper Yough releases on Friday, Saturday, and Monday, and there's always the Lower Yough, Cheat, and ASCI nearby as well. (And if the rain keeps falling, maybe some others...) 

More information and online registration is available at: 
http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/em/Wilderness/Conference.asp 

If any questions, email jackditty@mac.com]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7297,7297/#msg-7297</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:56:09 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Escaping a large hydraulic?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7185,7273/#msg-7273</link>
      <author>pmartzen</author>
      <description><![CDATA[It is educational to read the actual accident reports from both Grand Canyon and Cataract Canyon.   Accidents are listed in a sidebar on the AW river pages.
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_114_
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_1842_

Cataract has claimed quite a few more lives, but the typical scenario is the same.   If the swim is long enough, people drown.   There is no mention in any of these real accidents of victims caught in pour overs.    Pour overs / holes initiate the problem by flipping rafts, then swimmers flush downstream.   If not rescued fairly quickly swimmers can get too tired out and/or become hypothermic and drown.    If you are in poor physical condition or are not wearing sufficient wetsuit or drysuit, you are in greater danger.  

However, the number of fatalities is tiny considering the number of people who float through these canyons.   It is likely that there are a few flips and swims in these canyons every single day, yet only a few people have died over many years.  

If you swim in high water there is really nothing you can do other than to ball up, relax and try to conserve oxygen.   You can flush a long ways before you pop to the surface again.   When you do come up, it may be for only a fraction of a second, before you go back under.   You have to get your breath in short unpredictable moments.  

I swam out the bottom of Lava once at around 35,000 cfs and I was underwater for a long time.   I am told, I reappeared about 200 yards below where I dissappeared.    So it does not need to be a hole to hold you under for a long time in big water.    

Typically most big water holes flush you deep and you pop up a long ways downstream.   If that is the end of the rapid you are fine but if you flush into more serious rapids you can just get too tired and cold to get air when you need it.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7185,7273/#msg-7273</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:53:35 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Escaping a large hydraulic?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7185,7271/#msg-7271</link>
      <author>rob</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Such hydraulics are generally rare (fortunately), but could occur in even relatively lower flow situations. Even a few hundred cfs going over a low-head dam, or in a narrow slot-canyon pourover into a deep, steep-walled cauldron could create a nasty hydraulic.

The longest time it could hold a swimmer? Well beyond what you could hold your breath. I've seen logs, volleyballs, basketballs, and all manner of debris recirculated for days in the backwash of low-head dams.

Yes, there [i]can[/i] be  undercuts in the riverbed (or logs, large branches, or whole trees stuck underwater in the area below the drop) which could snag you and hold you under. These are certainly rare (especially at such locations as form keeper hydraulics) but nonetheless not impossible.

What you can do as a swimmer? Well, I think it is well covered in one of the old William Nealy books (and no doubt other places). I don't have any of those at hand, but my recollection is something as follows:

Your first choice is trying to stay in your boat, working to one edge of the hole or the other to try to work your way out. Failing that, sometimes you can find a spot where perhaps the backwash is weaker and you can paddle your way out. Or perhaps dig in an edge (of the boat) or get the flow to take the bow or stern under to 'ender out'. Or if you intentionally (or unintentionally) flip, the fact that your entire weight is no longer in the boat, but is now providing some additional buoyancy (you and your PFD), sometimes that is enough to cause the boat to flush out of the hole. If not, it may help if (instead of tucking as tightly to the boat as possible, as in setting up to roll) you 'hang out', extending your body, your arms, and your paddle as deeply as possible, to catch the downstream-flowing water deeper in the river. There may have been some additional options, but they don't come to me now. Other than a totally 'last chance' option. Before going for the full 'wet exit', I've heard some folks propose that you might intentionally pop your skirt off the rim of the boat and let the boat fill with water while you remain firmly in the saddle. Again, the lack of buoyancy can be enough to let you flush out of the hydraulic. The 'plus' side is that you are still in your boat, with your paddle (so no 'yard sale' -- yet!) and (by some theory) you can try to paddle toward shore and save yourself or someone else the problem of having to fetch your gear (or the possibility that you may lose it completely). The downside is that you are in a boat full of water . . . well, half-full, if you have equipped your boat with float bags . . . either way, it will paddle like a slug! If you can't get to shore immediately, you are trying to paddle a full boat through whatever is downstream. Your boat full of water is floating so much lower, and is so much heavier, the likelihood of it catching on a rock and pinning is waaayy increased. Your maneuverability will be almost nil, so you will mostly end up where the river wants to take you. (I have never really considered this whole option as being anything remotely 'viable'. I'm curious if anyone has ever used it successfully, and what the scenario was which made it feasible.)

