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What is White Water Rafting ?
White water rafting is a kind of
adventure sports, which involves rowing a small raft through
different degrees of rough water. The term “white water” is used
to refer to rough water conditions, since water, which is
normally colorless, looks white in rough conditions. As like
many other adventure sport the main basic intention behind the
water-rafting endeavor is also to get a dose of adrenaline rush
and it is this adrenaline pump that makes the rafter return back
to the river and go through the experience again and again.
There is a marked difference in the kinds of rafts that are used
for water rafting and the ones we normally see around. These
rafts are actually inflatable boats, which consist of very
durable, multi-layered rubberized fabrics with a large number of
several independent air chambers. The lengths of these rafts
vary from place to place depending on the kind of terrain.
Some of the common terms which each
and every person involved with white water rafting must
understand are
Strainers: These are formed
when an object blocks the passage of larger entities but
continues to allow the flow of water below it. These strainers
can be very dangerous as the force of the running water will pin
the body to the strainer and the continuous flow of water will
pull it down under the water. There are many things that can
cause a strainer to occur which include storm grates on tunnels,
fallen trees on a river, bushes on the side of a river or broken
concrete structures in the water. Avoiding strainers is the best
bet to remain safe.
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Sweepers:
These are normally trees, which are heavily leaning over the
rivers although it is still rooted onto the shore and not fully
submerged as such. The trunks and branches can cause potential
obstruction while rafting through the river. They are not as
much a danger as strainers are but in very fast water conditions
it can be potentially hazardous to paddlers.
Holes: Holes or Stoppers as
it is normally referred to as is formed when water flows over an
object causing the surface water to flow back upstream towards
the object. As a result a twister like formation appears on the
surface of the water. Holes big enough can be particularly
dangerous for a person rowing is raft into it may become stuck
in the circulating water. Some times in rare instances the holes
aerate the water so much that it might loose the capacity to
keep a boat afloat. Holes normally are seen in occurrence in low
head dams and under water ledges. |
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Waves:
The biggest and the most constant challenge that a rafter faces
are the waves. Because of the curvy pattern of the river and the
rough river bed waves are not always exactly perpendicular to
the rivers current. This becomes a major issue with rafters as
side ways and diagonal waves can throw the craft off.
Pillows: Pillows or pressure
waves as it is commonly called is formed when a large flow of
water runs into a some sort of an obstruction as a result of
which the water piles up at the point of contact with the
obstruction. Pillows can be very dangerous as peddlers might be
swept underwater and get entrapped.
Eddies: Eddies are to white
water rafters what pit stops are to formula one drivers. Eddies
are calm water spots on a swirling river where the downward
movement of the water is arrested and is the best place to rest
during a tiring journey. However it can some times be risky too
as powerful eddies with swirling currents can flip boats around.
Undercut Rocks: they are the
biggest menace of all and have been the root cause of many
water-rafting accidents. Undercuts are normally visible in
rivers where the riverbed cuts through the sedimentary rocks
like limestone. Also the sidewalls of a canyon can also have
undercut rocks.
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White water rafting is one of the
most dangerous forms of adventurous sports with the probability
of an accident being the highest. Safety precautions should be
strictly adhered to, as even a small mistake can be very
harmful. During the early years of white water rafting accidents
was a common occurrence. But with the increase in expertise and
experience over the years rafting has now become a far safer
endeavor. A classic example of this change is rafting in the
Colorado River, which passes through the great canyon. In the
past there has been instances when the river had destroyed boats
completely with every member of the expedition getting killed.
But with time there has been such a drastic decrease in the
number of accidents that nowadays commercial outfitters run
expeditions hundreds of time each year without a single mishap
and that too with relatively untrained passengers. |
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Even though accidents have decreased
considerably risk in white water rafting still remains. The fact is
you can never be completely safe and a small improper behavior can
cause grave danger not only to you but also to your partners.
Another reason is the inconsistent nature of a river with dangers
like keeper hydraulics, strainers and dams causing unseen and
unpredictable dangers. This is why most customers are made to sign
waiver forms, which indicate the underlying danger involved with
rafting just before going on a commercial rafting expedition. Also
because of unpleasant history most of rivers have certain
restrictions on the annual and daily rafting times.
Rafting and the environment:
There have always been conflicts between environmentalist and
rafting operators since rafting operators intend to change the
composition of most riverbeds by blasting and dredging. This was
done mostly to decrease the inherent risk involved in rafting or to
make the ride a little more thrilling. Most of the time it is the
rafting operators who win the battle as tourism operations normally
bring a large amount of cash and help the economy in many ways.
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Article Contributed By: Pinakjit
Kakati
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