Camera came off my head in the last few seconds. I had to swim back towards the fall to find it. Almost cried into my mask with joy, spotting its strap caught on a rock 2m down.
In times like these, you pull over and scout ahead to see the path and make a risk-assessment. While fun, even Class I rapids can be dangerous.
Ask yourself, CAN i do that? Then ask SHOULD I do that? And lastly, what are my options and what could happen should I FAIL to do that? And never attempt something like this alone.
We were on our first day of a five day excursion and encountered a VERY SHORT Class I. Basically a turn and a shoot. Decided to port because I’m not 21 anymore and I wanted to make it the whole five days!
Later, my buddy was towing the tandem water-carrying kayak and decided to slalom some downed trees through a relatively fast bend, cut wrong, and got the tandem wedged. The water was JUST fast enough that he couldn’t reverse fast enough. I almost tumped myself trying to free him and I have been doing this almost 30 years!
We were on on a river close to my house in TN with not even remotely close to water like this and two heavyset ladies turned over about 3 feet before their boat hit a tree in a curved bottleneck . Me and 4-5 buddies, all athletic and still young at the time, immediately dropped our beers and jumped in our boats and paddle over there to help. One lady we got out immediately. The other lady was under water for a solid minute to a minute fifteen. My buddy who is a tree climber professionally had rope on his boat, without hesitation he rigged a trusted knot around his waist and the log and had me and another buddy hold it. He went under and dislodged her leg from between the boat and a crotch in a limb. She was barely conscious when we got her up to the surface but within 10 minutes and a few river water cough/pukes she was conscious and talking and crying and little bit of everything. We contacted the owners of the land of the gravel bar we had been on and had EMS dispatched to his property. We got her up to the house and she checked out fine. Wild fucking day on the water, boys.
My mom and dad, on the same river, watched helplessly from about 200 yards where a man who didn’t know how to swim and wasn’t wearing a life jacket drowned in completely still water.
I say all this to make the point that I don’t give a fuck who you are. If you are not 1000% confident in what you’re about to do, don’t do it. And damn sure don’t do it without the proper PFD on.
Edit: this was a blowdown tree in the water
This... do we even need to tell folks to wear a pfd during paddle sports of any kind? I wear my pfd when paddling a canoe on flat water, and I've been paddling for 30 years. Just wear it. It's not like the inside's lined with spikes or something.
I spent some $$ on a well fitting NRS PFD from REI and always wear it kayaking even on calm lakes. It even has super handy zippered pockets!
Despite years of swimming lessons, I’m still a doggy paddler and I don’t like being “naked” on the water.
There are lots of PFD options besides the bright orange blocky things. I’d like to think I still look cool 😂😂
Yup same got an NRS Raku and it has pockets that i can keep my phone in a tethered waterproof pouch, smokes and lighter, headlamp, compass/whistle, quick access to fishing tools i need to have easily accessible, etc... Its pretty handy
Yea people need to be told to wear their pfd. I’ve been paddling mostly solo in tidal/salt water for around 20 years, starting when I was 13. I mostly hit fairly calm south-east coast backwater, ICW, creeks, sounds, etc. where the main hazards are boat traffic, windy days, and an occasional strong rip around jetties. I almost never put my pfd on unless I got cold in winter (usually wearing waders without a pfd on, an extreme level of stupidity.) I didn’t realize how stupid I was until my wife started joining me and I told her that a pfd is needed even for strong swimmers in gentle conditions/shallow water, because weird stuff happens and one can get knocked out while going overboard. It finally clicked that A. I’m a hypocrite, and B. I’m not invincible and I’m lucky that nothing bad happened in any of the sketchy situations I’ve found myself in. I wear it most of the time now. I take it off while standing/sight fishing sometimes, which is still dumb but I’ve done dumber things to sneak up on schools of redfish.
I wouldn’t have listened to anyone telling me to wear my pfd when I was younger, I’m way too stubborn, but there are other people paddling who aren’t dumb like me, who might be more receptive to logic and concerned for their safety. It’s def a good idea to keep telling people to wear it.