Failing any of the above . . . once you are out of your boat . . . first, the river may flush you out as soon as you exit the boat (since you now lack it's bouyancy). If it doesn't, the first tendency and option may be to try to swim out (either downstream, or to one side or the other) if you can keep your head above water enough to do so. Depending upon the situation (the nature of the hole, the geology of the river, the flow, the size of the river, etc) an option which should not be ignored may be as simple as to try to find bottom. If the river is not too deep, it may be possible to just stand up and walk out! (YES, I've actually done that! More than once! On relatively low-flow rivers, at a bedrock ledge or boulder/pourover.) In larger rivers, or rivers with large rocks or with sieves and undercuts, this may not be a good strategy, as there may be significant risk of becoming entrapped, entangled, or pinned under or between rocks or other stuff in the drop or downstream. I've heard of (or seen) places where it may be possible (if there is a considerable 'hollow' behind the face of the falls) to get 'behind the curtain' and walk/crawl, swim/clamor your way to shore. Or to get to a spot where you could push off (as a swimmer in a swimming pool, pushing off the wall to accelerate away from it) or dive-through the falls. Failing any of those, caught in a hydraulic which keeps recirculating you, generally trying to 'go deep' is recommended, to try to catch the downstream flowing water. Another strategy is 'making shapes'. Try 'balling up'. Try extending your arms and legs (together) straight. Try extending them out to the sides. Arch your body into a &quot;C&quot;. Stiffen up. Go limp. (Often holes flush the body after the victim has quit struggling.) Again, a last-ditch desperation measure I've heard proposed is taking off the PFD, hoping that the loss of that bouyancy may make the difference. I'm hard pressed to imagine that making enough of a difference, and having the presence of mind (and air supply remaining in my lungs) to try that (after trying everything else possible first!). And, the problem then is that (even if it does get you out of the hole) you are now completely exhausted and in the river without a PFD, and likely to drown anyway!

Well, again, these are RARE situations. If you boat high volume rivers, rivers in flood, class V-VI rivers, and so forth, maybe your odds of such a thing get a tad higher. But for most boaters, extremely few of these measures will ever have to be employed. There is never ONE RIGHT ANSWER. Rivers are almost infinitely different, as are water levels, rapids, falls, and hydraulics. What may be THE RIGHT thing to do one time and place may be completely WRONG another time (same place) or another place.

Good luck!]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7185,7271/#msg-7271</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:00:10 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Escaping a large hydraulic?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7185,7186/#msg-7186</link>
      <author>matt</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Well, I haven't been in the huge ones like what you're talking about; I've been in plenty of sticky holes, though (mostly in my boat, but sometimes not).
As for what a swimmer can do: one piece of advice, which actually works often, is to dive down. I know you want to get to the surface and breathe and stuff, but diving down gives you a chance to catch the downstream flow and surface several feet downstream, beyond the backwash.
I'm sure others have mo betta info.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7185,7186/#msg-7186</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:24:25 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Escaping a large hydraulic?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7185,7185/#msg-7185</link>
      <author>sandman2211</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I'm mostly worried about the kinds you'd run into in Cataract Canyon and Grand Canyon - large pourover types in the 20,000 - 40,000 cfs range.

