When things go south

Everybody swims

"Everybody swims," which means all paddlers dump at some point, has been long said by whitewater paddlers to perhaps make the swimmers feel better, but also to remind those who are getting a little too confident that the river will eventually make everyone wet. 

The big message of this section is that when shit goes south, you've got work to do. This is not the kind of sport where you can throw up your hands when you fail. When things don't work out, you miss your line, you're heading sideways into rocks or you've been tossed into the water, there's no time for self pity—this is the moment you need to bring your game. The safety of your boat, yourself and your paddle partner depend on it. 

Preventing a pin situation

Occasionally canoes get hung up on rocks and the open end of the canoe gets filled with water and the canoe is stuck on the rock. This is known as a "pin." If the current is strong enough, the hull of the canoe will bend and wrap around the rock. It's an ugly situation that's best to avoid.

Navigate around the risk ahead of time.

• • Any situation where your canoe is moving downstream perpendicular to the shore with rocks around is a dangerous situation. Navigational decisions need to be made ahead of time to avoid this. This often means using a slideslip, rather than turning the canoe. If you are moving laterally down the river, you'll need to get out of that position fast. 

Don't over-turn

• Another cause for pins is turning too much to get around a rock. Canoes cannot turn instantly like a car, so if the canoe is turned hard to avoid a rock, for a moment it will continue its same trajectory but now at an angle more likely to cause a pin. To avoid this, try to "near miss" rocks. Overturning to avoid a rock can cause the pin.

• Sometimes this may mean taking a scrape on the canoe hull rather than putting the canoe into a pin position.

Escaping the rock

The shimmy. If the pinned boat is stable, try shimmying the boat with timed movements to slip the boat off, while still maintaining the lean. 

Tip the scales. Sometimes by making one end of the boat lighter, the imbalance will release the boat from from the rock. This can be done by one person scurrying within the boat and placing their body weight near the other paddler. In some cases, and if it is safe to do so, one paddler may need to jump out of the boat to lighten one end. With one end much higher, the boat may come off the rock as the current itself can push the canoe off the rock. Sometimes one paddler can get out onto the rock you are stuck on. Just be ready to jump away if the canoe starts to move towards you. You don't want to get steamrolled.

Wait. Sometimes the best you can do is hold the position with a solid lean onto the rock and call for help. Don't risk the gunwales going underwater.

Stopping a canoe wrap in action

Act fast! If the leaning was not enough and the water is coming in, take quick action to not let the pouring in become a pin. There is still plenty that you can do. Do not think, "Oh shit, we pinned it..." It's not over.

Tip the scales. Just like getting unstuck when still dry, as mentioned above, this can also be done by one person moving within the boat to the other end, jumping out altogether, and removing packs on one side of the canoe. Be careful whenever exiting a canoe in a rapid as a simple slip could mean a long swim.

Try to stop it from happening again right away. Actions will be needed to get the canoe out of a position where it will be pinned again. If it's safe to do so, hold on to the canoe's painter line and get to shore. Sit on the ground, hold the line, and let it pendulum to shore. If the canoe is still in rapids, it can be a lot of weight. Your second paddler may need to hold on to the straps of your life jacket to further anchor you as you hold on to the rope. Don't let it pull you in. Let go if it's too heavy. 

If a canoe pin happens

If all else fails and the canoe starts to wrap on the rock, get away from the canoe. Do not risk getting yourself pinned between the canoe and a rock. If you are in a safe position near the canoe, you may be able to grab some pieces of gear and get them to shore before they are washed downriver. 

If the canoe is fully wrapped, and all paddlers are safe, the rescue lead will start the process of unpinning the canoe. 

When you dump

"Everybody swims." Falling in is all part of the experience, but it can create an incredibly dangerous situation in some rapids. Here is what to do when it happens to you. 

1. Get away from the boat

Being pinned between a boat full of water and a rock would make for a bad day. You may be tempted to use the boat as a large flotation device, but don't do it. When submerged canoes hit rocks they can react unpredictably. Just stay away. Once you're out of the rapid and in flat water, it's ok to hang on to the canoe.

2. Defensively swim

If you're floating, get into the defensive swimming position as fast as you can. More on that in the next section.

3. Assess the situation

As you're defensively swimming, look around at the situation you're in and ask yourself the following:

3. • What level of danger am I in? 

   • What's coming next? Am I about to hit a rock, go over a ledge, get caught in a strainer, etc.?

   • How fast is the current?

   • How deep is the water? 

   • Is my paddle-partner ok?

     • Do I have line-of-sight to confirm that they are breathing? 

     • Are they struggling? 

     • Are they doing something unsafe like hanging on to the canoe?

       • If so, shout at them to stop.

   • Am I the first down the rapid? 

     • If you are the first, it may influence some of the gear recovery decisions you make. For instance, more experienced paddlers may try to either grab the painter on the boat and swim to shore, or attach a throw bag to the canoe. 

