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The National White Water Centre H&S 2009

GR 2004 DRE 2009 1 Raft Guide Manual

General Conditions for British Canoeing River Raft Guide Training Courses at the National White Water Centre (NWWC)

•White water rafting is an ‘assumed risk’ water environment contact sport that may carry attendant risks. •Participants should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement. •All raft guide courses are staffed by appropriately qualified guides. Guide to student ratios are in accordance with British Canoeing (BC) guidelines. The NWWC has a pro-active approach to staff training. Occasionally, trainee raft guide trainers may be involved in sessions, however they will be under the supervision of a nationally qualified raft guide trainer at all times. •Whilst every reasonable attempt will be made to deliver raft guide courses, the NWWC reserves the right to cancel or modify the courses due to safety considerations and factors beyond our control. •As part of the continual review of safety and associated considerations, the conditions of booking are subject to change, clarification and modification at any time. •Only the Centre Director or his appointed Deputy is empowered to vary or waive any of the conditions of booking. Such decisions are totally at the discretion of the Director or the Appointed Deputy. Liability and Insurance •White water rafting is a potentially dangerous activity. All participants must be aware of this and accept the risks associated with these activities. Whilst the NWWC has an excellent safety record, responsibility for death, injury or illness arising from raft guide training and associated activities can only be accepted if caused by negligence on the part of the NWWC, its servants or agents. •The NWWC is under no liability whatsoever in respect of loss or damage to property, however caused, whilst at the NWWC, or on a course arranged by the centre at another location. •The NWWC holds public liability cover. Health and Safety Considerations •Due to the strenuous nature of white water rafting, all participants must be physically able. Anyone with a medical condition or injury which may impede their ability to raft should consult their medical practitioner to assess their ability to raft. The centre should be informed of any medical conditions or injuries. •All course participants must be able to swim and be confident swimming in open water (defined as 25 metres). •All participants must be age 16 or over for raft guide courses. •Raft Guide courses are not suitable if you are pregnant. •Spectacles can be a hazard to you whilst participating in Raft Guide courses. You are strongly recommended not to wear spectacles of any kind. If you choose to wear spectacles you must accept that injury may occur and accept full responsibility for any such injury. Participants may wear contact lenses. •Course participants will not be permitted to consume alcohol or drugs prior to, or during courses. The centre staff reserve the right to refuse participation to anyone considered to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. •The NWWC staff may require any participant to leave the raft guide course if that person acts in any such manner as to endanger him/herself or any other centre user. •The Course Director may require any participant to leave the raft guide course if that person is not of a suitable standard to be on that course. • Disabled persons are welcome to participate in raft guide course subject to submission of details to the booking office at the time of booking.



• I understand that my personal data may be used for Track and Trace purposes, as required by the Welsh Government • Face coverings must now be worn in public indoor spaces in Wales, ensure you bring a face covering with you and use it. Water Levels •Raft guide courses can only take place at the NWWC when there is a suitable water release from Llyn Celyn Reservoir. •There is always the possibility of water being turned off at short notice e.g. in the interest of flood defence or following a mechanical breakdown at the dam. Course participants must therefore check on the most up-to-date information regarding water releases before travelling. This can be done by telephoning the Water Information Line on 01678 520826 or by checking the website - www.nationalwhitewatercentre.co.uk. •Refunds will be made in the event of failure to deliver any raft guide courses due to unsuitable water releases. The NWWC will not accept any liability for any other expenditures or costs incurred by prospective participants. Bookings and Payment •All BC River Raft Guide courses must be paid for in full at time of booking. Cancellations and Refunds • Should you cancel your booking for any reason more than 30 days before your raft guide course commences, a £50 administration fee per person will apply. • Should you cancel your booking for any reason less than 30 days before your raft guide course commences, there will be no refunds and the full amount (including any applicable individual registration fees) will be payable. • Any bookings transferred between 30 days and 5 working days before your raft guide course date will be liable to a 50% surcharge. No transfers can be arranged within 5 working days of your course date. • No Refunds will be offered which arise from circumstances that are beyond the control of the NWWC, except for water releases. • If a raft guide course has to be cancelled due to there being fewer than 3 participants, NWWC withholds the right to offer to transfer the booking to another date or provide a full refund. We will make every effort to meet the minimum requirement and ensure the course goes ahead, though this might not always be possible.

Pre Course Information Course Content •This is a three-day course which will cover raft design and basic maintenance, raft guiding skills, the provision of safety briefs, client care on and off the water, duty of care, risk assessment and manual handling of rafts, safety skills and basic rescue skills and incident management. It will also include a certain amount of training in the NWWC’s operational procedures. Most of these topics will be dealt with on the water, in a realistic setting, through the natural course of events and set up scenarios. •We plan to be finished and back into dry clothes by 5:30pm each day. There are no evening sessions on this course. •Refreshments are not provided but there is a café on site. There are also hot showers at the Centre for the end of the day. Equipment and clothing If you can bring the following equipment and clothing with you on the course, that would be brilliant, however if you don’t have any of the following equipment, it is not a problem. All equipment can be borrowed from the centre providing you arrange this with us in advance.