What's the longest time a large hole can hold a swimmer?  Is it usually just a few circulations until you get shoved out the side, or can it be long enough to actually drown you?  Are there ever undercuts in the river bed that can snag you and hold you?

Is there anything you as a swimmer can do besides holding your breath and waiting it out?  

Thanks!]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,7185,7185/#msg-7185</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:37:40 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Minimum safety gear</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,472,7097/#msg-7097</link>
      <author>riverrat406</author>
      <description><![CDATA[dont put all your egs in one basket. its a pain in the @@@ to loose the groups only first aid kit or breakdown. Also hand paddles are a good alternitive to the break down. just be sure and pratice with them before you need them.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,472,7097/#msg-7097</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:16:16 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: The Best Safety Gear</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,290,7059/#msg-7059</link>
      <author>riverrat406</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Lotus designs was bought by patigonia and it would seem phased out. I was bumed for a while untill discoverd astral.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,290,7059/#msg-7059</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:16:02 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: What is better than duct tape for fixing a kayak?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,4249,7058/#msg-7058</link>
      <author>riverrat406</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Eric,
Gorilla Tape (they also make the glue) apply on the inside of the boat. The trick like anything is to get the area really dry before applying it. For this try drying with a towl than using rubbing alchool. I have never fixed a boat this way however a paddling buddy of mine used it on the futa last year.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,4249,7058/#msg-7058</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:12:36 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: What is better than duct tape for fixing a kayak?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,4249,6514/#msg-6514</link>
      <author>JimJanney</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Vinyl Mastic is the stuff you want.  

http://www.foxelectricsupply.com/content/products/ProductCatalog.asp?qscategoryId=26275

I broke my Jefe in BC the night before flying in for an overnighter and was given a patch of this stuff for the foot long crack.  The same boat has been going on the patches of this stuff for the last 9 months.  The only problem is that if you want to weld the crack properly later, the stuff's a bitch to get off (takes hours).  

Apply by cutting to proper length, heating slightly over the fire, and placing over crack on inside of the boat.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,4249,6514/#msg-6514</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 18 May 2008 23:43:58 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Minimum safety gear</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,472,5584/#msg-5584</link>
      <author>harveyking</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Interesting safety thread. A few things I would add to the top of the list:
1) if you paddle with other people a CPR mask is a smart addition to any kit, I carry mine in the front pocket of my PFD so that it is there when and if I need it. 
2) a throw bag that is on my body, easily the most overlooked piece of rescue gear. What if your raft is upside down? Your kayak downstream? your canoe rapped on a rock? ... and you on shore with no way to help anyone or to retrieve your boat.

The other stuff: Whistle, helmet, PFD, Knife, proper clothing, first aid kit, wrap kit, and survival kit should and could go along on every outing. Safety and preparedness are no accident.

Take a 3-day minimum river rescue course for the hands on experience, there's so much to do and go over, three days is barely ever enough. 

FRESHWATERS]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,472,5584/#msg-5584</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:50:44 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Minimum safety gear</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,472,5450/#msg-5450</link>
      <author>tglaser</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Even though I stay out of the Class III and above This is my minimum list.
1) A helmet because of the low branches on the trees.
2) My cell phone
3) A peice of rope and knife.
4) Water
5 ) PFD
and most important of all
6) somebody else]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,472,5450/#msg-5450</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:01:59 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: What is better than duct tape for fixing a kayak?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,4249,4297/#msg-4297</link>
      <author>ejdecker</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I use this in my profession.

