{"id":2963,"date":"2019-10-24T15:48:59","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T14:48:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/?p=2963"},"modified":"2022-09-21T10:28:05","modified_gmt":"2022-09-21T09:28:05","slug":"white-water-rafting-what-to-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/white-water-rafting-what-to-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"White Water Rafting – What to Expect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In white-water rafting, participants guide and paddle a raft through whitewater, or a river’s rapids. Every site offers different challenges and grades of difficulty. There are so many great rivers and white water centres<\/a> in the UK and Ireland<\/a> that we would say white water rafting in the UK and Ireland has it all, including Olympic level white water parks, dam fed waterways and wild rivers where you can enjoy stunning scenery and share the water with the local wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are\ngrades of difficulty for White Water Rafting on the International\nGrading System, but use these only as a guide as some of the easiest\ngrades can prove more difficult in certain circumstances,\nparticularly if you just rock-up to any river you find and take your\nchances. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grade 1\n– 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving\nwater, unobstructed and without technical difficulties. There may be\nsmall waves and riffles to challenge the paddler. Most rivers are\ngrade 1 to 2 with the grade 2 elements delivering small waves and\nand stoppers and other minor obstructions to avoid. Eddies and\ncushion waves may be strong in certain areas. An example would be our\nMiddlesborough\nsite.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Grade 3\n– 4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waves,\nstoppers and technical difficulties are more severe. There may be\ndrops and powerful constrictions. The main distinguishing factor of\nGrade 3 water is that the paddler will have to follow a recognisable\nroute to avoid obstacles and hazards. Whereas in a grade 4 river, you\ncan expect severe waves, drops, stoppers and other obstructions,\npool-drop rapids to those with extended continuous rapids; so there\nis a huge variation in difficulty. An example would be our North\nWales river in Bala<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scotland\n<\/a>also has many rivers that fall into this\ncategory. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grade\n5+<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These are\nextremely difficult rapids with precise and technically demanding\nroutes to be followed. Stoppers, currents and waves will be powerful\nand would only be suitable for experienced rafters. These water\npowerhouse can be found in Wales<\/a>\nand Scotland.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Man-made\nsites don\u2019t have the wilderness or the mystery and the excitement\nof the unknown on a natural river, but they allow year-round white\nwater rafting in the UK and Ireland and give a predictable water\nflow, all the equipment, supervision and rescue services. Not to\nmention the fact than some sites have lovely hot showers and hot\ndrinks after you get out of the raft dripping wet and probably a bit\nchilly. These site are also a perfect place to learn how to raft.\nThere are several centres in the UK . One of these is Nottingham<\/a>\nand another is in Middlesborough<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It’s worth\nnoting that rivers on the UK’s East Coast require more technical\nexpertise than those on the West Coast, and have a greater number of\nboulders and rocks to navigate. West Coast rivers tend to have higher\nwater volume and steeper descents. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, now\nyou know the type of challenges you will face, you’ll need to know\nwhat to expect when you arrive at your chosen site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is\nthe Raft Like?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will\nbe in a self-bailing ‘paddle raft’, which takes four to eight people.\nThey are quick in the water and are suitable for any grade of river.\nYou are never a passenger because everyone is expected to paddle\nwhile a guide, positioned at the rear of the boat, shouts out\ninstructions, which you must follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Before\nyou Set Off<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your guide\nwill make sure you know how to paddle and will instruct you on ways\nto stay safe on the river. Your white water rafting experience can\nlast anything from two to four hours. Check the package you book.\nBefore you set off, you will be required to sign a release form and\nlisten to a safety talk before heading to your boat. Floatation\njackets are provided, as are helmets \u2013 you are required to wear\nboth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Out on\nthe Water <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once your\ngroup is on-board and afloat, your guide will instruct you on basic\npaddling techniques and give you a little time to practice before\nheading out on the river. While no one expects you to be an expert,\nyou need to need to learn the basic moves, such as the forward\nstroke, stern draw, and the forward and reverse sweeps. The forward\nstroke allows you and your fellow rafters to pilot the raft by going\nfaster or slower than the river current. Rafters on both sides of the\nboat need to develop a steady and synchronised rhythm, because if\none side are stronger than the other you will simply go round in\ncircles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What to\nWear<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always\ndress for the water rather than air temperature, since you’ll get\nwet. In the summer months, a bathing suit and secure, lightweight\nshoes will be fine. Wetsuits aren’t essential, but most venues will\nprovide or rent them. Because of the reflection from the water,\nsunscreen is a must.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\nNot to Bring into the Raft<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jewellery\nor watches, wallet or purse, car keys, mobile phone or a camera\nunless it is waterproof. Even if your camera is waterproof, you may\nlose it overboard. A Go Pro camera is the exception, but you must\nhave a helmet on which it can be securely attached or check with the\noperator as they may have a suitable helmet you can use. It makes\nsense to leave your valuables at home then you know they are safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image courtesy of CSG Raft Gear LTD<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve\nNever Done Anything Like this Before<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only\nprerequisites are that you are able to swim and are physically fit.\nProviding you are prepared to follow the guide’s instructions to the\nletter and observe and adhere to the safety briefing, then it’s all\ngood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can\nAnyone Take Part?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing you meet the physical and weight restrictions and are able to swim, then you’re fine. Participation by pregnant women is not recommended, however. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Do\nI Need To Bring With Me?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should\nbring swimwear and a towel. If you own a wetsuit and it is suitable\nfor rafting (i.e. long-legged) then bring that along too if you\nprefer to use your own suit. Also bring a warm outfit for after your\nsession as you may feel cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Geronigo\u00ae\n– A World of Activities in Your Pocket<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download the Geronigo\u00ae App<\/strong><\/a> onto your phone to ensure you have every adventure ready to hand anytime you want to liven up your life \u2013 because life and your phone should be full of adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By CJ<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are 18 sites for White Water Rafting in the UK and Ireland. We outline what to expect when you rock up for your first session and a few ‘white water river’ facts.
\n… Read More White Water Rafting – What to Expect<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[164,5,70,402],"tags":[774,771,773,409,772],"class_list":["post-2963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure-sports","category-group-activities","category-water-sports","category-white-water-rafting","tag-groupactivities","tag-raftingguide","tag-raftingintheuk","tag-white-water-rafting","tag-whitewater"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2963"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3722,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2963\/revisions\/3722"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}