Please bring: • Normal paddling clothing (suitable for the conditions on the day)

• Paddling footwear (not sandals or open toed shoes)

• Helmet (non peaked)

• Buoyancy aid

• Knife

• Throwline (at least 15m)

• Sling, prusiks and karabiners (x4 screwgate, including 1HMS)

• Whistle The NWWC can supply all specialist equipment required for raft guide courses. Don’t rush out to buy something on this list if you don’t have it. A lot of what is available on the market today is unsuitable for river safety usage. One of the aims of the course is to help you make your own decisions about what to carry with you on the river. If you do not have something, try to borrow it, if you still have problems, give us a ring at the Centre on 01678 521083. •Dry suits are available to hire from the centre at a charge of £25 per person. •Damage to or loss of centre equipment caused by negligence, malicious acts or carelessness must be paid for at the time at current replacement value. •Midges can cause a nuisance particularly in early summer; participants should consider using insect repellent. Travel Directions for the National White Water Centre / Canolfan Dŵr Gwyn Genedlaethol The postcode for the centre is LL23 7NU •The NWWCis in Snowdonia and is located on the A4212 (Bala to Trawsfynydd road) between Frongoch village and Llyn Celyn Reservoir. Travelling to the NWWC from elsewhere in the UK: •From the south take the M54, A5 and A494 to Bala, from the north take the M56 then the A494 to Bala, at Bala turn right onto the A4212 torwards Trawsfynydd. Drive 3 miles to the village of Frongoch; we are just 1 mile past Frongoch (look out for the Rafting and Canoeing Sign). Travelling to the NWWC from within Wales: •Travelling from Mid and South Wales; take the A470 to Dolgellau then the A494 to Bala, at Bala turn left onto the A4212 towards Trawsfynydd. Drive 3 miles to the village of Frongoch; we are just 1 mile past Frongoch (look out for the Rafting and Canoeing Sign). •From Anglesey, Bangor, Caernarfon and the surrounding area; take the A5 (south) to Cerrigydrudion, just past the village turn right onto the B4501 to Frongoch. Turn right in Frongoch onto the A4212 (towards Trawsfynydd); we are just 1 mile past Frongoch (look out for the Rafting and Canoeing Sign). •From Porthmadog, Pwllheli and the surrounding area; take the A487 to Trawsfynydd, then the A4212 (towards Bala) when you pass Llyn Celyn Reservoir continue down the hill then turn right to the centre at the rafting and canoeing sign. By Rail - Nearest main railway stations are Llandudno Junction, Chester, Shrewsbury, Aberystwyth and



Bangor. Regional services are available to Barmouth and Wrexham. Travel by road is then essential. The main stations are about 1 to 1 ½ hours from the NWWC.



Raft Guide

Manual



We want to be the best white water centre and to achieve this,

our core values are to:

Have an informative, friendly and efficient booking process.

Have a welcoming, helpful and knowledgeable reception.

Have the best raft guides possible – professional, safe, knowledgeable, sociable

and fun. This is a huge part of what our customers remember from their

rafting trip, the white water is great on its own but the guides give the session

an extra sparkle which really makes a difference to people’s enjoyment.

Take care of our venue. It’s a great centre and stunning location, we need to

show it off to people.

Reflect our values in our equipment: good quality, good condition, logoed and

matching, this enhances our reputation as a safe and professional centre.

We just want everyone to have an awesome

time, see how fun rafting is and how ace

Wales is!



INDEX

Page Contents

1 Canolfan Tryweryn Guide Manual Introduction

2 Professionalism

3 Guide Objectives

5 Guide Responsibilities and Behaviour

5 Canolfan Tryweryn Smoking Policy

6 Guide Equipment

7 Guide Session Overview

8 Organizing Clients

9 Initial Meet and Greet / Medical Brief

10 Client Rafting Equipment (Sizing, damaged kit procedure)

11 Raft Safety Brief

14 Loading Rafts onto Trailers

15 Entry and Exit of the River

16 Raft Session Procedures (On the Water)

18 Mentoring (developing future guides)

20 Orca Sessions

21 End of Session (Raft & Orca)

22 End of the Day

23 Boat Handling

24 Tracking and Skidding

25 Future Water

25 The Raft Crew

26 Personal Strokes

27 Ferry Glide

28 Off-Line

29 Positioning in Waves and Holes

29 Controlling your Speed in a Flotilla

30 Rafting Techniques

31 Upstream and Downstream Vs

32 Commands

33 Dealing with Incidents, Rescues

34 Swimmers

35 Flips

36 Incident Command Structure

37 Casualty Transport (Methods of Extrication)

38 Entrapments

47 Raft Wraps



APPENDICIES

Page Appendix Contents

57 1 Basic Anchors Using Slings

58 2 Basic Anchors Using Ropes

59 3 Basic Mechanical Advantage Systems

60 4 Pig Rig 4:1

61 5 Further Methods for Unwrapping Rafts

63 6 Useful Knots

70 7 Rafting Signals

77 8 Health and Safety Rafting Policy

LIST OF FIGURES

PAGE FIGURE CONTENTS

38 1 The Snag Tag Rescue (Stabilization Line Set-up)

39 1.1 The Snag Tag Rescue (Stabilization Line in Position)

40 1.2 The Snag Tag Rescue (Tag Line)

40 1.3 The Snag Tag Rescue Close Up View)

41 2 Entrapment Cinch Method

42 3 Entrapment (one bank access No. 1)

42 3.1 Entrapment (one bank access No. 2)





45 4 Two Point Tether

45 4.1 Four Point Tether

46 5 The Telfer Lower

48 6 Tension Diagonal

49 7 Boy Scout Method

49 7.1 Boy Scout Method (Vector Pull)

