I love you and I miss you, Homie. I know you are in a better place, but I sure wish you were still around to talk this kind of shit in my life every day 🙏🏻🙌🏼💗
Charles- you nailed it! As the newb that I was, the panic set in before the swim ever happened, and then I used nearly all of my energy fighting in the original hole. Add to that the fact that I was not wearing a full dry suit and you can understand why I had very little to fight with once I finally flushed got out into the main current. I hope people learn from this before they go "try this at home"
No full drysuit as a newbie? That is terrible planning and trip leading. that water is cold. If you have a chance of swimming, a full dry suit is a necessity as you no doubt found out. Get on the milk run and learn to paddle and get yourself a bombproof roll before doing the class III+ anything. Until you can master the easy runs, stay humble.
@@woodywang1505 Mate from some hitting 40 paddled since i 12 a full dry suit is certainly not a necessity but some basic tuition on defence swimming and keeping an active paddle would of been far better start
I know people have commented on the importance of active swimming.....Here is my 2 cents: I learned that you can only expect 2-3 good bursts of energy in cold water. This makes it even more important to conserve your energy when at all possible. Easier said than done considering you started your swim in a really strong eddie / hole. After you emerge from that spot, it's very important to keep your feet downstream looking for possible eddies to swim to (keeping in mind you have 2-3 good attempts). Another benefit to keeping your feet up / eyes downstream is that you can keep a calmer breath since you're able to anticipate the "under" moments. A calmer breath will result in more energy. If you're not looking well downstream, by the time you reach that perfect eddie, it's too late to swim to it. Glad to hear you're still boating. I had a scary pin situation recently and it took me a while to get comfortable on the water again.
Charles Ging Ditto everything Charles said. I noticed that when you grabbed your partner's kayak your body position was not flat but largely vertical. If your partner is going to be able to move you you've got to be flat. A good way to force yourself flat is to kick like you're trying to propel yourself. Would have made it much easier for your friend to pull you to an eddy.
Thank you for posting this. It must be terribly humbling to have so many strangers on the internet tell you what you did wrong, but things can go really bad really quickly and it's so informative to see that from a first person perspective. Posting this video may prevent someone else from doing the same, and end up saving their life.
Thanks for the video. im sure you've heard enough trash talk, but I'll say that the lack of proper skills was instantly apparent. Get your edge control down, lean the boat into rocks that you are up against and lean away from any strong current pushing on your boat. You gotta get more aggressive driving your boat. Choose where you want to go or not go and then give a few good strokes to get there. You were kind of just floating on down wherever and pointing your boat at stuff. And boof holes like the one that flipped you. You should have been pointing straight, had some speed, and boofed and it would have been smooth as butter. Learn the basics, get some skill, and act calm and in control. It's not some crazy adrenaline junky thrill ride... I'm sure you'll learn all this stuff and you'll have a blast paddling. As for the rescue... Saw a lot of opportunities for where that swim should have ended sooner. Your buddy should have been towing you into an eddy, but instead he was trying to paddle upstream while you pulled him down the river backwards. Not a real safe place for you to be ... Good way for you to be sandwiched between a rock and your buddy's boat. He should have turned his boat downstream, picked an eddy, and driven towards it... You get the picture. Not trying to preach. (Totally preaching) Have fun out there and be safe!!!
Most of your comments seem accurate except "Your buddy should have been towing you into an eddy, but instead he was trying to paddle upstream while you pulled him down the river backwards." I saw this as buddy paddler attempting an upstream ferry to reach an eddy.
I've towed a swimmer in calm water and it's hard to make more than slow progress. Maybe that's because I'm just a beginner paddler, and I was paddling a typically barge like sit-on-top.
When I noticed his blades were upside down,well this could be trouble then he wasn’t steering or paddling the river speed, halve as commitment, class v swimmer alert
I really wish I had time to reply to all of the comments, but obviously that won't be possible. Simply put, I appreciate them all. I know I am very lucky to have made it out of that river alive because I didn't have an ounce of energy left in me at the end, and I wasn't in my drysuit. I have taken a lot of what you guys have said to heart and am making serious changes. I want to say a special thanks to WyoPaddler for his extremely helpful criticism, and for not being afraid to hurt my feelings.
Great to hear that you did not quit boating an trying to improof your skills!!!! That was really hard to look at :) Even me as a beginner saw that this run was no good idea from the verry first seconds on... Nervous and shakey - i know that by my self :))) thanx for posting
Moten- I appreciate input. Humility is somewhat easy to feel for me since I start from a place of not knowing what I'm doing and, although the comments have been widely varied, I have found a lot of good feedback and many new friends from it. I do hope other newbies will heed the lesson
Thanks for posting john glad you made it out ok. Love the shoe floating by your foot when your sading on the rocks when you climb out. This vid will help a few folks i'm sure or make them think anyway. Good luck
It would be interesting to see some of the back story on how you decided to run this particular stretch of water. Did some friends tell you, "Hey, we can get you down it."? Were you taking a personal guided tour? How long have you been paddling? Are you usually much better than this but just having a really bad day? Those variables could affect the type of comments that would be useful to you. But, on visual evidence alone as others have already noted, you appeared quite passive in your swim.
Cold water effects your energy exertion. You can’t continuously fight in a Class 3 rapid. It was probably wiser for him to conserve his energy. He could have pulled himself out at a couple spots it looked like, but depending on the exact location, it may have been better to stick with his partner or at least reasonably close until he knew the extent of his injuries. When you’re busting your stuff into rocks in cold water and having adrenaline pumping there’s literally no way of telling how extensive your injuries truly are.
Thanks for this video. My 14 and 8 year old are wanting to get into my habitat and a jackson doing runs with me. You can only do so much explaining scenarios but seeing it defines it all especially with hydrolics. They have not seen me in falls that I have been caught in but have seen me go for a swim a couple of times. Lol
Glad you made it, pal. Made me feel sick watching that. I'm sure you get all kinds of shit, but i'm glad you've posted this and are taking the online whitewater community's responses in stride (and to heart). SWR was a good move. Most folks who are serious about it have stories like this one in their background. Let's keep safe out there...
Thanks, man. Pride goeth before the fall and I've already gotten as close to that as I ever want to get. Lots of people have had really good feedback for me and I've taken a lot of steps in the right direction. Paddling much better these days with a lot of good teachers. I'm currently in Costa Rica on day 9 of a 17 paddling spree. Life is good
Assuming the Safe Swimmer position, while necessary at times, tends to keep you away from the sides of the river. At some point it is necessary to crawl stroke very aggressively toward an eddy. There is a set stroke taught in swiftwater rescue to actually get over the eddy line. This is a rolling from side to side with arms extended. The other major point is for your rescuers to give you instructions and for you to follow them. You can swim to the side of the river better than someone can pull U
First of all I appreciate you putting this video up and asking for tips that could improve your/our safety while enjoying rivers. I have had a few long swims myself and what I learned was that its very important to work on your CARDIO in order to be able to swim harder and fight when you find yourself in trouble. You appeared to not have any energy when you swam. Its important to be able to swim aggressively when needed, so work on your aerobic capacity. Have fun out there!!! thanks
I've been in a similar situation. Makes you realize what they are talking about when they say "flush drowning". You're not actually under water the whole time, but you just can't seem to catch your breath in between "flushes". I don't paddle continuous class III anymore. Glad you pulled through!