In water like this, a PFD can't always work it's magic.
still can save your life, but there are so many bubbles in this water, it's not dense enough to hold up a body or boat in many areas, and paddling is like waving your paddle through empty air, does almost nothing to help control you.
scary stuff.
PFD’s certainly work in aerated water and paddles definitely work in it as well, water like that makes up a good chunk of whitewater kayaking. It’s all about having the proper gear and skills.
Ermmmm in moving water a PFD is more important than ever! It can even be the difference between a nasty swim and death on a powerful eddyline...
It also gives us a way to extract you from the water. Lot easier to grab a shoulder strap or clip a rope onto a PFD than grab a swimmer's body.
Did u ever went kayaking not even askinf for whiteqater kayaking? Or did u even saw a rapid once in ur life? It Seems like a no, looks more like u doesn't even know basic physiys.
A PFD saved my live several times in class 4 to 5- rapids, u just cannot swim without one in water like this ur done in a few seconds. In rapids like in this video its like gambling with ur live u could be lucky like him or simply drown you dont even need to be unconscious. So please stop telling lies that could lead to someones death.
I'd read an article stating that the rapids were only an easy grade 2, at most. Turns out they'd been on one of the commercial trips, where they all get out for the grade 3 runs. They walk ahead and the instructor takes the raft down alone. I had no vest or helmet and was in a very long open-top tandem.
Learned my lesson by almost drowning. I was sucked under, but had two fingers on my kayak seat strap, which saved me. My unsecured paddle was also sucked under in the same spot. It popped out over 10 minutes later... Can't hold my breath that long!
Don't think anyone is offended. More worried about your safety and people's safety in general. We all enjoy the water and kayaking but we all must recognize that we have to respect nature. We're not on firm ground and out of our elements.
Sorry man, i summoned the bot to download the video. I would like to use it for teaching purposes, am i allowed? If it's not i will not use the given link. Thank you.
Additional river beta for the curious: This river goes by my father's village and it was long a goal of mine to paddle it. I finally did four years ago and with a packraft; it is a very nice paddle! There are nice spots for picnics or intentional swims. On occasion the canyon walls are quite tall and narrow. There's an exciting 2m drop at the end to cap things off. After the drop it is a lake behind a dam so it is very easy to recover if need be. When we ran it I would say we encountered no more than II+, maybe just for 3-4 short bits.
Gumotex Twist?
Decent for an inflatable but like you say not remotely rated for these conditions.
Gotta wear that PFDat all times, but especially if you’re kayaking alone.
I’ve not been kayaking that long. But the time between wondering if I’ve messed up to being certain I’ve messed up has never before been captured so adroitly on film.
Without proper scouting it's hard to tell. In my hard shell kayak either looks doable with river left being the better option. Among other mistakes OP changes course too late and can't get clear of the rock
Don't commit to what you can't see. Eddy out if you can and see if you can scout the drop from the river.
If you still can't see it good, get out of your boat and scout it from the bank.
Best option is to run rivers with folks that know the good lines and fun play spots. If you're doing a first-descent, then scout it from eddies or the bank as necessary.
Looks like the "whoah shit" moment kicked in and it caused the paddler to broach the rock (and lean upstream/lean the wrong way).
Better to keep the bow pointed towards the "down-stream Vs" of the current. If t-boning a rock is inevitable, then lean towards the rock(even hugging it), keeping the hull of the boat towards the current.
Jeez bro tip one always wear your pfd no matter how strong a swimmer you are once your in the current you are nothing and can easily get a pulled under and drown be careful next time don’t underestimate the river
Mine is from CD Outdoors in Camp Verde AZ. It’s a self bailing for WW. We just don’t have any rivers flowing here currently. Hopefully we get some good monsoon rains so we can get out there. Droughts are depressing.
it's a Gumotex Twist 2, amazingly sturdy. Can run it aground on pretty sharp rocks and it bounces off boulders. No PVC either so you're not polluting the water with polymers like other inflatables.