51 8 The “Peel” using a 2:1 system

52 9 The Load Distributing Boatman’s Anchor

53 10 The “Pull” (using a 3:1 system)

54 11 Long Tape Multi equalizing anchor

55 12 Internal “Z” Drag



THE NATIONAL WHITE WATER CENTRE GUIDE MANUAL

INTRODUCTION

The Guide Manual is a procedural document for running white water rafting and Orca

sessions at The National White Water Centre. However, within the manual there are

many generic skills, attitudes and reflections of good guiding practice used throughout

the world. The guide manual is a development of good working practice by many guides

and staff at The National White Water Centre (NWWC) and from many individuals’

experience and knowledge gained and developed by guiding around the globe. This

manual reflects the development of rafting at the centre to its current status as the leading

white water centre for rafting and training in the UK.

The manual is intended as an aide memoir and refresher for current NWWC guides and is

under no circumstance intended to be a replacement for training. For first year guides and

new guides to the centre, the manual sets clear procedural and operational best practice. It

is important to refer to the manual on a regular basis to refresh on best practice and to

clearly understand NWWC operations.



PROFESSIONALISM

River guides have the most personal contact with clients, and are therefore one of the

most important elements in The National White Water Centre’s rafting operation.

A guide’s personality and attitude can positively or adversely affect a client’s experience

and perception of the company. The River Guide is in effect the company’s ambassador

to its clients, and other river users.

Guides are employed for their outdoor skills, organisation, people skills, qualifications

and accomplishments. Guiding the raft down the river is the easiest of required skills to

attain. However, developing the social/people skills needed to meet the challenges the job

of raft guiding demands takes time and effort. Each guide needs a certain amount of

natural ability in this area, as well as a generous amount of patience, forgiveness and a

charismatic and easy-going personality.

Guides need to have a high regard for conservation and ecology to work within the

outdoor environment; this is especially true for us working within the Snowdonia

National Park. It is important for guides to set a good example in all aspects of outdoor

etiquette. For example, correct litter disposal (this includes the disposal of cigarette ends)

and care for the environment at our site.

It is important that as a guide you strive for, maintain and uphold the highest standards in

the industry to confirm the customers’ belief in you as the guide, and the company you

represent. NWWC guides have added pressures of working at a busy managed site. Not

only are there the implications regarding rafting but also the relationships with other river

users such as kayakers and canoeists.

Raft Guides are leaders and should consider themselves as co-ordinators and facilitators

of experience, not as autocrats. Many people do not respond very well to a loud bossy

manner. Maintaining authority and the respect of the clients is at times an exercise in

psychology and public relations, and can be both interesting and very challenging.



GUIDE OBJECTIVES

Guides need to consider their role and objectives before, during and after their rafting

sessions.

These objectives should be to:

ENSURE SAFETY

All activities should be carried out in a safe manner, with no participants being placed

under pressure to take part if they do not wish to do so. Clients should be given the

opportunity to decide on their own level of involvement in an activity whenever possible

(e.g. during an Orca session when all clients may not want to run a particular rapid)

Ensuring safety in a constantly changing environment such as rafting requires the guide

to carry out hundreds of dynamic risk assessments throughout the course of the day. The

guide will be constantly assessing the environment for hazards, calculating who the

hazards might affect; and then calculating the probability of the individuals identified

being affected. An example of this would be the simple procedure of looking upstream

before exiting an eddy thus ensuring that the raft will not collide with any other river

users.

MANAGE and FACILITATE

To organise the raft crew and to ensure they understand what is happening and what they

need to be doing. The whole experience, starting from when the clients drive onto the site

to the moment they leave, should be a positive one. With experience a guide will become

more responsive to the individual needs of his/her clients and will be capable of creating

an environment in which clients can relax and enjoy their rafting session.

TEACH

It is your responsibility to make sure your crew have ownership of the skills that they will

require for rafting, for example, how to manoeuvre the boat, and what to do if they end

up in the water. In the role of educator, you may also be required to give information

about the local area and the environment.

MAKE DECISIONS

As a guide in the outdoors, you have the skills to make educated decisions in times of

problems that the group may not be capable of making themselves. You are obliged to

make those decisions on their behalf.



MAKE THE EXPERIENCE FUN

This can be achieved by:

• Clear and concise information between guides and clients.

• Keeping the crew informed.

• Always being honest and diplomatic.

• Not being loud, flippant or blasé.

• Not smoking or swearing in front of the group.

• Promoting group involvement.

• Doing your best to always be happy and enthusiastic.

• Above all… being aware of group and individual’s needs.

REMEMBER: TO LOSE YOUR COMPOSURE IS TO LOSE YOUR CREDIBILITY

Whatever happens as a guide you are the expert in your field. You are always a picture of

calm and control (even if inside you don’t feel this way).

If you have the credibility and respect of your clients, you will get the response you

desire.

The image you create will have a lasting impression on the people you come in contact

with during your rafting sessions. The first impression you make will be hard to change

once the session has begun.

A professional guide must be well prepared, have a mature outlook, and be friendly,

approachable and presentable. Working as a guide can be very enjoyable. However, your

enjoyment should never be at the expense of your clients.

The quality of your guiding is not something that just happens. It needs to be worked on,

it comes from effort and experience and guidance from more experienced professional

guides.