Am happy you’re safe. I hit a hole at the beginning of a really long boulder garden once, swallowed a bunch of water right away and had to swim for an eternity with lungs full of water. Keep safe, buddy!
Wow, that was intense ... That river might be narrow but it's vicious ... Glad you made it out alive, It's always scary because of those strainers you might not be able to avoid... Amazing video, and again glad you made it out man ...
I've seen this video a few times over the years and as my skill has developed my perspective has changed as a viewer. This stretch of river when I first saw the video looked to be ultra crazy and you guys as boaters appeared to be legit. No as i have paddled more I see this stretch as manageable and I see lack of skill from the boater who swam. Keeping calm and sticking those last stokes with the correct angle is so vital. Also when i first saw this video years ago i wouldn't dare try a stretch of river like that, but now with a little experience I'd be ready to fire it up and boof stroke over that hole!
Way over your head-- both as a boater and a swimmer. Prerequisites for paddling water like that (class V or IV+ creek) is: a. strong roll and the ability to do it over and over while getting tossed and slammed; b. strong swim and the ability to stay calm and breathe through the rough and swim like mad when the opportunity presents; c. strong paddling skills to stay on line and not lose your balance in a little turbulence; d. a good paddling partner to help when all goes wrong. You had the last one, but that's it.
Your cool though man. Was reading the comments, and you have a good attitude. Ive boated since I was ten. I went to the junior nationals at 12 in the junior slalom class, which was 14-17. So I know what I am talking about. Our coach used to take us out on flat and in low water to get us to work on our lines and stroke technique. Practice in low consequence controlled situations and then when the real stuff goes down, you are poised. Swimming doesnt have to be hell btw. dont breath when the waves hit, that helps. Look at how surfers get out through the break. I popped my skirt in corner pocket last year dropping in sideways (animas river) at about 5,000. I rolled up... and my boat sank from under me. No float bags. My sister and mom were too afraid to do smelter, so I got some good video of it... but had to swim out on my own, with my boat and paddle in tow. Wasnt a problem. Because I wasnt scared. We had a tourist die in that same area last spring too, had a heart attack as he was chucked out of his raft.
Great vid man. I've been there. Jumped on a class 2 at flood stage, which turned out to be a class 4. Got my arse handed to me. Went back a week later when it was lower and did much better. Keep practicing and go back when your skills improve .
This guy should never have been on this section of river. He did not even hit the first few set up points correctly when entering the rapids. The people who took him on this section of river clearly have poor judgment regarding this person's skill level. They are fortunate they did not kill him. Very poor trip leader skills and absolutely little to no rescue skills.
Heck of an observation, Evan. Yes, as a newbie, as well as a full-on beater, boating wasn't all I sucked at. Decision making was right up there, as well 😱
Holy crap John! Thanks for posting that. Most think this sport of ours is all fun & games, until you swallow some water. I have some video being sucked down by hydraulics, as I'm underwater I look up to see my floating paddle getting smaller and smaller as I'm sucked down. I wasn't going to post it, but seeing your vid made me change my mind.
You are correct. Since then I have been running much smaller stuff and working on hitting eddys, ferrying, bracing, boofs, etc. I will not be in class 5 water anytime soon.
Good thing you had that friend with you, he was good! He stayed with you the entire time, and presented his stern to you right when you needed it, glad you're ok
Damn. You don’t know how rough this was unless you’ve been through something similar. Glad your friend was there to lend a safety boat and didn’t give up. That could have been tragic
I still don't understand how you went under the 2nd time that ultimately led to the swim. Was it tightening up from the realization of your situation or were you already just beat with little control? Crazy swim
Indeed. I don't know if I make it out of the river without him. I hope no one ever has a swim like that again, and it will be quite a while before I go see Mr. Bill again
In your comments you state that "I was not in my drysuit." To actually own the proper gear and not be wearing it makes this even worse. Dress for a rescue, dress for the water not the air. Most of the commenters also got into the other level of preparation that you lacked, which was the skills to be on water of this class. You were lucky. You state that you know it, but take that to heart. You were lucky.
good vid But quick tip when someone gets injured stuck or needs to get out the water make sure they grab on the front of your kayak so you can see how they are and to be able to keep them calm
I believe one of the advantages of getting older is better risk assessment and management. As soon as the video started I saw right off the river was way over the paddlers skill level and he was winded before he even hit the bigger stuff and came out of the boat. The other issue was the boat exit. He gave up really quick and swam. My experience on much weaker water is that you want that roll as bomber as possible and you want to stay in your boat if at all possible. There is a reason swimming class 4-5 whitewater isn't a sport/hobby! ;) And last but not least, only a drytop in water that cold, ouch. A braver man than I. It only took a few rafting trips in the fall and spring to teach me the value of a drysuit or full wetsuit. honestly, if your pushing class 4 than just get a drysuit. When your paddling class 4-5 Obviously you like the sport and have been paddling a bunch, or your crazy and are going to drown soon anyway so either way you might as well get a drysuit (your either going to use it a bunch, or your not going to need the money anyway so win-win!). Hope your still paddling. I'm out for a few more years but hopefully will recover enough to at least get back on C2-3 rivers for some fun :)
I have had a long swim before. Probably not that long. By that time I am sure you called it a day and was ready for a few beers. Looks like that run is road side luckily
Glad of the good outcome -- your safety. Incredible learning session I hope as you did a lot wrong both while in the boat and when in the water. Stay safe.
As someone has probably already pointed out. You should have aggressively swam to the side. The eddy that your boat found was a great eddy to swim in to. Floating down the centre of the river doesn't get you out of trouble. Also, you should have let go of your friend when coming up to rocks. By clinging on, whilst he's going down backwards and approaching said rocks is endangering him. One last point, paddling with gloves is a bad idea - you can't feel your paddles properly, which doesn't help in the slightest. I'm sure you know all of this by now though. :)
Thanks for the vid. Good reminder that no matter how smooth things usually go. When they go bad, they can go really bad. Got some thoughts on where things went wrong if you are interested in trying the Narrows again.
This was difficult to watch but it proves the point of the need for self rescue training, the need for a throw rope, and also setting realistic goals for kayak trips. My advice, stick with class 1 whitewater until you learn eddy out and peel out. Also the ability to track in a straight line in current and stay in the main flow. When you can do that you are ready to try class 2
We all make mistakes and frighten ourselves. It inspires us to keep learning from others and humbles us at the power of water that carved so much of this earth into shape.