It will stick anything together. You just have to make sure you have a dry surface. Wear gloves as the oil from your skin can cause problems. It is easy to cary, the dry factor is the only problem.

http://www.equilox.com/images/Products%202/2-oz-Tan.jpg]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,4249,4297/#msg-4297</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:20:32 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>What is better than duct tape for fixing a kayak?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,4249,4249/#msg-4249</link>
      <author>ericnnies</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Yo,
I am looking for info on repair tape, and specifically for the best tape to use to repair a cracked kayak. I've heard rumors about various tapes for different purposes: linoleum floor tape, truck tarp tape, swimming pool repair tape, RV repair tape.... Does anyone have any first-hand experience with anything like this?

Best (i.e., worst) places I've seen or had broken boats: Futaleufu, Ecuador, halfway down SF Merced, Day 3 on the Grand Canyon, put-in on Generation Gap (at the bottom of the hill).

Cheers, 
Eric Nies, AW safety chair.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,4249,4249/#msg-4249</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:01:42 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Videos</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,358,3853/#msg-3853</link>
      <author>pmartzen</author>
      <description><![CDATA[More videos showing different low head dam situations.  

Video of Creature Craft inflatable boat in different situations. The low head dam tests are at such low flows that the inflatable is never in any danger or risk.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH5FlZhVyfs&amp;NR=1

TV station video of of Low Head Dam rescue on DeMoine river.   Low enough flow that raft was not tumbled, but stayed upright and boaters survived till rescue.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05J_Xe7hkIs&amp;NR=1

TV station story about Boone Iowa dam, plus simulator demonstration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPaCXSwjLA4

Rescue 911 story about rescue by helicopter at low head dam.   Shows the difficulty of using a helicopter for this type of rescue, as well as the lack of other options for rescuers.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdcKZJylE98


Video showing a small low head dam in Milford CT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05J_Xe7hkIs&amp;NR=1]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,358,3853/#msg-3853</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:36:10 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Minimum safety gear</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,472,2693/#msg-2693</link>
      <author>rob</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Well, at this point I've got to comment . . . The [i]topic[/i] of this thread and the [i]content[/i] of this thread area really hitting a bit of a divergence. And, it is probably the stated topic which is perhaps slightly 'ill-chosen'. Strictly speaking, for a great many boaters and outings,  &quot;Minimum safety gear&quot; could hardly include all the things being suggested!

In the original post it was offered &quot;Is there a difference in what a kayaker, a canoer and a raft should have on board at all times?&quot; Obviously that would be true. (For rafters, at least framed or large rafts, 'flip lines' are MANDATORY safety gear, but ridiculous for all others.) More to the point, &quot;Minimum safety gear&quot; would vary far more depending upon WHERE and WHEN you are boating. How difficult a river, how remote a river, how long a river, under what water/weather conditions, . . .

&quot;Minimum safety gear&quot; for a summer outing on an in town park-and-play wave with the river running at 'normal' flows will obviously be quite different that for a cold weather/water, multi-day, exploratory expedition on a remote river with the possibility of rapidly changing flows. For the former, I might choose and need no more than an air matttress or inner tube and sneakers. If it's shallow I may wish to add knee pads, elbow pads, maybe shin guards, and a helmet. If there's more current and deeper water (and even if not) it may be best (though not mandatory in most states, since my 'craft' is not a 'boat') to have a PFD. Et cetera, et cetera.

&quot;Minimum safety gear&quot; is always 'something less than you have with you' if nothing goes awry. It is only 'something more than you have with you' if something goes awry and you are not successful in being able to deal with it.

So, the answers will range (relatively speaking) all over the place because the &quot;Minimum safety gear&quot; depends on so many other factors. You really have to look at each outing, each situation, and consider &quot;What is the WORST FEASIBLE FORSEEALBE SITUATION&quot; that could happen (with your group, your various craft, the river, the weather, ...), and if you are prepared for that, you have the &quot;Minimum safety gear&quot;. If something 'unforseeable' happens, your &quot;Minimum safety gear&quot; may or may not be enough.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,472,2693/#msg-2693</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:25:39 -0500</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Re: Minimum safety gear</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,472,2669/#msg-2669</link>
      <author>ericnnies</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Howdy,
Great thoughts all around. I would add some specific products that I really like, and that have saved my bacon.  (And no, I am not sponsored by Petzl, Campmor, Bic, or the space blanket people.)