It is good to be self-critical, analyse your guiding and how the session ran with other

guides, was your team work effective? How could it be improved? Did you run good

lines? Did anything go wrong? How can you improve on this or how can you stop that

happening again? What did you learn from the experience?

Being a good guide involves a great deal of factors: possibly the easiest of them all is

getting a raft down a river.



GUIDES’ RESPONSIBILITIES AND BEHAVIOUR

Guides will not work when under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Guides will not smoke in front of clients and will refrain from the use of foul language.

Guides are responsible for the whole aspect of the white-water trip. This includes kitting

and de-kitting clients, loading rafts, getting the kit ready and tidying up the kit and rails at

the end of the day.

Guides will be courteous and polite to all customers and other staff whilst at the Centre.

Guides should be punctual and present themselves in a professional manner.

Guides are reminded that all people on the river are clients.

NATIONAL WHITE WATER CENTRE SMOKING POLICY

No smoking is allowed in any of The National White Water Centre’s buildings. There

should be no smoking whilst wearing any NWWC equipment especially when near the

rafting kit, under the canopy, or in close proximity to the rafts and orcas. Guides are

reminded that whilst working at the NWWC there is to be no smoking under the canopy

at the front door or around the front door area. Please use the designated smoking areas

and dispose of cigarette butts in the special bins provided. Guides should instruct clients

not to smoke whilst wearing centre equipment or in the immediate vicinity of the centre

equipment.



GUIDE EQUIPMENT

Guides are responsible for providing their own personal equipment. A raft guide must

carry the following items as a bare minimum.

• Helmet

Must meet CE standard EN 1385.

Must not have a solid peak at the front.

Must not be worn backwards unless designed to do so.

The small lip on the Sweet rocker helmet is considered suitable for rafting.

• Personal Throw-line e.g. 15m (a system of carrying a line on the person should be in

place, rather than the line being clipped to the boat)

• Flip line with Karabiner (flip lines should be around 3m in length depending on your

height)

• 2 extra Karabiners for rescue purposes and clipping large throw bag to raft

(1 HMS screw gate, 2 screw gate)

• 2 x 6mm Prusik loops

• Whistle

• Knife

• Buoyancy Aid (with Suitable storage for rescue kit and knife)

• Suitable footwear (no open-toed footwear)

• Paddle

• Suitable thermal protection for weather conditions.

Guides are to ensure their personal rafting equipment is maintained to an acceptable

standard. All safety equipment must be CE approved (where a CE standard exists).

Equipment should be stored in a pocket or bag so as not to constitute an

entrapment/snagging hazard, i.e. adopt a clean profile.

ADDITIONAL GUIDE EQUIPMENT (optional)

1 or 2 Pulleys



GUIDE SESSION AND ARRIVAL TIME OVERVIEW

Guides are to arrive at the centre 30 minutes before their session time. e.g. 11am for an

11.30 – 1.30 session.

These 30 minutes are used to prepare for your rafting session. Activities that a guide

undertakes includes getting changed, checking the board for his/her session times and raft

number, collecting a first aid kit/ equipment, packing a raft throw-line, and pumping a

raft.

Clients are met 15 minutes before the session time. You should be kitted up and ready.

Once you have done the initial meet and greet with your clients and they are getting

changed you will have time to finish your session preparations.

PRE-TRIP SAFETY

1. Guide Personal and Boat Equipment Check

(a) Throw lines check rope and bag for wear while packing

(b) First Aid Kit check contents are dry and kit is fully stocked

(c) Flip Line or bag check for wear

(d) Knife check knife is secure, sharp and opens with a

smooth action.

(e) Whistles check whistle is secure

(f) Karabiners/Wrap Kit check that it is secure and in working order

2. Boat Check

(a) Leaks

(b) Holes / Tears in the gutter area.

(c) Pressure is correct allowing for expansion or contraction

(d) Perimeter line is tight and secure, check for wear

(e) Bow and stern lines tied properly and secured for quick release

(f) There are no loose lines or ropes

(g) First aid kit is attached appropriately

(h) 20m throw-bag is attached appropriately

(i) Front insert is inflated and in place if appropriate

Reporting damage to the raft

Report minor damage or problems to the raft by using the white board in the drying

room, stating the problem, the date found and your name. Damage or loss of any other

equipment should be reported in the same way, this includes paddles! If there is a major

problem that requires immediate attention, report it to the duty manager so that it can be

dealt with promptly.



ORGANISING CLIENTS

The handover from receptionist to guide

Before meeting your clients you should check the receptionists’ notes in order that you

know how many clients you should have waiting for you at your checkpoint. Looking at

the receptionists’ notes you will notice the name of the group that you are to be taking

rafting, if this name is crossed out this indicates that your clients have all arrived, a large

circled number will then indicate how many clients you have in your raft.

Guides are to meet their clients 15 minutes before the session starts at the meeting points

on the patio. This is your first contact with the clients. It is important that you meet and

greet them in a professional manner and on time.

Clients sometimes arrive late. There are two scenarios that we encounter.

Scenario 1

If the whole group that is booked arrives late then this is no major problem. The clients

will unfortunately have less time on the river as the session cannot run over time (unless

told otherwise by duty manager). The guide will have already prepared the raft. As soon

as the group is signed in then the guide can proceed with the meet and greet and the rest

of the session. Guides do not berate or express dissatisfaction with clients for being

late. It is their session time; it is their time on the water that will be lost.