I'm on a spree watching white kayak rescues and ya'll are mental. Haha. I have minimal raft experience but spend quite bit of time on my Surfski in open water. Im always amazed just how powerful water is. You don't realize it until you've been in a spot where you have no control, and that doesn't much, haha. Feeling hopeless, being swept away by water is a humbling experience.
Well, the only thing I could add to all that is learn to read the river better. Once you decided to bail, you had very limited time to learn that most of the flow from that hole circ'd left and back in, powerful like. You got lucky that the 3rd spin around got you out. You needed to be swimming right very hard as soon as you got to the surface! I also cannot emphasize enough to aggressively self rescue. You should run every river as if you had to save yourself, because most times you do!
Seeing all that undercut rock must have made you see your life flashing in front of your eyes. Terrifying is the word that comes to mind. The video is appropriately named!
my god brother. that was a bad 1. I have guided the new & gauley here in WV for decades now & that swim looked like 1 of the worst ever. glad u r ok :)
It'd be cool to see you paddle that same stretch now. I can only assume after 5 years time, you're better at paddling now than when you made the video.
I am glad you didn't go as far as I did. It was absolutely brutal, but I escaped with just a bunch of bruises, a bit of a bloody nose, and a whole lot to think about.
It took me a long time to figure that rapid out. Once you know where to be and at what angle it makes life much easier. At 0:31 you want to be about 2 feet further left driving at 11 o'clock with a right stroke to take on that curler wave that pushed you into the rocks on river right. I've been upside down in that eddy more than anywhere else on the river.
hahah this is exactly how i learned... fun experience, made a better boater out of me and taught me to be more humble, clear creek is good at putting people in their place.
This swim would have killed most people that I know that raft and kayak whitewater... I obviously am not that experienced and neither is my group of friends, but I feel like even some seasoned whitewater Kayakers may have ended up dying from flush drowning in these circumstances. That rapid was just relentless! From the time that he bailed from the kayak, to the time where he was finally rescued would have absolutely exhausted most people, and that's not even counting the numerous rock impacts and whitewater features he was pulled into. This is still my go to video to demonstrate how a Flush Drowning can occur, since most people can't understand at first how a person can drown without being held under for an extended period of time. So glad this guy was okay!
tankmaster1018 Thanks Tank I appreciate the input Somehow I can’t get the punctuation screen so please forgive that Yeah it was brutal and Steve saved me I’m truly grateful to have since been able to paddle a few thousand miles of wonderful whitewater and not had to endure another swim like this 🙌🏼
@@JohnEHopper Haha, don't worry about the punctuation man! I totally understand everything you were saying, and am honestly impressed that you would even bring it up which puts you miles ahead of 90% of youtube comments you read or respond to! I know its been a few months since I replied to you comment, but I have spent the past few months trying to learn how to whitewater kayak, and despite a couple of lessons on the Middle Yough last weekend, I almost drowned a few days ago in a relatively straightforward class II+ drop/pour-over. I thought that I took all the proper precautions and even had 200 feet of rope, a throw bag, and a damn good life jacket, but I still came closer to drowning then I ever want to get again. My home river is the Shenandoah or the Potomac where Maryland meets West Virginia, but the Shenandoah around Harpers Ferry is a bit more forgiving to beginners until its water level crosses the 7 foot mark. Even after a couple of lessons by professional guides at the Yough, my roll utterly failed me as soon as I got into real trouble. There is a deceptively powerful hole after a little wave train following a II+ rapid called Bull Falls, and it was already too late after I got over the last wave and realized I was going straight for a pencil sharpener The diagonal wave flipped me before I even had a chance to take a breath, and I flipped over and smashed my arms and hands on a rock ledge on the way down the slide. I hit the hole at the bottom of the slide, and the rapid shoved a shitload of water up my nose and my normal roll was useless, then I reached for my grab loop but the current was so strong that I could hardly even sit up. Long story short, I ended up coming within probably 10 seconds of blacking out. I actually completely ran out of air and went to take a breath 2-3 times while still trapped underwater, and just sucked in a shitload of lake water which made it even harder to think clearly. Thank god I finally realized that I had to dive back under, tuck forward, and pull the loop. And that was the start of my 3 mile swim over the Bull's Tail and into the Staircase... It is now almost a week later and I am still recovering from the injuries. I lost my paddle instantly, tried to grab onto my flooded kayak for support since I was totally out of air and gasping for breath, and proceeded to slice my legs, shins, and feet to ribbons after my shoes got sucked off my feet and I got pulled headfirst over numerous massive rocks less then a foot under the surface. It was the closest I've ever come to drowning, and yet my experience doesn't even begin to come close to what you must have gone through on that swim... I honestly think that I would have been finished around the 3:28 mark in your video. I swam a bit on a class II, you swam multiple miles on the Narrows after a terrifying wet exit in that hole that recirculated you 3 times. I mean fuck man... you are a fucking champion to be able to take a beating like that, and still be able to self-rescue by the end! Lmfao, bet you scared the shit out of your friends! I would have thought that you had flush drowned for sure by around the 3 minute mark if I was one of them!
DUDE!!! Thank God you are still here to be able to tell me that. It actually sounds like yours was far worse than mine, even though I was probably in rough for water. I didn’t have anything like the kind of injuries you had, and I was back in the water two days later. Important correction, I did not self rescue. I got towed out of there by my buddy Steve Rako. I paddled that section yesterday with about 100 CFS less water than the day I swam it, and I was in awe all over again at how brutal it was. It was just seriously tough water and nothing anybody should ever have to swim. And it goes on for a looooong time.
@@JohnEHopper Haha thanks a bunch man! And I already have gotten back in. I took two days of lessons last weekend, and am actually going back to the Shenandoah tomorrow to give it another try now that I can actually paddle properly and brace! Thanks again man and have a very pleasant afternoon
Whoa, friend, this was not a fun swim to watch. I'm gathering from the video and comments that you were short on experience and in over your head. I've been there and done that...back before there was easy video to capture the whole thing for the world to see. I've read, and heard about, excellent boaters who had near flush drowning swims, and one or two who did actually drown. I'm sure you now know what I mean. I'm glad you survived. Also, major props to you for posting the video...you may have helped educate other people and saved lives.
General lack of boat control or assertive paddling. Basically a lot of ruddering, which does not work on moving water. You should be using sweeps, forwards or backwards. Besides drifting into those rocks instead of boofing, you randomly stuck your paddle into the pourover instead of leaning aggressively into the diagonal wave.
^General lack of understanding that the person who got teabagged and almost drowned doesn't need to hear your pompice opinion about how he fucked up a line. Jesus get a clue. I know this is youtube but boaters are boaters.