Petzl e+Lite. This is a bright, inexpensive, waterproof headlamp that weighs one oz. and has a shelf life of 10 years. Buy one, toss it in your drybag, and forget about it. It will work when you need it.

Disposable piezo lighter (aka &quot;electronic lighter&quot;). These look like regular disposable lighters, but have no flint and no wheel to spin. Instead, you push a button, which produces a spark from a piezoelectric crystal. These work when wet--you can use it in the rain, with wet hands, even dunk it underwater. These cost about 4 bucks, or double the price of a regular lighter. And they are worth it. If you want to see one of these, go to www.bicworld.com and look at the electronic lighters. I bet that one quick mart in ten sells these things--when I see one, I buy one. Put it in a ziplock with some firestarter.

Space Blanket Bag. The bag version of the space blanket. 3 ft x 7 ft, weighs 4 oz, fits inside your roll of duct tape, and available for 10 bucks or less from Campmor, etc. I bet it makes a night out about 10-20 degrees warmer. For a rainsuit, put it on upside down with a hole cut for your face.

Cheers,
Eric Nies, AW Safety chair]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,472,2669/#msg-2669</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:47:04 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: When to blow your whistle?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,2302,2667/#msg-2667</link>
      <author>ericnnies</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Howdy,

The &quot;Safety First&quot; Journal from Mar/April 2007 article has my thoughts on this:

      &quot;And you gotta have a whistle, but please, do  not use it casually. Remember your three  basic  signals:  the  super-brief  chirp  (“I  need your attention, so stop picking your  nose”),  the  longer  single  toot  (“I  could  really  use  some  help,  so  get  moving”),  and the repeated mega-blast (“Somebody  is trying to die over here!”). Be warned:  every time you use your whistle, everyone  within earshot will stop and look to see  what  disaster  is  about  to  unfold,  and  everyone’s pulse will double. If there is no  disaster, everyone will be very mad at you  for scaring the hell out of them. &quot;

     I'm a bit glib here (hey, I'm trying to keep this entertaining) but I hope the point is made. Use your whistle when you REALLY need some help, or when there's no other way to get someone's attention. The short hard CHIRP is the signal I use the most often (&quot;look over here&quot;) and I use it rarely. 

     Jim Sindelar appropriately took me to task on one of my comments. He helped develop the AW safety code, so he deserves a good listen. The AW code has a picture of someone signaling for help, with the caption: &quot; Help/Emergency: Assist the signaler as quickly as possible. Give three long blasts on a police whistle while waving a paddle, helmet or life vest over your head.&quot; Jim reminded me that three toots is a fairly standard signal for help among outdoors enthusiasts, and more specific than just &quot;repeated mega-blasts.&quot; Three means emergency for hikers, hunters, fishermen, rescue staff, etc. So three it is, for real emergencies.

     On the Gauley, there are swims and there are swims. If I dumped a guest out of my raft somewhere bad, say above Shiprock (truly horrible undercut in the main flow, where drownings have occurred), I would definitely, repeatedly, enthusiastically blow 3 times. I'd want everyone within a mile of me to know that a potentially fatal swim was unfolding, and that help will be needed. If I dumped someone at Pillow (swum by thousands annually) I would probably just go get them, and I might &quot;CHIRP&quot; if I needed a hand or if a paddle was getting away.

     Long story short: Don't use your whistle unless you really need to. Use three loud, long blasts for real emergencies. This is the official signal. There is also some room for nuance, using the CHIRP or a bit more to get people's attention from time to time. This isn't codified anywhere, but is fairly common practice, and makes sense.

