when a white water raft capsizes in a
dangerous current
one technique can be a lifesaver
these swift water rescue students are
conducting a raft flipping scenario
on the colorado river near moab utah
many of these students are professional
whitewater rafting guides
who are completing their mandatory swift
water rescue certification
on this section of the colorado river
waves can ramp up to 20 feet high
causing even the most experienced raft
guides to capsize
all it takes is a hidden boulder or a
particularly violent rapid
to disrupt the raft's momentum and send
its passengers overboard
there's some rivers it's a daily
occurrence sometimes multiple times a
day it's real important that you can
keep yourself safe
and and then safely help out others
this 16-foot raft weighs 180 pounds
so flipping it while it's being tossed
around by intense rapids
is no easy feat training begins when the
students evacuate the raft and flip it
upside down
to simulate an emergency scenario
students use the t-shaped grip at the
end of their paddles to hook the gig
line on top of the raft's inflated tubes
and pull back to flip the raft
they use the force supplied by the
downstream current of the river as an
extra tool
in this scenario the current pushes the
raft forward while the rescuers use the
bottom tube as a fulcrum
to rotate the raft around as they pull
the gig line in the opposite direction
three or four rescuers then climb on top
of the flipped raft
and they use the same strategy to flip
it upright
other students tread water at a safe
distance from the raft to create a clear
space for its land
get out hey remember guys try to try to
flop on your back
more than putting your feet down putting
your feet straight down in moving water
is one of the most dangerous things you
can do
your foot can get stuck in between rocks
and then you've got a second emergency
to get back in the boat the key is to
have your legs out flat behind you
that's the way to get in not pulling
yourself straight up
pull towards that boat and up at the
same time
and it's a pain in the ass this student
attempted climbing in the raft leg
first and got tangled in the gig line
boys
his classmates were able to untangle him
but this could have quickly become a
real emergency
rescuers grab any remaining people by
their pfd or personal flotation device
and haul them back on the raft
occasionally the current pulls people
downstream away from the raft
and they're unable to swim against the
current right here guys
battle towards me you can get separated
from your craft very quickly
the river just doesn't stop it's
relentless
after pulling in as many nearby rafters
as possible
the team then paddled down to assist
this student who had drifted away from
the group
it's a pretty chaotic situation so we
want to just kind of
make that a little bit more static and
make some of those decisions easier and
get give them somewhat of a format to
follow
while they're flipping this boat give
them some things to think about
while they're going through that process
for a lot of people that are new to
guiding this is a new experience and so
this kind of
gives them a little bit of comfort level
for when the time does does come
foreign