4. The clean up

You don't have to clean up all your shit. You might be feeling embarrassed if people are watching you and feel an obligation to clean up all your gear that's floating away, but don’t worry about the gear. Make sure you and your paddle partner get to shore safely. You are still in the risky situation and be mindful of that until you're out.

Paddles can be hard to spot on the river so, if you can, hang on to your paddle. Let everything else go while you're in a rapid. If there's no one yet to you to support, it may be helpful to track items that might be difficult for others to find when they get there. You may be able to support by shouting, "The barrel is downstream to the left!" 

Leave the canoe to be rescued by the assigned rescue boat. If you're out of the fast water and out of danger, you can grab the painter line and swim to shore, or hand the painter to the rescue canoe. It's difficult for a swimmer to move a submerged canoe by holding on to it.

You went for a swim

Remember, swimming in rapids is the riskiest part of whitewater canoeing. The previous section talked about what to do in that critical moment of falling in, but now let's talk about you being swept down the rest of the river. 

Defensive swimming

If the goal of offensive swimming is to get somewhere. The goal of defensive swimming is to float down the current in the safest way possible.

One of the scariest dangers in whitewater is a "foot entrapment". That's where someone's foot gets pinned between two rocks or in a crevice and due to the pressure of the current on their body, they can't pull their foot out. Fortunately, it's super easy to avoid foot entrapments, as well as reduce the general risk of getting banged up in a rapid. 

To defensively swim, put your frontside towards the sky, face down stream with your feet up, toes out of the water, and be ready to absorb and kick off impacts. (It's amazing that the difference between slaming your head into a rock or hitting it with the bottom of your feet.) Use your arms as paddles to steer but not to thrust forward. Most importantly though, keep your feet away from the bottom of the river. 

Some short rapids you can just defensively float out the rest of the rapid and get out when it calms. When you're swimming in a long rapid, that's less desirable. Start to cross and exit the current by angling your chest towards the shore or a large eddy. You can use your shoulders to create the same ferrying effect used in a canoe. 

You will be tempted to just stand up way too early. For novices, it's an instinct they must overcome. In flatwater, when we can see the bottom we naturally put our feet down and ground ourselves. Don't do that in moving water. Even as the water gets below your thigh, don't stand up until the current slows or you can see that it's safe (like a with a sandy bottom). 

On the first significant rapid that Tim ever ran, he dumped. (It was an unnecessary crossbow draw on corkscrew wave). Despite having read about keeping your feet up, just like you're doing now, he still instantly tried to stand up in the rapid and dinged the side of his knee on a rock. It was sore for a month. (He kept at it though and still paddles whitewater!). 

When the water is shallow and rocky, it’s extra important to try to keep your ass higher than your feet. Try to flatten yourself out on the surface so that your body catches on fewer rocks. 

Defensive swimming saves energy, which can drain quickly when swimming in rapids. Save it for when a burst of offensive-swimming is needed to get to shore. 

Offensive swimming

This is when you're swimming to get somewhere. Imagine you're defensively swimming along in a rapid and realize that there's a big ledge coming up. In this situation, the risk of swimming through the ledge is higher than the risk of bumping a knee or a rock. This is when you quickly spin into an aggressive Olympic front crawl stroke to break free from the current and get to shore. Just like when you're in the canoe, don't aim for where you want to go, aim upstream of if so that your body/hull will be angled properly so the current pushes you towards the shore. To exit a wide rapid, you may need to quickly switch between offensive and defensive swimming as the need to safely get around obstacles arises. 

Sometimes the border of an eddy, called the "eddy line" gives resistance, keeping paddlers from easily entering the eddy. Be ready to aggressively push through the line. Some even suggest rolling through the eddy line, but that seems a bit dramatic. 

Strategic Swimming

While in the water, your mind might be replaying what got you into the situation, but try to be present in the water at that moment—you have a lot to watch for. Watch for safe passages out of the current, and this doesn’t always mean to the shore. Watch for rocks ahead, and watch out for an exit. Sometimes the safest thing is to get into an eddy in the middle of the rapid and wait for help. 

Hazards for swimmers

Foot entrapment and avoidance

Foot entrapments, introduced above, happen when swimmers attempt to stand in the water and get their foot stuck. If the current is strong, it can push them forward with their face down in the water. This can result in drowning. This is perhaps the biggest danger to whitewater paddlers. Paddling while drinking, not wearing a PFD and flood situations do kill more, but when it comes to people doing what we do, foot entrapment is the scariest thing. 

The depth of the water is not the only concern. Even if the water is knee-high, fast water can still knock you over. As discussed above, foot entrapments are easily avoided with defensive swimming. 

But now let's talk about what to do if you do get entrapped. Your priority is to ensure you can breathe. If you are stable with your head above the water then assess how bad it is. If you can't pull your foot out without straining, then you need to get help. Don't risk spending your energy you need to stay standing or risk losing your balance and putting yourself in a much more critical situation. Whistle for help. 