After an event like that, what happens next? Do you get back in your kayak and finish the trip? Do you hike out on foot? Does someone come and get you? Do you lose your zest for the sport or does your desire increase? Do you start over and try that run again? So many questions.
+GreatNorthWeb The answer is yes. All of the above, depends on the person, move, how scary it was. Reasonable thing after a similar experience is to take it easy. I went back to sea kayaking for a month after something similar, then I enjoyed surfing small waves on the local class 2.
GreatNorthWeb sorry for the late response, my friend. I hiked up to the road. Thank God it was roadside because it would have been torture to have to paddle out after that beat down. I have had so much from this experience it is hard to count for, but the short story is I got right back in about two days later. I had a pretty good circle of friends who gave me the necessary harsh feedback of my decision making, but also encouraged me to get right back on the horse because I might not ever if I didn't right away. Something like that can really get in your head, so it's important to have newer, better experiences to replace this one. It did take me three years to go back to that particular run. The actual rapid's name that ate me up is "Mr. Bill", and I believe Bill and I will be working on our relationship for many days to come. At the moment we are semi-friendly, but I am well aware of how nasty my new "friend" can be if he gets in a mood.
Thanks for the reply. One more question. Whose boot is floating between the rocks at 5:00? Is that where Mr. Bill hides his trophies collected from the carnage?
As a newbie, you shouldn't embark on big powerful waters like these, unless you have a fairly bombproof roll. Big water makes for very long swims, and hardly no-one can help you due to the power and swiftness and the current. Big water often looks less impressive than creek style rapids, but are most of the time much more dangerous. AND you can easily loose gear also.
(cont'd) at 1:08 coming into Mr. Bill you want to be about 3 feet further left (in the main flow) coming off that rock that you see to your left at 1:09 with a 1 o'clock boat angle with a good left boof stroke to get your bow up onto the pillow. Where you came off will usually push your bow left into the hole. The alternate is to sneak it far, far right, but what's the fun in that? Good luck on your next run.
A pretty brutal swim, to be sure. But, there are some solid lessons to be learned from this footage; some are obvious, some more subtle, and the list could get pretty long.
As a former instructor this should never have happened. First you need to learn how to self rescue! And how to swim in a river. Second find some people who know you are in over your head from the start and not take you down a stretch of river your not ready for !!! When he says “way to hang in there” yeah genius
Just another example (many more in the winter with inexperienced schmoes getting caught in avalanches) showing that just because you have the money to buy the gear and a go pro does not instantly make you ready for the x-games.
I have had a swim like that before. I am sure you have heard it already but from what I saw you weren't focused on down stream. It look liked you panicked. Gotta stay calm and scan for the best eddie
Good luck John, I hope you stuck with paddling. Clear Creek Narrows is no joke. While the paddling advice on this thread is sound - the only advice given that you should follow is simply to go have fun on more class III before stepping up to Class V. This state has tons and tons of Class III, dig on that a while then some easy Class IV sections or runs. Then in a few years you get your revenge on Mr Bill (the drop that flipped you in this video).
Josh Sheets Bill and I started working on our relationship last year as CC was coming up, three years post beat down. The last lap I took was at ~500, but after that I went upstream and went nuts running Lawson through Kermits for a couple of months. AWESOME run between 800-1600 ;-)
Wow that was hairy! Good thing you weren't alone, things would've turned out a lot different. To all the people being on a high horse - calm down. Like you never made a mistake. Mistakes like that could (and do) happen to very experienced people. They just happen more to newcomers. Teach, don't preach.
Yeah, very true. But mistakes like that can kill people. He is very lucky. He even was attempting to stand up multiple times. That's a big no no. Especially in a rock garden river like that, way more places for foot entrapment. My guess is that this guy has been moving up classes with out a good beater session. Hopefully he will learn a lot from this and practice. On aspects more.
That's fucking gnarly. I know you didn't get out of that without some broken bones and maybe some battle scars. Could have been worse for sure. What was the outcome physically?
We all know the dreaded numbers of people getting scared out of the sport. I lucked out and managed to get back in a boat after my catastrophe swim. Don't give up...don't lose the love! Ps: next time grab the upper handles on the back of the boat and pull your whole upper body up on the back deck...the rescue boater will have a much easier time and you will get to the shore ASAP!
I sensed is nerves right from the start! I could tell he was not ready for that water. We have to be honest with our selves and know what water your ready for. There's so many factors to. This is big current with not much room for error. Picked the wrong run
Dude, you totally ruined my trout fishing that day. Next time please try and keep the arm and leg flailing to a minimum.
I love you and I miss you, Homie. I know you are in a better place, but I sure wish you were still around to talk this kind of shit in my life every day 🙏🏻🙌🏼💗
@@JohnEHopper what happened?
Andy, brother Homie died fighting his own demons. I was never able to turn him out as a Paddler.
@@JohnEHopper sorry to hear. Rip.
Sorry for your loss! 😢
your boat seemed to find an eddy just fine....
Mark Jones Hard brother, hard.. True though.
Mark Jones 😂😂😂😂 that’s all I could think during the second half
For real, I don’t think I saw him tying to swim to the side once
@@finnbell6442 he tried a couple of times.
He deserves it. Don’t go kayaking such waters if you can’t paddle or swim.
Charles- you nailed it! As the newb that I was, the panic set in before the swim ever happened, and then I used nearly all of my energy fighting in the original hole. Add to that the fact that I was not wearing a full dry suit and you can understand why I had very little to fight with once I finally flushed got out into the main current. I hope people learn from this before they go "try this at home"
No full drysuit as a newbie? That is terrible planning and trip leading. that water is cold. If you have a chance of swimming, a full dry suit is a necessity as you no doubt found out.
Get on the milk run and learn to paddle and get yourself a bombproof roll before doing the class III+ anything. Until you can master the easy runs, stay humble.
@@woodywang1505 Mate from some hitting 40 paddled since i 12 a full dry suit is certainly not a necessity but some basic tuition on defence swimming and keeping an active paddle would of been far better start
I know people have commented on the importance of active swimming.....Here is my 2 cents: I learned that you can only expect 2-3 good bursts of energy in cold water. This makes it even more important to conserve your energy when at all possible. Easier said than done considering you started your swim in a really strong eddie / hole. After you emerge from that spot, it's very important to keep your feet downstream looking for possible eddies to swim to (keeping in mind you have 2-3 good attempts). Another benefit to keeping your feet up / eyes downstream is that you can keep a calmer breath since you're able to anticipate the "under" moments. A calmer breath will result in more energy. If you're not looking well downstream, by the time you reach that perfect eddie, it's too late to swim to it.
Glad to hear you're still boating. I had a scary pin situation recently and it took me a while to get comfortable on the water again.
Charles Ging
Ditto everything Charles said. I noticed that when you grabbed your partner's kayak your body position was not flat but largely vertical.