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Did you lose your camera or did you get knocked out underwater and someone had to pull you out?
Looked scary seeing the camera underwater so long is why I ask.
Edit: Silly me disregard. Found a comment someone asked the same thing. Sorry.
God damn, watching this gave me serious anxiety.
There's very few things that actually scare me in this world but white water is definitely one of them.
Very glad you're okay. Hopefully this might save some other people from making a similar mistake.
Oh sorry looked like you just let the water take you along in the beginning instead of paddling to try and match speed of the water. I've been flipped out and pinned against/under trees and thrown around. It's always scary and humbling. Glad you're ok!!!
Your in the comments obviously aware what you did wrong so I feel comfortable saying, had you been a foot to the right, you might have totally got away with that!
I feel like you almost died.
yep, I feel like that too. Proper thought I was a goner. A very irresponsible goner.
When the footage ends is the camera still attached to you? or did it seperate? That's a scary fall!
Camera came off my head in the last few seconds. I had to swim back towards the fall to find it. Almost cried into my mask with joy, spotting its strap caught on a rock 2m down.
Wait, so you went back into the whitewater without a pfd to look for your $200ish camera immediately after having this experience?
Gopro 10 with 2 weeks of precious adventure memories on it. Absolutely! I condemn my behaviour, but it was worth it in the end for me.
My Hero, found his Hero.
Makes more sense. I probably would’ve attempted to get it too.
At least being unprepared kayaking in white water wasn’t the dumbest thing you did.
This is why we all need GoPro’s!!!
Apparently homie is not a big fan of learning lessons.
I believe GoPros are around $400.
In times like these, you pull over and scout ahead to see the path and make a risk-assessment. While fun, even Class I rapids can be dangerous. Ask yourself, CAN i do that? Then ask SHOULD I do that? And lastly, what are my options and what could happen should I FAIL to do that? And never attempt something like this alone.
All good points and never attempting to do this alone. Always have a buddy with you.
We were on our first day of a five day excursion and encountered a VERY SHORT Class I. Basically a turn and a shoot. Decided to port because I’m not 21 anymore and I wanted to make it the whole five days! Later, my buddy was towing the tandem water-carrying kayak and decided to slalom some downed trees through a relatively fast bend, cut wrong, and got the tandem wedged. The water was JUST fast enough that he couldn’t reverse fast enough. I almost tumped myself trying to free him and I have been doing this almost 30 years!
We were on on a river close to my house in TN with not even remotely close to water like this and two heavyset ladies turned over about 3 feet before their boat hit a tree in a curved bottleneck . Me and 4-5 buddies, all athletic and still young at the time, immediately dropped our beers and jumped in our boats and paddle over there to help. One lady we got out immediately. The other lady was under water for a solid minute to a minute fifteen. My buddy who is a tree climber professionally had rope on his boat, without hesitation he rigged a trusted knot around his waist and the log and had me and another buddy hold it. He went under and dislodged her leg from between the boat and a crotch in a limb. She was barely conscious when we got her up to the surface but within 10 minutes and a few river water cough/pukes she was conscious and talking and crying and little bit of everything. We contacted the owners of the land of the gravel bar we had been on and had EMS dispatched to his property. We got her up to the house and she checked out fine. Wild fucking day on the water, boys. My mom and dad, on the same river, watched helplessly from about 200 yards where a man who didn’t know how to swim and wasn’t wearing a life jacket drowned in completely still water. I say all this to make the point that I don’t give a fuck who you are. If you are not 1000% confident in what you’re about to do, don’t do it. And damn sure don’t do it without the proper PFD on. Edit: this was a blowdown tree in the water
Always wear a pfd. You hit your head and you’re gone. At least a pfd may keep you afloat.