Scenario 2

It is possible that only a few members for the raft session will be late. If the booking is

one whole group the clients can choose to wait for their friends; however this will cause

them to lose out on water time. If this is explained then the clients can make an informed

decision as to the amount of time to wait.

Only a few clients being late can cause problems when the raft is full of individual

bookings rather than a group. (All booking agent rafts such as Activity Super Store tend

to be individual bookings that are grouped together to fill a raft.) If fewer than 4 clients

turn up on time the session cannot continue as the minimum number of clients we allow

in a raft is 4. However, this is a problem for the duty manager to rectify. The guide needs

to be aware that the clients will obviously be getting annoyed by a delay. In this situation

keeping the clients updated and informed whilst liaising with the duty manager is

paramount.

If there are enough clients for the session to go ahead, the session will be carried out as

normal. Do not delay meeting and kitting your clients on time. If any of the late clients

arrive before the safety brief starts, the duty manager will decide if there is enough time

for them to be quickly kitted and join the session.

The duty manager will decide a cut-off point for waiting. Please note that flexibility can

be introduced into the system by a duty manager meeting and briefing your next rafting

group.



INITIAL MEET AND GREET / MEDICAL BRIEF

There are a number of questions that you need to ask clients once you have introduced

yourself and welcomed them to The National White Water Centre.

Check that clients have signed in at reception.

Check that clients can swim.

Check that clients are not under the influence of banned drugs or alcohol.

Check that clients are 12 years old or over.

As a guide you need to know if your clients have any medical conditions that you should

be aware of. Please ensure that all clients with medical conditions have checked with

their Doctor to ensure that it is O.K. for them to partake in a strenuous activity such

as white water rafting.

Examples of medical conditions you should check for include:

Asthma

Epilepsy

Diabetes

Heart Condition

Pregnancy

Clients should be given the option for medication to be carried by you the guide if they so

desire: this applies to all medical conditions.

Examples of previous injuries you should check for include:

Shoulder injury/dislocation

Back, knee, ankle injuries

Whiplash in the last 3 years

A guide will now be able to assess whether it is appropriate for the client to take part in

the activity. If in doubt, speak to a duty manager in private before making any

decision. It is also important to give clients the chance to answer your questions in

private if they do not feel happy to answer in front of the whole group. Please remember

to share medical information with the guide you are running with; a lot of

important information is collected at this stage which could influence decisions out

on the river.

It is worth warning clients about the potential for losing jewellery on the river. It is best

to advise them to leave jewellery behind in a locker.

Spectacles and contact lenses: Clients are advised not to wear glasses on the raft,

however glasses can be worn at the clients own risk. Please advise clients that wearing

glasses may increase the chance of facial injury.

Clients can also wear contact lenses at their own risk, but it’s worth mentioning that

lenses can be lost whilst rafting.



It is much easier to address any problems before the clients are changed and ready

to go. If a problem occurs once the clients are kitted it is very difficult to ask them

not to raft for whatever reason. Their level of disappointment is increased when

they are fully kitted up.



CLIENT RAFTING EQUIPMENT

KITTING-UP CLIENTS

All clients need to wear a long-legged wetsuit. Some clients bring their own. Likewise if

a client turns up with a shorty wetsuit please issue a NWWC wetsuit free of charge. Some

clients may wish to use their own diving wetsuits. Diving wetsuits are seldom suitable for

rafting as large valves on the suit increase the risk of injury during impacts. If in any

doubt a guide should check with a duty manager, these clients also qualify for a free

NWWC wetsuit.

All clients who are hiring wetsuits from NWWC will have a token with them. Take the

tokens and issue wetsuits and boots. Return these tokens to reception once you have

kitted your clients. Please DO NOT forget to return the tokens!

KIT SIZING:

It is very important to size the equipment correctly. It is very easy to just give every

person a medium size. When all the mediums have gone the next group to kit will have

problems. This is true for all equipment that we have, from wetsuits through to helmets

and BA’s.

Remember; Incorrectly fitting PPE can be dangerous

GEAR CHECK AND DAMAGED KIT PROCEDURE:

Once all of the clients are kitted, check that all the equipment fits correctly and is secure.

If you discover that any kit is damaged, label it with a Damaged do not use label and

cable tie found in the drying room. The broken/damaged item is then placed in the large

blue barrel in the plant room.

PADDLES

All raft paddles are numbered to correspond to the guide’s raft for the day. Paddles can

be set ready in the raft or handed to the clients on the first session. Paddles can then be

left in the raft ready for the next session. All paddles are to be hung up in the drying room

at the end of the day or when not used on a session. Please, do not leave paddles lying

around. If you lose or are missing a paddle, please do not take paddles from other rafts.

Come and see a duty manager to collect a spare. If a paddle is lost on the river and you

have not been able to retrieve it, come and inform a duty manager.



Personal Flotation Device (PFD)

Correctly fitted PFD is essential to our client’s safety!

BEFORE FITTING Choose a BA that is an appropriate size for your

client, taking into consideration the size of their

torso. Demonstrate where all the fastenings are

located. Fully loosen off all straps before custom

fitting the BA to a client. Failure to follow this

procedure causes damage to the BA!

POSITIONING / CUSTOM FIT The shoulder straps should be adjusted to ensure

that the bottom waist belt sits under the rib cage.

If the zip does not close without being forced,

further loosen the straps or change BA to a larger

size.

Both buckles on the front of the BA should be

done up. Then tighten the chest strap, waist belt,

and both side compression straps. The buoyancy

aid should feel tight around the clients’ body but

they should still be able to take a deep breath.