If your partner is going to be able to move you you've got to be flat. A good way to force yourself flat is to kick like you're trying to propel yourself. Would have made it much easier for your friend to pull you to an eddy.
Well spoken. Cheers
I agree. Speaking as a terrible paddler, I have swam a lot of rapids.
It's crazy how much downtime one can get when you're not in your boat
Thank you for posting this. It must be terribly humbling to have so many strangers on the internet tell you what you did wrong, but things can go really bad really quickly and it's so informative to see that from a first person perspective. Posting this video may prevent someone else from doing the same, and end up saving their life.
Lol I was thinking the same thing. Glad he posted this. He may save some lives.
I really appreciate that you shared this video. The conversations it ignited benefits us all. Glad you made it out safely.
Thanks for the video. im sure you've heard enough trash talk, but I'll say that the lack of proper skills was instantly apparent. Get your edge control down, lean the boat into rocks that you are up against and lean away from any strong current pushing on your boat. You gotta get more aggressive driving your boat. Choose where you want to go or not go and then give a few good strokes to get there. You were kind of just floating on down wherever and pointing your boat at stuff. And boof holes like the one that flipped you. You should have been pointing straight, had some speed, and boofed and it would have been smooth as butter. Learn the basics, get some skill, and act calm and in control. It's not some crazy adrenaline junky thrill ride... I'm sure you'll learn all this stuff and you'll have a blast paddling. As for the rescue... Saw a lot of opportunities for where that swim should have ended sooner. Your buddy should have been towing you into an eddy, but instead he was trying to paddle upstream while you pulled him down the river backwards. Not a real safe place for you to be ... Good way for you to be sandwiched between a rock and your buddy's boat. He should have turned his boat downstream, picked an eddy, and driven towards it... You get the picture. Not trying to preach. (Totally preaching) Have fun out there and be safe!!!
Most of your comments seem accurate except "Your buddy should have been towing you into an eddy, but instead he was trying to paddle upstream while you pulled him down the river backwards." I saw this as buddy paddler attempting an upstream ferry to reach an eddy.
I've towed a swimmer in calm water and it's hard to make more than slow progress. Maybe that's because I'm just a beginner paddler, and I was paddling a typically barge like sit-on-top.
Great observations. Appreciated.
When I noticed his blades were upside down,well this could be trouble then he wasn’t steering or paddling the river speed, halve as commitment, class v swimmer alert
I really wish I had time to reply to all of the comments, but obviously that won't be possible. Simply put, I appreciate them all. I know I am very lucky to have made it out of that river alive because I didn't have an ounce of energy left in me at the end, and I wasn't in my drysuit. I have taken a lot of what you guys have said to heart and am making serious changes. I want to say a special thanks to WyoPaddler for his extremely helpful criticism, and for not being afraid to hurt my feelings.
Great to hear that you did not quit boating an trying to improof your skills!!!! That was really hard to look at :)
Even me as a beginner saw that this run was no good idea from the verry first seconds on... Nervous and shakey - i know that by my self :))) thanx for posting
Moten- I appreciate input. Humility is somewhat easy to feel for me since I start from a place of not knowing what I'm doing and, although the comments have been widely varied, I have found a lot of good feedback and many new friends from it. I do hope other newbies will heed the lesson
the best form of rescue is self rescue. swim like a mother for those eddys people. glad you made it mate that was full on
Thanks for posting john glad you made it out ok. Love the shoe floating by your foot when your sading on the rocks when you climb out. This vid will help a few folks i'm sure or make them think anyway. Good luck
It would be interesting to see some of the back story on how you decided to run this particular stretch of water. Did some friends tell you, "Hey, we can get you down it."? Were you taking a personal guided tour? How long have you been paddling? Are you usually much better than this but just having a really bad day? Those variables could affect the type of comments that would be useful to you. But, on visual evidence alone as others have already noted, you appeared quite passive in your swim.
Cold water effects your energy exertion. You can’t continuously fight in a Class 3 rapid. It was probably wiser for him to conserve his energy. He could have pulled himself out at a couple spots it looked like, but depending on the exact location, it may have been better to stick with his partner or at least reasonably close until he knew the extent of his injuries. When you’re busting your stuff into rocks in cold water and having adrenaline pumping there’s literally no way of telling how extensive your injuries truly are.
There's not much of a selection on eddy's in that section from the looks of it
Thanks for this video. My 14 and 8 year old are wanting to get into my habitat and a jackson doing runs with me. You can only do so much explaining scenarios but seeing it defines it all especially with hydrolics. They have not seen me in falls that I have been caught in but have seen me go for a swim a couple of times. Lol
This was like the movie "Gravity" condensed into 6 riveting minutes.
too funny...but this guy guy is no in way as cute as sandra bullock.
Glad you made it, pal. Made me feel sick watching that. I'm sure you get all kinds of shit, but i'm glad you've posted this and are taking the online whitewater community's responses in stride (and to heart). SWR was a good move. Most folks who are serious about it have stories like this one in their background. Let's keep safe out there...
Thanks, man. Pride goeth before the fall and I've already gotten as close to that as I ever want to get. Lots of people have had really good feedback for me and I've taken a lot of steps in the right direction. Paddling much better these days with a lot of good teachers. I'm currently in Costa Rica on day 9 of a 17 paddling spree. Life is good
Assuming the Safe Swimmer position, while necessary at times, tends to keep you away from the sides of the river. At some point it is necessary to crawl stroke very aggressively toward an eddy. There is a set stroke taught in swiftwater rescue to actually get over the eddy line. This is a rolling from side to side with arms extended. The other major point is for your rescuers to give you instructions and for you to follow them. You can swim to the side of the river better than someone can pull U
First of all I appreciate you putting this video up and asking for tips that could improve your/our safety while enjoying rivers. I have had a few long swims myself and what I learned was that its very important to work on your CARDIO in order to be able to swim harder and fight when you find yourself in trouble. You appeared to not have any energy when you swam. Its important to be able to swim aggressively when needed, so work on your aerobic capacity. Have fun out there!!! thanks
I've been in a similar situation. Makes you realize what they are talking about when they say "flush drowning". You're not actually under water the whole time, but you just can't seem to catch your breath in between "flushes". I don't paddle continuous class III anymore. Glad you pulled through!
Am happy you’re safe. I hit a hole at the beginning of a really long boulder garden once, swallowed a bunch of water right away and had to swim for an eternity with lungs full of water. Keep safe, buddy!
Wow, that was intense ... That river might be narrow but it's vicious ... Glad you made it out alive, It's always scary because of those strainers you might not be able to avoid... Amazing video, and again glad you made it out man ...