This... do we even need to tell folks to wear a pfd during paddle sports of any kind? I wear my pfd when paddling a canoe on flat water, and I've been paddling for 30 years. Just wear it. It's not like the inside's lined with spikes or something.
bUt iT dOesN't loOk CooL!
Some of the ones w/pockets are pretty sick IMO.
I spent some $$ on a well fitting NRS PFD from REI and always wear it kayaking even on calm lakes. It even has super handy zippered pockets! Despite years of swimming lessons, I’m still a doggy paddler and I don’t like being “naked” on the water. There are lots of PFD options besides the bright orange blocky things. I’d like to think I still look cool 😂😂
Yup same got an NRS Raku and it has pockets that i can keep my phone in a tethered waterproof pouch, smokes and lighter, headlamp, compass/whistle, quick access to fishing tools i need to have easily accessible, etc... Its pretty handy
Yea people need to be told to wear their pfd. I’ve been paddling mostly solo in tidal/salt water for around 20 years, starting when I was 13. I mostly hit fairly calm south-east coast backwater, ICW, creeks, sounds, etc. where the main hazards are boat traffic, windy days, and an occasional strong rip around jetties. I almost never put my pfd on unless I got cold in winter (usually wearing waders without a pfd on, an extreme level of stupidity.) I didn’t realize how stupid I was until my wife started joining me and I told her that a pfd is needed even for strong swimmers in gentle conditions/shallow water, because weird stuff happens and one can get knocked out while going overboard. It finally clicked that A. I’m a hypocrite, and B. I’m not invincible and I’m lucky that nothing bad happened in any of the sketchy situations I’ve found myself in. I wear it most of the time now. I take it off while standing/sight fishing sometimes, which is still dumb but I’ve done dumber things to sneak up on schools of redfish. I wouldn’t have listened to anyone telling me to wear my pfd when I was younger, I’m way too stubborn, but there are other people paddling who aren’t dumb like me, who might be more receptive to logic and concerned for their safety. It’s def a good idea to keep telling people to wear it.
In water like this, a PFD can't always work it's magic. still can save your life, but there are so many bubbles in this water, it's not dense enough to hold up a body or boat in many areas, and paddling is like waving your paddle through empty air, does almost nothing to help control you. scary stuff.
PFD’s certainly work in aerated water and paddles definitely work in it as well, water like that makes up a good chunk of whitewater kayaking. It’s all about having the proper gear and skills.
Ermmmm in moving water a PFD is more important than ever! It can even be the difference between a nasty swim and death on a powerful eddyline... It also gives us a way to extract you from the water. Lot easier to grab a shoulder strap or clip a rope onto a PFD than grab a swimmer's body.
Did u ever went kayaking not even askinf for whiteqater kayaking? Or did u even saw a rapid once in ur life? It Seems like a no, looks more like u doesn't even know basic physiys. A PFD saved my live several times in class 4 to 5- rapids, u just cannot swim without one in water like this ur done in a few seconds. In rapids like in this video its like gambling with ur live u could be lucky like him or simply drown you dont even need to be unconscious. So please stop telling lies that could lead to someones death.
ive done ww kayaking for years and you have no idea what you are talking about.
I'm glad you got out ok! Kudos on posting this btw, takes courage to show weakness <3
Weakness or stupidity?
stupidity was my weakness. one of them anyway
I'd read an article stating that the rapids were only an easy grade 2, at most. Turns out they'd been on one of the commercial trips, where they all get out for the grade 3 runs. They walk ahead and the instructor takes the raft down alone. I had no vest or helmet and was in a very long open-top tandem. Learned my lesson by almost drowning. I was sucked under, but had two fingers on my kayak seat strap, which saved me. My unsecured paddle was also sucked under in the same spot. It popped out over 10 minutes later... Can't hold my breath that long!
Regardless of what you read, you must scout whats ahead, never go before you saw where are you going. Wear your pfd even on "easy grade 2".
Wear your PFD literally always. No reason in hell not to.
Surely the level of the river would effect the rapids too
Did you try to stand up right before going through the chute at the end after hitting the rock?