Cheers,
Eric Nies, AW Safety chair]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,2302,2667/#msg-2667</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:13:21 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: When to blow your whistle?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,2302,2397/#msg-2397</link>
      <author>pmartzen</author>
      <description><![CDATA[From the AW safety pages
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Wiki/do-op/id/safety:start

Help/Emergency: Assist the signaler as quickly as possible. Give three long blasts on a police whistle while waving a paddle, helmet or life vest over your head. If a whistle is not available, use the visual signal alone. A whistle is best carried on a lanyard attached to your life vest.
--------------------


In my opinion a whistle signal is especially important when a swim or emergency is unexpected and potential rescuers have not noticed it or would not otherwise notice it, and are needed for the rescue.   The whistle draws everybody's attention to the situation.    A whistle can be a lifesaver as it can be heard much further than just your shouting.   

A whistle signal is not so important or is not necessary in situations where the swim is not dangerous or unexpected, such as at a whitewater park, or where the rescuers are already aware of the swimmer.    

The three long blasts of the whistle do not mean &quot;swimmer&quot;, they mean, &quot;Help! Help! Help!&quot;     The people who respond to the signal have to visually determine what the emergency is and respond appropriately.  

A single whistle blast can mean a number of things, but basically just calls attention to the person blowing the whistle.  Once others look towards the whistler, hand signals can be used for further information.   Also when the lead boater goes over a drop and becomes invisible, a single whistle blast means they have made it through, are still upright, have not drowned and the next person can run the drop now.    


At the beginning of each river trip, you should discuss with your paddling partners what whistle signals to use and when.  Some people will not know what the signals mean and some people might have additional signals.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,2302,2397/#msg-2397</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:34:13 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>When to blow your whistle?</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,2302,2302/#msg-2302</link>
      <author>TheBlueMajestic</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I've been paddling for a few years now and have seen a good number of paddlers carrying safety whistles but until recently have not heard anyone use theirs.  The one time I have heard a safety whistle being used was on the upper Gauley when a nearby rafter took a swim.  A friend I was with made 3 quick blows on her whistle and started shouting “swimmer!”  It made perfect sense to me.  Blow your whistle, get the attention of the people around you, help the swimmer.  Since then, I have attached a whistle to my PFD and fortunately have not had the need to use it.  But this is where my confusion begins.  

I have seen a number of swims over the years and until my trip to the Gauley, have never heard a whistle.  It just may happen that no one around had a whistle, but when is necessary to use one?  The Ocoee is pretty tame (in my opinion) and sees a lot of traffic but every swim has the potential to go from bad to worse quickly.  Yet, I can’t recall a single instance where I have heard a whistle echoing through the Doldrums.  Should the safety whistle be reserved for the “hard” rivers?

What about at a whitewater park (such as the USNWC in Charlotte)?  Shouldn’t safety be practiced by the individual boater here as well?

Finally, what is universal number of blows for “swimmer?”  Do more blows signal a more severe situation (i.e. – one blow for “eyes over here,” two blows for “get your throw ropes ready,” and three blows for “call 911”)?]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,2302,2302/#msg-2302</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:04:48 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Rescuing an unconscious swimmer</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,1345,1548/#msg-1548</link>
      <author>pmartzen</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Rescuing unconscious swimmers would be something very good to practice occasionally.  You don't have much time to figure it out if it happens.

In 1998, my friend Walt drowned on Dinkey Creek, just upstream of where I and another were getting ready to portage.   When his body flushed free of the hole that drowned him it floated over a falls to us, recirculated briefly then floated across the pool towards the next drop.   We had seconds to react, but Bill Russell, upstream next to the falls, threw a rope perfectly along the path of the body.   I dove out, grabbed the rope and with in a stroke or so got Walt.   I did not have time to do any clipping or anything, but did not think about it either.    In retrospect, I might have been able to wrap the rope around his body and tie a knot or clip it or something.  That would really be worth practicing.  