I've seen this video a few times over the years and as my skill has developed my perspective has changed as a viewer. This stretch of river when I first saw the video looked to be ultra crazy and you guys as boaters appeared to be legit. No as i have paddled more I see this stretch as manageable and I see lack of skill from the boater who swam. Keeping calm and sticking those last stokes with the correct angle is so vital. Also when i first saw this video years ago i wouldn't dare try a stretch of river like that, but now with a little experience I'd be ready to fire it up and boof stroke over that hole!
Yeah there was a lot of passive paddling going on there. A lot of reaction and not much pro activity. Hitting that hole at that angle was the end.
Way over your head-- both as a boater and a swimmer. Prerequisites for paddling water like that (class V or IV+ creek) is: a. strong roll and the ability to do it over and over while getting tossed and slammed; b. strong swim and the ability to stay calm and breathe through the rough and swim like mad when the opportunity presents; c. strong paddling skills to stay on line and not lose your balance in a little turbulence; d. a good paddling partner to help when all goes wrong. You had the last one, but that's it.
Your cool though man. Was reading the comments, and you have a good attitude. Ive boated since I was ten. I went to the junior nationals at 12 in the junior slalom class, which was 14-17. So I know what I am talking about. Our coach used to take us out on flat and in low water to get us to work on our lines and stroke technique. Practice in low consequence controlled situations and then when the real stuff goes down, you are poised. Swimming doesnt have to be hell btw. dont breath when the waves hit, that helps. Look at how surfers get out through the break. I popped my skirt in corner pocket last year dropping in sideways (animas river) at about 5,000. I rolled up... and my boat sank from under me. No float bags. My sister and mom were too afraid to do smelter, so I got some good video of it... but had to swim out on my own, with my boat and paddle in tow. Wasnt a problem. Because I wasnt scared. We had a tourist die in that same area last spring too, had a heart attack as he was chucked out of his raft.
Great vid man. I've been there. Jumped on a class 2 at flood stage, which turned out to be a class 4. Got my arse handed to me. Went back a week later when it was lower and did much better. Keep practicing and go back when your skills improve .
This guy should never have been on this section of river. He did not even hit the first few set up points correctly when entering the rapids. The people who took him on this section of river clearly have poor judgment regarding this person's skill level. They are fortunate they did not kill him. Very poor trip leader skills and absolutely little to no rescue skills.
Coa Coa McLaughlin yeah he was in way over his head lol before he started.....doh
He looked shakey at first, and it got worse.
Agreed
Heck of an observation, Evan. Yes, as a newbie, as well as a full-on beater, boating wasn't all I sucked at. Decision making was right up there, as well 😱
he lost Kayak?
+pierrafeu extrême
You never lose a kayak, just someone else finds it before you
You reinforced my idea to start slow and up the difficulty gradually, John. Thanks for posting.
man that was a scary swim
glad your ok dude
Holy crap John! Thanks for posting that. Most think this sport of ours is all fun & games, until you swallow some water. I have some video being sucked down by hydraulics, as I'm underwater I look up to see my floating paddle getting smaller and smaller as I'm sucked down. I wasn't going to post it, but seeing your vid made me change my mind.
You are correct. Since then I have been running much smaller stuff and working on hitting eddys, ferrying, bracing, boofs, etc. I will not be in class 5 water anytime soon.
Good thing you had that friend with you, he was good! He stayed with you the entire time, and presented his stern to you right when you needed it, glad you're ok
John- Thanks for posting your beatdown. Everyone is between swims.
Damn. You don’t know how rough this was unless you’ve been through something similar. Glad your friend was there to lend a safety boat and didn’t give up. That could have been tragic
at the beginning when you first tipped, was the current so strong it kept sucking you back into the waterfall?
It was tough swimming it, but thanks for watching and commenting. I hope no one ever has to take a swim like that again.
You did it so I won’t have to. Thank you for your service!
Omg, I was scared for you! Glad you're okay, and thanks for sharing
@@majabrooks82 Thanks, Maja. I could show you the lines sometime, if you want 🙂
Thanks for posting. Scary and educational.
the largest five minutes video i have seen on youtube , i am glad you make it
I still don't understand how you went under the 2nd time that ultimately led to the swim. Was it tightening up from the realization of your situation or were you already just beat with little control? Crazy swim
That was rough my guy. Glad you made it.
Indeed. I don't know if I make it out of the river without him. I hope no one ever has a swim like that again, and it will be quite a while before I go see Mr. Bill again
In your comments you state that "I was not in my drysuit." To actually own the proper gear and not be wearing it makes this even worse. Dress for a rescue, dress for the water not the air. Most of the commenters also got into the other level of preparation that you lacked, which was the skills to be on water of this class. You were lucky. You state that you know it, but take that to heart. You were lucky.
I've been in water that outclassed me before. Best thing you can do is learn from the experience and never repeat it, as with all mistakes.
Your buddy in the Orange boat... buy him lots of beers....
good vid
But quick tip when someone gets injured stuck or needs to get out the water make sure they grab on the front of your kayak so you can see how they are and to be able to keep them calm
Holy hell man glad you're alright!
Yup.... That was quite the swim..... But hey..... We are all just in between swims!!!! 😉😉😉
Thank God you made it. I was researching what exactly a "flush drowning" is, and I came across this. I can't comprehend this. Stay well!
I believe one of the advantages of getting older is better risk assessment and management. As soon as the video started I saw right off the river was way over the paddlers skill level and he was winded before he even hit the bigger stuff and came out of the boat. The other issue was the boat exit. He gave up really quick and swam. My experience on much weaker water is that you want that roll as bomber as possible and you want to stay in your boat if at all possible. There is a reason swimming class 4-5 whitewater isn't a sport/hobby! ;) And last but not least, only a drytop in water that cold, ouch. A braver man than I. It only took a few rafting trips in the fall and spring to teach me the value of a drysuit or full wetsuit. honestly, if your pushing class 4 than just get a drysuit. When your paddling class 4-5 Obviously you like the sport and have been paddling a bunch, or your crazy and are going to drown soon anyway so either way you might as well get a drysuit (your either going to use it a bunch, or your not going to need the money anyway so win-win!).
Hope your still paddling. I'm out for a few more years but hopefully will recover enough to at least get back on C2-3 rivers for some fun :)
I have had a long swim before. Probably not that long. By that time I am sure you called it a day and was ready for a few beers. Looks like that run is road side luckily
Testing those "self-rescue" skills. I went for a swim in Gore Canyon quit a few years ago. Feeling for you!
quick question, what gloves are those? my friends have a habbit of breaking knuckles and fingers and really want some protection for myself
they look like regular composite knuckle gloves. you can get them for cheap at walmart, auto parts stores, hardware stores, etc.
Fuck that was gnarly. Glad you're okay man!
Glad of the good outcome -- your safety. Incredible learning session I hope as you did a lot wrong both while in the boat and when in the water. Stay safe.