CHECKING THE BA Visually inspect the buckles to ensure that they

are fastened correctly and that all straps have been

tightened. Physically pull up on the shoulder

straps of the BA. There should be no upward

movement.

Ask clients not to alter any of their equipment during the activity. If they wish to make an

alteration they should ask you, and you should make the alteration.



HELMETS

Correctly fitted Helmets are essential to our clients’ safety!

FIT “The helmet should be a tight fit, but

should not feel uncomfortable”.

Visually check that there is good contact

between a clients head and the liner.

If there is any uncertainty about fit, ask

clients to place a hand on their helmet and

shake it gently, there should be only slight

movement.

POSITION “The helmet should sit just above the eye brows, giving good

coverage of the temples and the forehead”.

CHIN STRAP “Make sure that the chin strap is done up, and tight

under your chin, the chin strap should not prevent

you opening your jaw. You should not be able to

pull the chinstrap over your chin with your thumb”.

Assess all clients performing this simple thumb test.

“Please do not alter any of your equipment during the activity. If you wish to make an

alteration let your guide know and he/she will do it for you”.



RAFT SAFETY BRIEF

The raft safety brief or safety talk is probably the most important contact time that guides

will have with their clients. This is when you train your crews and teach them the

techniques that are so important for their safety. The safety talk needs to be delivered in a

logical and progressive way.

All clients receive a full safety brief. We never cut short the brief. All aspects must be

covered. Once the clients are with the guide and have received the safety brief, there can

be no swapping around between boats or between people. Clients receive a safety brief

and then they head to the put in with the guide for the session.

Clients must receive a safety brief from the guide who is running their session. We

do not safety brief en masse.

Each point in the safety brief is important. The whole brief takes around 15 - 20 minutes.

This is quite a long time for clients to concentrate. Therefore a brief encompassing a lot

of activity and demonstration is required. Correct demonstration for each technique is

required on dry land. Demonstrations are then replicated by the clients and the guide

develops their technique with quick coaching points. It is vital that key areas such as

swimming, rescue, getting clients back in the boat, hold on and get down commands are

demonstrated clearly and practised by the clients.

Each guide has this/her own style and somewhat unique way of communicating the safety

brief. However the core content for each guide is exactly the same. It is vital that the

clients concentrate and understand the safety brief to the best of their ability. Very simple

questioning and checks can be made to gauge the level of understanding. If the clients

have not understood, go over it again. If clients are really failing to grasp the key areas or

are unwilling to listen then they may be asked not to participate in the activity as they

may be endangering themselves and others.

In Brief

1. Give a summary of the key areas you’re going to talk about, introducing

equipment, paddling commands, safety procedures.

2. Ensure that your brief follows a logical progression.

3. Demonstrate as much as possible.

4. Confirm understanding through client participation and questioning.

5. Always ask if anyone would like any further clarification on any of the points

raised in the brief.

Raft Safety Brief Sample

Intro to raft

Self-bailing system



Front / Back

Carrying handles

Safety line

Drainage gutter

Customers seated with backs to sun

Safety brief

Check everyone’s personal gear (must be checked before leaving

kit area)

Seating position

When running with clients, the seventh client always sits on the middle thwart or the

middle of the raft. The back compartment of the raft is for Guides and Trainee Guides only.

This is due to the nature of our river, and the way people can get thrown around on drops

such as Ski Slope, Miss Davies’ bridge and at the Dogleg / Elbow.

Foot position (not down in gutter)

Intro to paddles / Paddling

How to hold paddle.

T grip (keep covered)

Paddle commands (practice)

All forwards

All back

Left back/Right forwards

Right back/Left forwards

Safety commands

Hold on, Lean in

Lean left, Lean right

High-side

Get down, hit the floor

Paddles up (Hands brought in to boat to avoid scuffing on rocks)

Clients told not to fend off rocks or other objects with paddle

Rescue Situation

Pulling clients back in (use PFD and have clients facing you). It is good practice to get

clients to practice this on dry land.

Don’t stand up in moving water

Defensive / aggressive swimming. Clients should practise this position on dry land.

Close rescue / Paddle rescue

Throw-bag rescue

Flips

Other points

Slippery rocks / banks; specific rapids (Ski slope); slalom lines poles; flotillas (other raft

can rescue) safety kayaks (when used at NWWC)



LOADING OF RAFTS ON TO TRAILERS

When loading rafts for runs to the top of the river with customers, a maximum of 2 rafts

are permitted. Paddles can be left in the rafts for the journey to the top only if they are

secure in the raft. Whether there are one or two rafts on the trailer they should be attached

at the tow bar end and across the middle of the raft.

When loading rafts with clients, all reasonable care must be used to ensure good manual

handling practice is adhered to. Teams should lift together and clients must be informed

of correct lifting technique. Lifting rafts with fewer than 4 people is not condoned.

1. Assess the terrain that you will be travelling over. Warn clients if it may be

slippery or uneven. Avoidance of difficult terrain is preferable whenever

possible.

2. Position of feet; feet apart giving a stable base for lifting, leading leg as far

forward as is comfortable, and if possible, pointing in the intended direction of

travel.

3. Posture: bend the knees, keep the back straight, maintaining the natural curves of

the spine (tucking in the chin and not looking down helps).