Instead, I held the rope in one hand and my friend's body in the other.  The rope went taught immediately and that twisted my body and arm around.   I held his body in my left arm, I think and the rope in my right.   I was able to hold on, but my right arm ended up twisted behind me in a sort of hammer lock while I desperately held on.  

The rope swung us in, but not far enough to escape the current.   We were just feet away from an eddy, but the current was cranking on my arm and I could only hold him.   I couldn't get his face out of the water, and I couldn't look upstream to see what Bill was doing.   I have never asked Bill whether he could have gotten us in or whether he was stuck just trying to hold us.    I just remember looking at Walt with his head down in the water and thinking, &quot;This isn't doing him any good.&quot;   

I let go of the rope cause I couldn't feel any movement towards shore.   I swam like a one armed scared madman towards that eddy and watched it slowly slip past.  That was really scary, but on the other side of a boulder was one more eddy and we were close enough that I got into that one.    If I had not made that, I would have let go and swam for my own life.  

If I had wrapped the rope around him, under his arms I would have had both of my arms free and would have had more time to deal with things.   I might have been able to swim him in or swam in myself and help Bill pull him in.   Having the roped tied to the body would have given us more options at that point and made it a less dangerous situation.  I would not have had to worry about us both going over Cherry Bomb.     

Paul]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,1345,1548/#msg-1548</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:33:40 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Rescuing an unconscious swimmer</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,1345,1345/#msg-1345</link>
      <author>ericnnies</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Howdy all from the AW Safety Chair.

i wanted to start a thread on this topic. I have never had to rescue an unconscious swimmer. My discussions on this with others suggests, first, this is a frustratingly slow and difficult thing to do. 

Second, the ways to do this that work are:
1. pulling the swimmer into a raft
2. jumping in the water, getting hands on the victim, and either swimming the patient in solo or getting a tow or rope throw from shore. 
3. clipping to the swimmer with a PFD rescue tether and towing the victim

On this last point, Phil Dereimer shared a story with me--he clipped his tether into the victim's PFD at the shoulder in a pool below a rapid and towed him in.

I would be worried about pulling the PFD over the victim's head in turbulent whitewater with this shoulder clip. In calmer water, i could see this working pretty well. the victim's arms would tend to swing to the his sides and secure the PFD as you tow, rather than swinging overhead and letting the PFD slide off.

Other clip options:
clip to the victim's PFD rescue harness on the back. I could see clipping my tether biner to the victim's tow tether if he had one.

clip to a web belt if he has one. I think this would be solid, but it could create a lot of drag for the tow.

lasso the end of your tether and loop it around a wrist or around both ankles.

Please share your thoughts and stories. I plan to dig through the rescue archives and post any nuggets I find.

Cheers, Eric Nies]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,1345,1345/#msg-1345</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:58:44 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Graduate Thesis Help</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,1342,1342/#msg-1342</link>
      <author>PeteRideOB</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I am a graduate student looking for whitewater kayakers that have sustained an injury as a result of participation in whitewater kayaking and that have returned to whitewater kayaking following injury recovery.  If you are interested in participating in an interview, and helping me with my thesis please respond to this thread.

Thank you]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,1342,1342/#msg-1342</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:03:18 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Minimum safety gear</title>
      <link>http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,472,521/#msg-521</link>
      <author>mattmiskie</author>
      <description><![CDATA[kayakist1955 is right on the money  - know how and common sense are the single most important thing to take with you. Practicing  basic skills throughout the season is key as well.

The ACA SWR class is great and only takes up a weekend.  It is also worth repeating every couple years.


For folks who aren't EMT trained and can't take the time and expense for WFR there is a very good first aid class - -WFA wilderness first aid, that is offered by a couple of different organizations.  That is another weekend well spent, and does not cost an arm and a leg....good practicle information

happy paddling.]]></description>
      <category>General Whitewater Safety Discussion</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,472,521/#msg-521</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 May 2007 20:55:47 -0400</pubDate>
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