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Rescue certs or not?

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Rescue for Class V Boaters

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class v
5K views 18 replies 17 participants last post by  J 
#1 ·
Just curious, how many of you class V boaters have taken swiftwater rescue courses from ACA or rescue 3. I ask because i am curious to know if everyone has gone through these standards or if people just rely on their buddies' abilities and knowledge, etc and what you guys think needs improvement and what worked. I have taken quite a few myself (both rq3 and aca) and wanted to know what other people were doing.
Any feedback would be killer

thanks
pauley
 
#2 ·
i should take a class, and i know it, im gonna paddle more class V this season, im stil lnot convinced that ive run -real class V- but ive been on some such rated runs, more class V for the distance from help than for the difficulty/consequence of the rapids, and ive relied on general ingenuity for safety (having a sub standard but better than nothing pin kit). i should take a rescue class next year, its so expensive, i want to take the class from someone who i think really deserves the money and im looking forward to some fresh methodology on rescue, same with aca, i dont expect to learn that much, its so expensive, i want to take the class from someone who is a real -old- school paddler.
 
#3 ·
I have taken both as well.

Generally a rescue class is useful since you will probably learn or practice something you haven't before. Its hard to gather up your posse to practice unless you are in a 'real' situation and thats not good.

videos don't hurt either. i like to show whitewater self defense swim chapter to upper animas clients - that way they hear it from me and they see it in a video and its not just my opinion - its industry standard so to speak (cover your ass).

one more thing. the most valuable training i got was in 'real' situations - but its best to work up to that.
 
#4 ·
DSI

Although it is not a full two day class, Dagger kayaks will be offering a few FREE one day introduction to swiftwater classes across the country this summer. Everyone that paddles should take a course on safety. The idea of our one day Dagger Safety Initiative or D.S.I is to teach basic river safety, use of a throw bad, and a simple Z Drag set up. We also encourage people all day to take a two day course and make them realize how much there is to know. We know this course is not the answer but rather a wake up call to the dangers. Our hope is to get more whitewater users to get eductaed and hopefully get them to maintain their safety knowledge.
I will post the dates as I have them secured. We did the course this fall in Vail and it was a huge hit. Stay tuned to www.teamdagger.com for details.

hobie
Dagger Kayaks
 
#7 ·
I'll give a plug to Mike Mathers. I have NOT taken a course from him, but my friends who have say GREAT things.

I took a good course a few years back from CKS. Thought I wouldn't get much from it because I thought it would just be rope-work and I have a deep climbing background, but I learned a lot. . .and unfortunately I've had a lot of occasions to use it, too, mostly not on class V water either. Any river/creek with terminal hydraulics, pin rocks, and strainers is applicable.

From what I've heard, the thing that separates a course like Mike's from the rest is that it's geared more towards kayaking and it covers fast, quick techniques that save lives.

One major thing that I don't think can be stressed enough is how fast things happen and ways to make good decisions when dealing with that. Furthermore, my memory is fuzzy here, but I don't recall a lot of conversation in my class about things to cover with the group before putting on the water (hand signals, escape points/evac plan, who's carrying what gear, etc.). More information from expert boaters about attack plans would be useful to the community. AW has some good articles on occasion (Tim Kelly, Charlie Walbridge) and on colorado kayaking dot com Nick Wigston wrote a really good article about a year ago, too.

That said, I'd like to take a course from Mike before the season starts. Mike, if you're out there, are you scheduling anything already for this spring? Can you PM me if so?
 
#8 ·
Class V Swiftwater Rescue

Expediciones Chile does Swiftwater Rescue Class every year before the kayak and raft season starts on the Rio Futaleufu in Patagonia, Chile. The class is often as extreme as the river. Two years ago participants took part in an actual search and rescue that sadly ended in a body recovery. The class is specifically designed for Class V whitewater and rescue scenarios in extreme conditions. You can find out more about this here:

http://www.exchile.com/swiftwaterrescuetraining.html
 
#12 ·
SWR

I took a SWR class in Alaska that was Rescue III certified. I had a good background in climbing and from being a rope course instructor. However I still learned a lot of new things that were river specific and that I would probably never practice outside of a class.

How many people have practiced contact rescue swims and tethered rescuer swimmer rescues? Two summers ago I had to perform a contact rescue on a river trip - something that I never wanted to do and hope to never do again. The experience I gained in SWR class was invaluable as I knew how to do this with the highest level of safety possible.

There was also practical things like learning how to set up multi-point self equalizing anchors off of flimsy things like willows - I wouldn't think you could pull 800 lbs with a few little willows as your anchor - but you can.

In short there are a lot of things you learn here that you probably won't learn elsewhere. It is well worth the money.
 
#13 ·
As an ACA SWR rescue instructor since '97, I'd highly recommend SWR training for ANY paddler, class V or not. The majority of problems I've seen on rivers over the past decade could have been avoided for the most part with some basic SWR knowledge. While you can't easily teach "river sense", you can teach hard skills and decision making which can both be invaluable when something goes wrong.

I've taken (and taught) all levels of ACA SWR, and they've all been well worth the time, cost and effort. I've also taken Rescue 3 SRT 1, which was a great course. Any or all of these would be excellent.

There are a few great books out there as well. Whitewater Rescue Manual: New Techniques for Canoeists, Kayakers, and Rafters by Charles Walbridge and Wayne A. Sundmache is an excellent resource.

Not only is taking a course a solid idea, having the right rescue gear on hand is a must - biners, pulleys, ropes, knife, first aid kit, etc. You can't effect a rescue if you don't have the gear. This doesn't mean that you have to have a fully loaded boat since much of the gear you're probably already carrying can pull double duty in the event of a rescue.

If there are enough people interested, I'd be willing to teach a one-day ACA SWR course on the South Platte this spring for a very reasonable rate. The more folks on the water that have SWR training, the better. If interested, send me a PM.

Remember, people die on class II water so the best thing any paddler can do is be prepared for the worst, hope for the best and use your head, which is the best piece of equipment any paddler can have...
 
#17 ·
Yep, I took one of Mike Mather's multiday courses last year and it was excellent. I'm going to take another one every few years or so.

I don't think that calling rescue courses expensive makes much sense. I lose, destroy, or wear out several hundred dollars worth of gear each season. Last year it was more like $2000 and a broken neck that cost $250,000. A good class is a few hundred bucks. Your buddy's lives are priceless. The class is more for your paddle partners than for you.
 
#18 ·
I took Rescue 3 about five years ago with Bill Dvorjak and Terry McShane, both very experienced river runners and teachers. I was impressed with the class and as it was my first experience with Swiftwater I learned a lot. I think they continue to teach in Colorado, and I would say you couldn't go wrong with exposing yourself to their class.

Several years later I took another three day course that was conducted as an overnighter by New Zealand's professional association of raft guides. The kiwi's are a lot more aggressive with their rescue techniques and although I didn't fully adopt some of their strategies I was equally as impressed with the professionalism and gravity they apply to rescues.

It seems to me the more you learn the more likely you are to adopt your own strategy. I, like a lot of you, have been on both sides of the "rope" when it comes to potentially life saving rescues and couldn't say enough for not only the practice a class affords, but also for the skills and concepts that are tought. It seems that our community, like avalanche education, is moving away from theoritical debates over types of certs or techniques that confuse and disenfranchise beginners, and moving towards a more healthy approach of encouraging any kind of participation.
 
#19 ·
Took a class a few years back with Dick something or other at Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center. Very good class, highly reccommended, they know their stuff and have been around for a long time meeting the old school requirement someone had on this thread.

You'll love the story behind the foot entrapment video they show - classic.
 
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