The gear is not for sale, but I would be interested to hear what some of the lessons are
As someone has probably already pointed out. You should have aggressively swam to the side. The eddy that your boat found was a great eddy to swim in to. Floating down the centre of the river doesn't get you out of trouble. Also, you should have let go of your friend when coming up to rocks. By clinging on, whilst he's going down backwards and approaching said rocks is endangering him. One last point, paddling with gloves is a bad idea - you can't feel your paddles properly, which doesn't help in the slightest.
I'm sure you know all of this by now though. :)
Thanks for the vid. Good reminder that no matter how smooth things usually go. When they go bad, they can go really bad. Got some thoughts on where things went wrong if you are interested in trying the Narrows again.
FUCK YEAH! Let’s fire it up sometime. I know I am eight years late replying to you, but whatever. At least this way you get an affirmative reply
This was difficult to watch but it proves the point of the need for self rescue training, the need for a throw rope, and also setting realistic goals for kayak trips. My advice, stick with class 1 whitewater until you learn eddy out and peel out. Also the ability to track in a straight line in current and stay in the main flow. When you can do that you are ready to try class 2
Шикарный ролик!!! УВАЖЕНИЯ И НИЗКИЙ ПОКЛОН оператору перенесшему подобную купель! ‼️👍👌🤝👏👏👏
We all make mistakes and frighten ourselves. It inspires us to keep learning from others and humbles us at the power of water that carved so much of this earth into shape.
Thank you for sharing this!
So, so so so, so so, so, so,so so so SO SO FUCKING LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. Bro, I hope you are CHERISHING THE SHIT out of your life still.
I'm on a spree watching white kayak rescues and ya'll are mental. Haha. I have minimal raft experience but spend quite bit of time on my Surfski in open water. Im always amazed just how powerful water is. You don't realize it until you've been in a spot where you have no control, and that doesn't much, haha. Feeling hopeless, being swept away by water is a humbling experience.
That was awesome footage. Terrible, scary and impressive. Glad you're ok.
I was about to make a critical comment then I remembered all the bad swims and times I was crying out like a baby in big water. Glad you got out OK.
Well, the only thing I could add to all that is learn to read the river better. Once you decided to bail, you had very limited time to learn that most of the flow from that hole circ'd left and back in, powerful like. You got lucky that the 3rd spin around got you out. You needed to be swimming right very hard as soon as you got to the surface! I also cannot emphasize enough to aggressively self rescue. You should run every river as if you had to save yourself, because most times you do!
Seeing all that undercut rock must have made you see your life flashing in front of your eyes. Terrifying is the word that comes to mind. The video is appropriately named!
my god brother. that was a bad 1. I have guided the new & gauley here in WV for decades now & that swim looked like 1 of the worst ever. glad u r ok :)
Thank you, Ophello
It'd be cool to see you paddle that same stretch now. I can only assume after 5 years time, you're better at paddling now than when you made the video.
That was a solid 9.8 on the pucker factor 👏 from here.
I am glad you didn't go as far as I did. It was absolutely brutal, but I escaped with just a bunch of bruises, a bit of a bloody nose, and a whole lot to think about.
It took me a long time to figure that rapid out. Once you know where to be and at what angle it makes life much easier. At 0:31 you want to be about 2 feet further left driving at 11 o'clock with a right stroke to take on that curler wave that pushed you into the rocks on river right. I've been upside down in that eddy more than anywhere else on the river.
hahah this is exactly how i learned... fun experience, made a better boater out of me and taught me to be more humble, clear creek is good at putting people in their place.
This swim would have killed most people that I know that raft and kayak whitewater... I obviously am not that experienced and neither is my group of friends, but I feel like even some seasoned whitewater Kayakers may have ended up dying from flush drowning in these circumstances. That rapid was just relentless! From the time that he bailed from the kayak, to the time where he was finally rescued would have absolutely exhausted most people, and that's not even counting the numerous rock impacts and whitewater features he was pulled into. This is still my go to video to demonstrate how a Flush Drowning can occur, since most people can't understand at first how a person can drown without being held under for an extended period of time. So glad this guy was okay!
tankmaster1018 Thanks Tank I appreciate the input Somehow I can’t get the punctuation screen so please forgive that Yeah it was brutal and Steve saved me I’m truly grateful to have since been able to paddle a few thousand miles of wonderful whitewater and not had to endure another swim like this 🙌🏼
@@JohnEHopper Haha, don't worry about the punctuation man! I totally understand everything you were saying, and am honestly impressed that you would even bring it up which puts you miles ahead of 90% of youtube comments you read or respond to! I know its been a few months since I replied to you comment, but I have spent the past few months trying to learn how to whitewater kayak, and despite a couple of lessons on the Middle Yough last weekend, I almost drowned a few days ago in a relatively straightforward class II+ drop/pour-over. I thought that I took all the proper precautions and even had 200 feet of rope, a throw bag, and a damn good life jacket, but I still came closer to drowning then I ever want to get again.
My home river is the Shenandoah or the Potomac where Maryland meets West Virginia, but the Shenandoah around Harpers Ferry is a bit more forgiving to beginners until its water level crosses the 7 foot mark. Even after a couple of lessons by professional guides at the Yough, my roll utterly failed me as soon as I got into real trouble. There is a deceptively powerful hole after a little wave train following a II+ rapid called Bull Falls, and it was already too late after I got over the last wave and realized I was going straight for a pencil sharpener The diagonal wave flipped me before I even had a chance to take a breath, and I flipped over and smashed my arms and hands on a rock ledge on the way down the slide. I hit the hole at the bottom of the slide, and the rapid shoved a shitload of water up my nose and my normal roll was useless, then I reached for my grab loop but the current was so strong that I could hardly even sit up.
Long story short, I ended up coming within probably 10 seconds of blacking out. I actually completely ran out of air and went to take a breath 2-3 times while still trapped underwater, and just sucked in a shitload of lake water which made it even harder to think clearly. Thank god I finally realized that I had to dive back under, tuck forward, and pull the loop. And that was the start of my 3 mile swim over the Bull's Tail and into the Staircase...
It is now almost a week later and I am still recovering from the injuries. I lost my paddle instantly, tried to grab onto my flooded kayak for support since I was totally out of air and gasping for breath, and proceeded to slice my legs, shins, and feet to ribbons after my shoes got sucked off my feet and I got pulled headfirst over numerous massive rocks less then a foot under the surface. It was the closest I've ever come to drowning, and yet my experience doesn't even begin to come close to what you must have gone through on that swim... I honestly think that I would have been finished around the 3:28 mark in your video. I swam a bit on a class II, you swam multiple miles on the Narrows after a terrifying wet exit in that hole that recirculated you 3 times. I mean fuck man... you are a fucking champion to be able to take a beating like that, and still be able to self-rescue by the end! Lmfao, bet you scared the shit out of your friends! I would have thought that you had flush drowned for sure by around the 3 minute mark if I was one of them!