4. Grip: get a firm grip on the raft handle.

5. Commands: “Lift together when I say lift, hands on handles 1, 2, 3, and lift”.

6. Placing the load down should follow the same procedure, “When I say down

slowly lower the raft to the ground as a team, 1,2,3, and down”.

The guide’s role is not to carry the raft. However this may be necessary at times when

the crew is not strong enough or struggling. The guide will always have contact with the

raft when lifting and carrying is taking place. A hand on the front of the raft or at the

stern of the raft using the perimeter line is most appropriate.

Loading the rafts at the end of the day

At the end of every rafting day the rafts are loaded and taken to storage. We can load up

to four rafts onto a trailer for this journey. All rafts are then secured for the trip. Rafts

should be secured by use of the bow and stern lines of the uppermost raft as well as by a

strap or rope across the middle of the raft stack. Particular care must be taken by all

involved when loading stacks of rafts. Guides should load in an area clear of obstacles

and members of the public, the route to the trailer should also be clear. Guides should be

distributed evenly around the raft. When loading rafts, one person should coordinate the

lifting procedure by giving clear commands. When loading rafts onto the stack, all

members of the loading team must work in unison. Loading the 3rd and 4th raft onto a

stack is definitely a skill. Please ask a senior guide, or a duty manager, for training if you

are new to this procedure. Be aware that it is possible to launch the raft over the top of the

trailer; therefore it is important that you ensure the area surrounding the trailer is clear of

people during loading. You will need a spotter to ensure the area is clear. This is

normally done by the driver.

Ensuring that the trailer is properly hitched and that the safety cable is correctly attached

is the driver’s responsibility.



Conventional methods such as ‘truckers hitches’ should be used to secure rafts.

Transporting rafts off-site

A maximum of 4 rafts are to be transported on a trailer at any one time. Rafts should be

secured by use of the bow and stern lines of the uppermost raft as well as by two

straps/ropes lying across the middle of the raft stack.

ENTRY TO & EXIT FROM THE RIVER

Entry to the river, unless otherwise stated, always takes place just below the Chipper.

1. Using the steps. Rafts can be walked down the steps to the river at the put-in by

making use of both sets of steps and placing the raft in the middle.

Please note that clients’ buoyancy-aids and helmets need to be checked at the put-in

before every run. Once the raft is held stable at the bottom of the steps, the clients can

walk down one by one and climb into the raft. It is important to stress the need to take

care when walking around the bank area and down the steps as these can be slippery.

The raft take-out is just downstream of the centre on the river left. All clients should stay

seated until the raft comes to a complete stop and the guide has secured the raft up

against the get-out platform. Only then should clients be allowed to exit the raft one at a

time. Please note; no rafting equipment is to be removed in the Warm Zone (within 3m of

the river). This includes the raft guide’s helmets.



SESSION PROCEDURES

Spacing and safety in the rapids

The safest mode of travel is in groups of two rafts or more. A flotilla of rafts is a tight

team, with each boat providing mutual support and safety. A party of rafts threads its way

single file down the river in a deliberate and precise fashion.

To keep the string compact and united, each boat continuously keeps the boat behind it

in sight, waiting if necessary. Thus, if one boat stops, both boats stop. Each guide is

always aware of the other boat’s position and status. Each raft looks after the raft behind

it, passing on signals, indicating obstacles, and seeing it through difficult river sections.

Although spacing should generally be tight, rafts should greatly increase their spacing

through technical river sections. Bunching up in rapids not only restricts manoeuvrability

but can also cause accidents.

If one flotilla catches another when running the river, they should eddy out and give the

flotilla in front room and time to clear through, unless signalled by the front flotilla to

pass through. Rafts should avoid splitting other flotillas. Guides need to communicate

clearly their intentions to other water users before running rapids. If the rafts in a flotilla

are ‘leap-frogging’, it is important that the downstream raft in an eddy forms a line of

sight downstream and gives appropriate signals to the raft/rafts that are in the flow. If no

signal is received then each raft guide needs to eddy out and check the path downstream

for his/herself.

Think CLAP

C Communication: Hand signal, whistle, paddle and eye contact with other guide.

L Line of sight: Eddy selection to keep rafts in view. Not running too far ahead.

A Avoidance is better than cure: The running of good lines, scouting ahead, defensive

guiding.

P Position of maximum usefulness for rescue: Bank based, raft and kayak based,

communication, and vision.

If guides consider the above points whilst conducting raft and Orca sessions good team

work flows well and rescues are easily accomplished.

These are the eddies that you need to stop at if you are running in a pair. You

should always run in a pair or with a Safety kayaker

Top of The Graveyard



Eddy on river left or right: to ensure that you and your partner are together before

commencing your run, and to scout the entry to The Graveyard. The idea here is that you

are about 3 - 4 boat lengths behind your partner going into the grave yard section.

Bottom of The Graveyard

Eddy on the river right: so that you are able to watch your partner down the bottom

section of the grave yard rapid, making sure that they have definitely passed Everest rock.

Top of Ski Slope

Eddy on the river right or left: so that you are able to check there is nobody surfing in the

Ski slope eddy. It is very important to have a good look; the wall and trees obstruct your

view.

Bottom of Ski Slope/ Top of Davies’ Bridge

Eddy on the river right or left. To ensure that your partner doesn’t surf in ski slope

stopper and spill clients down the whole of Davies’ Bridge Section. In addition, to ensure

that there are no rafts on the Mrs. Davies’ bridge section before committing to the rapid.