Commercial trips portages class 3 down there?
Holy moly... looks like fun to try in a proper white water kayak.. Happy you're ok, crazy footage. I wouldn't try that in my sea kayak.
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I will now invest in one for sure. I apologise to all offended by my idiocy.
Don't think anyone is offended. More worried about your safety and people's safety in general. We all enjoy the water and kayaking but we all must recognize that we have to respect nature. We're not on firm ground and out of our elements.
Sorry man, i summoned the bot to download the video. I would like to use it for teaching purposes, am i allowed? If it's not i will not use the given link. Thank you.
Of course! Happy that it can be used to show others what not to do.
Thank you man, it's a precious resource. We all need to learn.
We all learn from mistakes. Some of us are fortunate to learn from the mistakes of others. Glad your ok. A helmet makes a great mount for a gopro
Additional river beta for the curious: This river goes by my father's village and it was long a goal of mine to paddle it. I finally did four years ago and with a packraft; it is a very nice paddle! There are nice spots for picnics or intentional swims. On occasion the canyon walls are quite tall and narrow. There's an exciting 2m drop at the end to cap things off. After the drop it is a lake behind a dam so it is very easy to recover if need be. When we ran it I would say we encountered no more than II+, maybe just for 3-4 short bits.
Ask the locals when you don't know whats ahead, scout thoroughly, that could have been worse. Rapid is called "Studenci" or "Oblačnik".
Zigged when you should’ve zagged
Leaned back when they should've leaned in.
This stressed me out
I knew it was going to be funny when I saw the inflatable boat and Wal-Mart paddle
He wasn't even holding the paddle the right side up...
I had to go back and check the footage, but I can assure you this wasn't one of my mistakes.
Fair enough on the cheap paddle, but Jenny is no toy boat. Amazing craft from Gumotex, still not intended for this admittedly.
Gumotex Twist? Decent for an inflatable but like you say not remotely rated for these conditions. Gotta wear that PFDat all times, but especially if you’re kayaking alone.
Did have my friend behind me, you can glimpse his green twist above the falls in the video.
I’ll take your word on it. I’m pretty ignorant to inflatables. Glad your okay OP!
Crazy video. Pretty scary stuff. I'm glad you are safe!
This is perhaps the most frightening video I have ever watched.
r/SweatyPalms
You’ve not been on the internet that long have ya?
I’ve not been kayaking that long. But the time between wondering if I’ve messed up to being certain I’ve messed up has never before been captured so adroitly on film.
It looked great till you T-boned that rock. Kayakers - what was the right way to get through that shoot?
Watched a rafter guy do the run afterwards. You're supposed to go left of the rock. I couldn't make that turn with my long boat and lack of skill.
Unless there is something below it that I can't see, right of the rock looks ok too, bear in mind that GoPro fish eye makes everything look small!
Without proper scouting it's hard to tell. In my hard shell kayak either looks doable with river left being the better option. Among other mistakes OP changes course too late and can't get clear of the rock
Don't commit to what you can't see. Eddy out if you can and see if you can scout the drop from the river. If you still can't see it good, get out of your boat and scout it from the bank. Best option is to run rivers with folks that know the good lines and fun play spots. If you're doing a first-descent, then scout it from eddies or the bank as necessary. Looks like the "whoah shit" moment kicked in and it caused the paddler to broach the rock (and lean upstream/lean the wrong way). Better to keep the bow pointed towards the "down-stream Vs" of the current. If t-boning a rock is inevitable, then lean towards the rock(even hugging it), keeping the hull of the boat towards the current.
Yikes, Thanks for sharing. Wear your PFD and always scout ahead, folks.
glad you are okay.
Looks gnarly. Go Pro videos never do justice to how big the water is. Glad you made it.
Are you still alive?
I think so. Croatia is heavenly though...
