Raft Guide
Encyclopedia
A Raft guide is a name given to a White Water Rafting guide. He or she is a trained professional that is capable of guiding on commercial white water
rafting
trips. Most raft guides are employed by rafting companies who do either multi or single day trips.
and maneuvering vessels; river flow and hazards; scouting
and running rapids; and river rescue and emergency procedures. Trainees are required to have a minimum of Basic First Aid
and CPR certifications. Additional advanced certifications such as Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder
, Swift Water Rescue, White Water Rescue or Emergency Medical Technician
are strongly encouraged.
Training varies on the company offering the instructions at Mariah Whitewater Guide School Training includes:
* Anatomy of the river - reading the rapids
* Teamwork and leadership skills
* Safety on the river - hand signals
* Boating gear and equipment
* Commercial river operations
* Customer service - safety talks and guide "chatter"
* Whitewater paddling techniques
* River etiquette guidelines
* Problems, emergencies, advanced river rescues
* Knots and riggings
* Natural and the local history of the river
* Meal Preparation
* Job requirements
* Required guide equipment
* Life of a river guide
The job of the guide while on the river is to entertain the guest, and navigate the boat. On smaller rapids guides will turn the boat and go through rapids a certain way to ensure that everyone on the boat gets wet. On larger rapids it is the guides responsibility to keep the raft from flipping in unsafe places, and to keep it on the 'company line' during the rapids. An important aspect of a raft guide is the "Raft Talk". This is the talk that a guide will give to their guests. Every raft guides talk is unique. Most new guides will listen to veteran guide's talks and take bits and pieces of each to create their own. A talk could be a series of jokes to keep the crew laughing, a history lesson on the area, or even just a 'get to know you' type talk; the best talks include all three. On difficult rivers the guide will often extensively brief their crew on the rapids, giving swimming instructions, where a throw bagger might be, and hazards to avoid in the rapid when swimming.
or middle of the raft
. On multi-day trips it is common to have a center oar rig where clients do not paddle, and where gear is stored. Guides oar guiding will use techniques such as 'walking the oars' through flat sections or 'holding a star' when stern rigged through large waves. Oar Guides generally have more control over their raft than paddle guides, but oar rigged rafts are dangerous when flipping and hard to re-right making them less versatile in big water rafting.
Paddle Guiding is the most common type of high adventure guiding where the guide sits in the stern of the boat with a one bladed guide stick (paddle). Using draws, prys, the guide can influence the direction of the boat, along with using different paddling commands for their crew.
Bow Guiding is where two guides are in the boat, one in the stern
and one in the bow
. This can be done in a stern rigged boat, or a raft where both guides are paddle guiding. It is usually only done over short stretches of whitewater that require a lot of maneuvering for safe passage. Bow guides use techniques such as 'spearing' through large waves, and bow draws to quickly change the direction of the boat. Unlike stern guides the bow guide will never pry with their paddle, instead they will change the orientation of their hands to maintain a power grip in both directions.
Whitewater
Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
rafting
Rafting
Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
trips. Most raft guides are employed by rafting companies who do either multi or single day trips.
Training
Typically first year raft guides are required to undergo a training program often run by the company before beginning to guide commercial trips. Guide schools utilize classroom and on-river experience to train students in riggingRigging
Rigging is the apparatus through which the force of the wind is used to propel sailboats and sailing ships forward. This includes masts, yards, sails, and cordage.-Terms and classifications:...
and maneuvering vessels; river flow and hazards; scouting
Scouting rapids
Scouting a rapid is when there is whitewater that you want to take a look at and so plan a route through the rapid. Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient drops enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the...
and running rapids; and river rescue and emergency procedures. Trainees are required to have a minimum of Basic First Aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
and CPR certifications. Additional advanced certifications such as Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder
Wilderness First Responder
Wilderness First Responders are individuals who are trained to respond to emergency situations in remote settings. They are part of a wide variety of wilderness medical professionals who deal with medical emergencies that occur in wilderness settings....
, Swift Water Rescue, White Water Rescue or Emergency Medical Technician
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
are strongly encouraged.
Training varies on the company offering the instructions at Mariah Whitewater Guide School Training includes:
* Anatomy of the river - reading the rapids
* Teamwork and leadership skills
* Safety on the river - hand signals
* Boating gear and equipment
* Commercial river operations
* Customer service - safety talks and guide "chatter"
* Whitewater paddling techniques
* River etiquette guidelines
* Problems, emergencies, advanced river rescues
* Knots and riggings
* Natural and the local history of the river
* Meal Preparation
* Job requirements
* Required guide equipment
* Life of a river guide
Description
A typical raft guide is usually in his or her twenties. However, guides range anywhere from 18 to up in their sixties. The majority of raft guides are seasonal employees.The job of the guide while on the river is to entertain the guest, and navigate the boat. On smaller rapids guides will turn the boat and go through rapids a certain way to ensure that everyone on the boat gets wet. On larger rapids it is the guides responsibility to keep the raft from flipping in unsafe places, and to keep it on the 'company line' during the rapids. An important aspect of a raft guide is the "Raft Talk". This is the talk that a guide will give to their guests. Every raft guides talk is unique. Most new guides will listen to veteran guide's talks and take bits and pieces of each to create their own. A talk could be a series of jokes to keep the crew laughing, a history lesson on the area, or even just a 'get to know you' type talk; the best talks include all three. On difficult rivers the guide will often extensively brief their crew on the rapids, giving swimming instructions, where a throw bagger might be, and hazards to avoid in the rapid when swimming.
Types of guiding
Oar Guiding is where the guide maneuvers the raft with oars from either the sternStern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
or middle of the raft
Raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is the most basic of boat design, characterized by the absence of a hull...
. On multi-day trips it is common to have a center oar rig where clients do not paddle, and where gear is stored. Guides oar guiding will use techniques such as 'walking the oars' through flat sections or 'holding a star' when stern rigged through large waves. Oar Guides generally have more control over their raft than paddle guides, but oar rigged rafts are dangerous when flipping and hard to re-right making them less versatile in big water rafting.
Paddle Guiding is the most common type of high adventure guiding where the guide sits in the stern of the boat with a one bladed guide stick (paddle). Using draws, prys, the guide can influence the direction of the boat, along with using different paddling commands for their crew.
Bow Guiding is where two guides are in the boat, one in the stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
and one in the bow
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
. This can be done in a stern rigged boat, or a raft where both guides are paddle guiding. It is usually only done over short stretches of whitewater that require a lot of maneuvering for safe passage. Bow guides use techniques such as 'spearing' through large waves, and bow draws to quickly change the direction of the boat. Unlike stern guides the bow guide will never pry with their paddle, instead they will change the orientation of their hands to maintain a power grip in both directions.