If you wait in a position with your head out of the water, you'll be fine. Try not to panic. There are a variety of things that trained rescuers on your team can do to help you. Stay calm, keep your head out of the water and wait. 

Once your foot is free, if you are in a situation where you can't go back to defensive swimming and must wade through fast-moving water, there are safer strategies to do this which your rescue lead can show you in the moment. Listen to them. 

Large wave trains

Large wave trains are pretty fun and don't have any obstacles in them, but they also have risk when swimming through them. Your head may not go up and over the peak of each wave meaning your face cuts through the top. It's important to time your breathing for the troughs of the wave so you're not accidentally taking in mouthfuls of water. "Flush drowning" is when a victim breathes in too much water, isn't getting enough oxygen to the lungs and they pass out and then drown.¹ Ride out the wave train with defensive swimming and save your energy for a burst of offensive swimming when needed.

Going over a ledge

If you are pulled down a large ledge, pull your legs up and grab your knees. Go down as a ball so that your legs do not get entrapped on rocks at the bottom.

Recirculating holes

Sometimes rock features on the bottom of the river create a cycling backwash or a hydraulic that doesn’t release swimmers. 

Try to get as deep as you can and go under the surface of the water where the backwash is happening. The water lower down is released downstream. Once low, bundle yourself up as a tight ball to avoid foot entrapments at the bottom of the river in a hole.

Strainers and sweepers

Strainers are obstacles in moving water that water can pass through but paddlers can’t. Sweepers is the term for trees that hang into the water but the main trunk and large branches are not in the water.

Strainers might tie foot entrapments for the most dangerous thing on a river. They are both things that can pin you underwater. You don't want that. 

Trees fall into the water because the fast current has eroded the soil beneath them. This means that trees will always fall exactly where the fastest current is, and that’s exactly where the water will take a swimmer. 

If you are swimming towards a strainer, this is one time when you can put your feet down just before you get to the strainer and aggressively lunge torso onto the trunk of the tree. The idea is to get the bulk of your body weight above the trunk to avoid being sucked down under it and becoming stuck. This is a situation that might not seem so scary if you're not famliar with strainers. Some might even see them as a fortunate way out of the river. Since the friendly tree can kill you, do whatever you can to scramble above the trunk and pull yourself up so that your head is securely above water.

If it’s a sweeper with no trunk in the water, put one shoulder downstream to make yourself thinner and keep your body in line with the current and tight to reduce the chances of contact with branches. As you pass, safety is all a matter of avoiding being snagged on a branch. They too could awkwardly keep your head underwater. 

If you’re snagged on a branch

One particularly dangerous possibility is a bit of your PFD, clothing, or any worn gear getting caught on a branch. If your head is kept underwater, it's then life or death—reach for your river knife and cut whatever it is off. Your clothing, your PDF, a throw bag your wearing, whatever it is. Hold onto the knife tightly so the strong current doesn’t wash it out of your hand.

Get used to the location of your river knife on your PDF and practice grabbing it with your eyes closed so you'll be ready to grab and use it quickly while pinned upside down underwater in a strong current.

Wait for help

If you are stable in your strainer or sweeper and can breathe, avoid spending too much energy fighting to get out. Call for help and rescuers can assess the situation and get you out. Some people drown only because they wore themselves out trying to self-rescue rather than waiting for help.

How to be a good victim

"Victim" is of course just the term we use for people in need of rescue. If you find yourself unintentionally in the water, here's a few things you should consider: 

1. If you're ok when you fall in, make eye contact with your crew and give them a tap tap on your helmet to tell them you're ok. If you're not ok, don't try to tough it out unnecessarily. Ask for help with the three whistle blow. Don't make things worse to save face.

2. If you specifically want a throw rope thrown to you, call for a rope by just yelling, "Rope!" Don't spend unnecessary time on a long swim just to avoid getting someone to pack up their throw bag for you. 

3. When receiving a throw bag, just grab a hold and pendulum to the shore. Don't try to hand over climb up the rope to get to shore. If there's a danger that you could pendulum into, your rescuers should be on top of that. You just focus on hanging on to the rope. Unless they screwed it all up and are putting you in great danger. Then let go. :) 

4. Take care of yourself when you get to shore. It's ok to take a few minutes to recoup from the swim or let your heart settle. Catch your breath and make sure everything is ok. If you're cold, take the extra time to get changed into the dry clothes you brought. Don't press on because you feel that everyone is waiting for you. 

Tim once swamped a canoe on an arctic watershed river. With a particularly tall person in the bow, the canoe did not bounce on top of any of the waves in a long and large wave train. The hull sliced through each wave and the splashes over the gunwale eventually swamped the canoe. After crawling out of the water on a large sheet of ice, he quickly collected firewood and set a pile on fire with camp fuel. While other boats were making their way to the small island half covered in ice to support, Tim continued to gather firewood as if to settle in for the night rather than get warm and changes his clothes. Others had to point out to him that he's shivering and should change. For some, the desire to not be a burden is powerful. But when you're health is at risk, stop, let others take up the slack and take care of yourself.