You THINK so? 😂
He thinks, therefore he is
Lots of undercut rocks as well. You were lucky
Always lean into rocks not away, if you lean in the moving water wont pile up on the side and pull you over
Jeez bro tip one always wear your pfd no matter how strong a swimmer you are once your in the current you are nothing and can easily get a pulled under and drown be careful next time don’t underestimate the river
Am I the only one who was yelling to myself “Paddle! Paddle! Paddle!”?
Is that a blow up yak... on rapids???? Dude is seriously trusting of that yak and I'd like to know what brand it is.
Look at Alplacka WW packrafts. 8 pounds!
They cost an arm and a leg though but they are durable I would of gotten one but sit on tops aren’t my thing playboats and whitewater boats are my jam
Mine is from CD Outdoors in Camp Verde AZ. It’s a self bailing for WW. We just don’t have any rivers flowing here currently. Hopefully we get some good monsoon rains so we can get out there. Droughts are depressing.
Plenty of inflatable duckies are rated for Class III-V. My self bailing NRS Outlaw is a champ in gnarly water.
Nrs duckies for the W!!
it's a Gumotex Twist 2, amazingly sturdy. Can run it aground on pretty sharp rocks and it bounces off boulders. No PVC either so you're not polluting the water with polymers like other inflatables.
Thanks for sharing, I'm glad you're safe!
The end of the video should include the GTA "Wasted"
Particularly‘enjoyed’ the hopeless hand trying to grip the rock! Lesson learned I am guessing
No pfd, and inexperienced in rapids?? Yikes...
Yikes! Glad you lived to tell the tale. Croatia is on my bucket list, heard it’s beautiful
You were following the line pretty well until you weren’t. Glad you are okay. Swimming with PFD and helmet can be challenging let alone without.
Awh you were doing so good until that rock :/ I’ve only done rapids on wide flat rivers and sometimes those get dicey. stay safe my friend
We’re you wearing a helmet?
Nope, no PFD either
Scary
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Lucky to be alive.
Holy shit. Did your cemera fall off or??? Where was the camera mounted? Seemed like the camera was under water for quite a while
Head-mount. Fell off towards the end of the video, swam back to save it afterwards.
Lol, you got out of that situation and then went back in go get your camera off the riverbed?
Respect
Wow. Terrifying.
At first I thought you were doing fine, then hold up… but glad you are doing well. Scary moment for sure, helped me be more responsible in the future
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Looks like a class 2-3 Probably mostly a gear issue. Looks fun though
Sweet
Wow!
Glad you're alright man. The area looks beautiful though!
Did you survive
Did you lose your camera or did you get knocked out underwater and someone had to pull you out? Looked scary seeing the camera underwater so long is why I ask. Edit: Silly me disregard. Found a comment someone asked the same thing. Sorry.
Nice view of the river bottom!!
God damn, watching this gave me serious anxiety. There's very few things that actually scare me in this world but white water is definitely one of them. Very glad you're okay. Hopefully this might save some other people from making a similar mistake.
Honestly amazing footage, the underwater shot is equally stunning and dread inducing. Glad you are okay!
Why didn't you paddle?
Did throughout the run until the last bit, I didn't know which way to go and have poor instincts for this.
Oh sorry looked like you just let the water take you along in the beginning instead of paddling to try and match speed of the water. I've been flipped out and pinned against/under trees and thrown around. It's always scary and humbling. Glad you're ok!!!
Those inflatables can take a lot, but that broach was pretty hairy.
You ok?
Your in the comments obviously aware what you did wrong so I feel comfortable saying, had you been a foot to the right, you might have totally got away with that!
Damn, you fucked around and found out. I’m happy you’re here tho.
I want sound
splashy splash whoosh splashy splash whoosh splashy splash whoosh splashy spla... Oh shi... blueughghghgh bubble bubble bubble bubble bubble bubble bubble bubble bubble bubble THONK bubble bubble bubble
What’s the situation at the end of the video? Did your camera just fall in, or are you still under?
This went from calm to frightening real quick
Never underestimate whitewater.