Went out to the Savage River Dam Release. It was my PFD and the river was very busy. I tried to give the raft room, but it didn't go as planned. I ended up getting a mild concussion from impacting a rock with my helmet. Finished the 4 mile run, then started having concussion symptoms. Grateful for helmets. Keep you helmet straps tight and stay away from rafts!

I posted this to our local subreddit, but it did not get much love because how dangerous it looks, and how many people drown every year there. But these kayakers looked like pros (I think there were 4 of them) so I wanted to share here. To the kayakers, if you have your GoPro footage posted somewhere I would love to see it. Thanks, and stay safe!

100% self shuttled Middle Ocoee lap. The bike ride is mostly dirt and completely avoids 64 in the gorge. I restomodded a 1999 Litespeed Ocoee to use as transportation. I’m paddling an Alpacka Wolverine.

So I had this whole fun "snatch that bitch technique" descriptionbut after all the static y'all ruined the fun.

I expected a Slew of criticism (pun intended)

...but the overwhelming butthurt I'm receiving has prompted me to take the fun out of it and approach this directly.

.I got involved in the whitewater community in 2013, I trained and have been rafting professionally since 2017. I have my WFR, and I'm a swiftwater rescue level 4 technician. My profession has taken me all over the states, and internationally.

My girlfriend started her career on this river, and her mom has a place right down the road. This river was man altered, and designed to be deep with inconsequential swims. 50% of the commercial trips are trash trips where they literally flip the boat at every opportunity, yet there's only been 1 commercial death on this river, and it was not a drowning, it was a cardiac arrest.

As far as the monkey see, monkey do argument goes; should I be prohibited from practicing a skill at which I excel, because someone who does not posess the same skill and experience decides they're qualified to do what I've practiced for years? If the answer for you is yes, then please find the door, and enjoy your brave new world.

It's my birthday, a whole crew of whitewater professionals are on the bank with a proper medkit. I didn't invite anyone to paddle back into that surf because I knew it would be trashy.

I've lost many close friends, some of which were members of the whitewater community. Realizing my mortality and the brevity of life is why I feel obligated to enjoy my life and push myself to the limit of my abilities. If you don't share that sentiment I suppose I don't really care. I have a few philosophies, if you don't do it you won't get better, and the more you do it, the better you get. I'm not trying to lead sheep to slaughter so stop shaming me for enjoying my life while I can, I'm just trying to get trashed and have a good time on my birthday, so stfu and enjoy the footage.

It didnt last very long but god damn was it intense.

... I guess you could apply that to a few aspects of my life.

whitewater #rafting #surf #surfing #surfsup #cowabunga #cowabungaitis #rmr #rockymountainrafts #cloud9 #donttrythisathome #sendit #fullsend #Waterhouse #waterhouserafting

what a wild ride

Someone posted this on here last week but I can't find it anymore. Does anyone know where this is, and what the name of the fall is? (If it's yours and you want it taking down just say and I'll delete it.)

I'm tired of watching customers that were an inch away from rescue Just float down the middle of a rapid into the worst parts. Now I drill in a three-step process during the safety brief on what to do if you fall out of the boat and I make them repeat it to me before I push off and periodically before Big rapids.

1. Feet up

2. Find your exit (your boat, another boat, or shore)

3. SWIM!!! I tell them if they're not looking for an exit and or swimming within a second or two of falling out of the boat THEY ARE WRONG!

I also tell them an exit strategy for each major rapid. " Coming up next. We have Sunshine falls, exit strategy if you fall out it is stay right till the end of the rapid and then swim hard to either side immediately after the rapid. Do not remain in the middle after the rapid or you will continue into the next rapid".

"Coming up next is the narrows, notice the vertical walls on both sides. There is no shore, your only exit here is a boat. Stay away from the walls. There's a lot of jagged objects under the water. The walls are not your friend here."

I also go into greater detail of the three steps during the safety brief:

1. Feed up, the bottom of the river is not your friend, the deeper you dangle your body, the more rocks you're going to find and the greater the chance you'll get snagged and held under. If you're going to hit a rock, swing your feet around and push off of it (I do not tell them to lay on their backs with their feet out)

2. Find your exit: your boat, Another boat, even another company's boat or shore, for your convenience, shore is located on both sides of the river, go to the closer one.

3. SWIM! Nobody wants to get back in the boat more than you do, be proactive, the quicker you react, the less swimming you'll have to do. If you react fast enough, you might just grab onto the boat and we can pull you right back in. Don't know how to swim? Good news! Your life jacket will do all floating and keeping you above water so all you have to worry about is the going somewhere part of swimming, kick your feet, wave your arms. Do a doggy paddle, figure something out and be proactive at getting to your exit. The river doesn't care that you can't swim and I don't care you can't swim. Fake it till you make it.