DUDE!!! Thank God you are still here to be able to tell me that. It actually sounds like yours was far worse than mine, even though I was probably in rough for water. I didn’t have anything like the kind of injuries you had, and I was back in the water two days later. Important correction, I did not self rescue. I got towed out of there by my buddy Steve Rako. I paddled that section yesterday with about 100 CFS less water than the day I swam it, and I was in awe all over again at how brutal it was. It was just seriously tough water and nothing anybody should ever have to swim. And it goes on for a looooong time.
Get back in your boat as soon as you can, man. White water kayaking is the greatest sport in history
@@JohnEHopper Haha thanks a bunch man! And I already have gotten back in. I took two days of lessons last weekend, and am actually going back to the Shenandoah tomorrow to give it another try now that I can actually paddle properly and brace! Thanks again man and have a very pleasant afternoon
Whoa, friend, this was not a fun swim to watch. I'm gathering from the video and comments that you were short on experience and in over your head. I've been there and done that...back before there was easy video to capture the whole thing for the world to see.
I've read, and heard about, excellent boaters who had near flush drowning swims, and one or two who did actually drown. I'm sure you now know what I mean. I'm glad you survived. Also, major props to you for posting the video...you may have helped educate other people and saved lives.
And that is what you call in over your head, on several levels.
It was tough watching that! Thanks for sharing.
That was f*cking agonizing to watch, wow.
General lack of boat control or assertive paddling. Basically a lot of ruddering, which does not work on moving water. You should be using sweeps, forwards or backwards. Besides drifting into those rocks instead of boofing, you randomly stuck your paddle into the pourover instead of leaning aggressively into the diagonal wave.
+Gregg Silk I was going to give similar advice.
^General lack of understanding that the person who got teabagged and almost drowned doesn't need to hear your pompice opinion about how he fucked up a line. Jesus get a clue. I know this is youtube but boaters are boaters.
madmiguelh2o Sorry keyboard warrior
After an event like that, what happens next? Do you get back in your kayak and finish the trip? Do you hike out on foot? Does someone come and get you? Do you lose your zest for the sport or does your desire increase? Do you start over and try that run again? So many questions.
+GreatNorthWeb The answer is yes. All of the above, depends on the person, move, how scary it was. Reasonable thing after a similar experience is to take it easy. I went back to sea kayaking for a month after something similar, then I enjoyed surfing small waves on the local class 2.
GreatNorthWeb sorry for the late response, my friend. I hiked up to the road. Thank God it was roadside because it would have been torture to have to paddle out after that beat down. I have had so much from this experience it is hard to count for, but the short story is I got right back in about two days later. I had a pretty good circle of friends who gave me the necessary harsh feedback of my decision making, but also encouraged me to get right back on the horse because I might not ever if I didn't right away. Something like that can really get in your head, so it's important to have newer, better experiences to replace this one. It did take me three years to go back to that particular run. The actual rapid's name that ate me up is "Mr. Bill", and I believe Bill and I will be working on our relationship for many days to come. At the moment we are semi-friendly, but I am well aware of how nasty my new "friend" can be if he gets in a mood.
Thanks for the reply. One more question. Whose boot is floating between the rocks at 5:00? Is that where Mr. Bill hides his trophies collected from the carnage?
As a newbie, you shouldn't embark on big powerful waters like these, unless you have a fairly bombproof roll. Big water makes for very long swims, and hardly no-one can help you due to the power and swiftness and the current.
Big water often looks less impressive than creek style rapids, but are most of the time much more dangerous.
AND you can easily loose gear also.
(cont'd) at 1:08 coming into Mr. Bill you want to be about 3 feet further left (in the main flow) coming off that rock that you see to your left at 1:09 with a 1 o'clock boat angle with a good left boof stroke to get your bow up onto the pillow. Where you came off will usually push your bow left into the hole. The alternate is to sneak it far, far right, but what's the fun in that? Good luck on your next run.
Yooo that was some serious current.
A pretty brutal swim, to be sure. But, there are some solid lessons to be learned from this footage; some are obvious, some more subtle, and the list could get pretty long.
Lack of preparation meets opportunity
one nasty swim indeed my friend, glad you are ok.
As a former instructor this should never have happened. First you need to learn how to self rescue! And how to swim in a river. Second find some people who know you are in over your head from the start and not take you down a stretch of river your not ready for !!! When he says “way to hang in there” yeah genius
LOL!! Yelling and screaming! Swim to the side dude!
Why did you get out of your boat?
That was very scary…..I felt like I was drowning watching it….hope you are ok!
Just another example (many more in the winter with inexperienced schmoes getting caught in avalanches) showing that just because you have the money to buy the gear and a go pro does not instantly make you ready for the x-games.
I have had a swim like that before. I am sure you have heard it already but from what I saw you weren't focused on down stream. It look liked you panicked. Gotta stay calm and scan for the best eddie
Heck of a swim, bit dodgy with just two people... But glad you both came out on top:).
Good luck John, I hope you stuck with paddling. Clear Creek Narrows is no joke. While the paddling advice on this thread is sound - the only advice given that you should follow is simply to go have fun on more class III before stepping up to Class V. This state has tons and tons of Class III, dig on that a while then some easy Class IV sections or runs. Then in a few years you get your revenge on Mr Bill (the drop that flipped you in this video).
Josh Sheets Bill and I started working on our relationship last year as CC was coming up, three years post beat down. The last lap I took was at ~500, but after that I went upstream and went nuts running Lawson through Kermits for a couple of months. AWESOME run between 800-1600 ;-)
Wow that was hairy! Good thing you weren't alone, things would've turned out a lot different.
To all the people being on a high horse - calm down. Like you never made a mistake. Mistakes like that could (and do) happen to very experienced people. They just happen more to newcomers. Teach, don't preach.
Yeah, very true. But mistakes like that can kill people. He is very lucky. He even was attempting to stand up multiple times. That's a big no no. Especially in a rock garden river like that, way more places for foot entrapment. My guess is that this guy has been moving up classes with out a good beater session. Hopefully he will learn a lot from this and practice. On aspects more.
nice swim
That's fucking gnarly. I know you didn't get out of that without some broken bones and maybe some battle scars. Could have been worse for sure. What was the outcome physically?
That's me bill. There's a cave next to it. Iv swam out of there.
We all know the dreaded numbers of people getting scared out of the sport. I lucked out and managed to get back in a boat after my catastrophe swim. Don't give up...don't lose the love! Ps: next time grab the upper handles on the back of the boat and pull your whole upper body up on the back deck...the rescue boater will have a much easier time and you will get to the shore ASAP!
I sensed is nerves right from the start! I could tell he was not ready for that water. We have to be honest with our selves and know what water your ready for. There's so many factors to. This is big current with not much room for error. Picked the wrong run
OMG, that was a horrible swim !! I've had a few bad ones, but nothing like this.. I won't mess with that section of Clear Creek.