Please note that when it is really busy on the river, if you park yourself in the eddies

below Davies bridge and play you stop the flow of rafts.

Below Davies’ Bridge

Any eddie river left or right; you must be positioned in this eddy watching your partner

through Mrs Davies’ Bridge.

The Take Out

Eddies river left or right: you must be in one of these eddies, and be in a position to effect

a rescue if required.

You must not leave the water until the second raft is safely in the bottom eddie.

Rolling cover does make things run smoothly. Use it if at all possible, i.e. one of you can

catch an eddy and signal your partner(s) through, or make them eddy out, which ever is

required.

NUMBER OF RUNS IN A 2 HOUR SESSION

The full session is sold as a 2 hour session. If the session is run safely, professionally and

according to NWWC Health and Safety policy this is USUALLY 4 runs. If the clients are

late then this may only be 3 runs. If there is only one raft, and the river is very quiet, this

can be 5 runs.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT ALL SESSIONS FINISH ON TIME

Full safety talks and good river running with your flotillas are the main points to bear in

mind. (No racing down the river & splitting flotillas!) Professional consideration and

attitude is the key. If the river is very quiet it may be possible to fit more runs in,

though this is the exception rather than the norm.

River Games



Please be aware that clients have agreed to go rafting; therefore if you, as a guide,

construct any other form of activity for them to take part in with or without their

consent you may be liable.

Splashing

On flat sections rafts running together tend to splash each other. This is perfectly fine as

long as the guide remains in control and the paddlers don’t get close enough to

accidentally strike each other with the paddles. Pulling people out of rafts and into the

water is not condoned and is always to be discouraged, as the river is very rocky and

shallow.

Flips

Nobody is to intentionally flip a raft on the Tryweryn, unless this is done by a raft guide

trainer for training purposes.

Surfing waves and pop outs

There are suitable waves to surf rafts at The National White Water Centre. The main

wave for raft surfing is the Dog Leg wave outside the centre. Once the raft is on the wave

it is very important that the clients are in the ‘get down’ position. When surfing a wave it

is very easy to dip a tube accidentally as the raft spins off the wave dropping clients over

the side. Therefore, it is recommended that the ‘lean’ or ‘over’ command should be

called. Caution must be used, if the river is busy (if there are 3 or more paddlers using

this river feature, do not stop and surf). If you are surfing it is vital that you watch

upstream for river traffic coming down. They have right of way, you need to get off the

wave and move out of the way.

Pop-outs with the rafts can be achieved at Fedwr Goch or Miss Davies’. Again if the

eddies are loaded with 3 or more paddlers, do not stop and surf. It is important to see the

big picture at this point. Surfing in the wave, or stopping in the eddies below Miss

Davies’ bridge, prevents any other rafts from making their way downstream which often

causes congestion below ‘Ski Slope’. Therefore do not stop at these spots during busy

periods.



MENTORING

(The process of encouraging development in a new guide)

All mentors must have a minimum of 2 seasons’ experience and must be deemed as

having suitable experience by the Centre Directors or the Head Guide. Guides will be

paid an additional fee per Full Session that they complete with a trainee guide.

New guides will have a whole range of training needs which will need to be developed if

they are to become competent raft guides. Having successfully completed a level 1 raft

Guide Training course, trainees will possess the raw skills that they will require as a

guide. Personal guiding ability will be further improved by sitting on a trainee boat and

the final stage will involve a phase of mentoring with commercial clients.

Guides will have no experience of dealing with clients in a rafting environment by the

time they come to do commercial sit-ons! This can be a daunting time for most. It is

therefore important that the mentor runs the first session in its entirety. Taking the

pressure off the trainee will give him/her the opportunity to make some observations.

It is of paramount importance that the mentor realizes that he/she is a strong role

model at this point in time and his/her level of professionalism will have a direct

bearing on the quality of guide that the mentoring will produce.

On the next session with the trainee, the mentor should helm the first run. This will give

the mentor an opportunity to assess the raft crew and provide them with any additional

coaching before they are passed over to the raft guide trainee. The mentor should bring to

the attention of the trainee any crew characteristics that he/she may have noted. The next

run can be helmed by the trainee guide. During this run it is imperative that the mentor

realizes that he/she is in charge of any eventualities that occur. The mentor will have a

paddle and will be sat in the raft in such a way that he/she could effectively change the

course of the raft if they deemed this necessary. The mentor is also expected to call any

commands affecting the safety of the crew which are not forthcoming from the trainee.

This could include the hold-on or get-down command. It should be understood that a

mentor will have the authority to take control of the raft at any moment. Mentors should

make this clear to trainees before rafting commences! The following runs of the session

could also be helmed by the trainee if the mentor agrees. The trainee may also decide that

he/she would like to observe another run of the course.

When trainees grow in ability and confidence they will be ready to attempt a raft safety

brief, and start taking sessions in their entirety. Please encourage trainees to follow their

prompt cards while they conduct safety briefs. When mentoring a trainee in the art of the

safety brief, please listen intently and add anything at the end of the brief that they might

have omitted. This again is the mentor’s responsibility.



The following is a list of the different areas that a trainee guide will/ may require training.

- Punctuality

- Correct personal equipment

- Interpersonal skills (being responsive to clients needs)

- Dynamic risk assessment (assessing clients, equipment and the environment)

- Coaching skills (effective delivery of information, confirming understanding)

- Personal guiding ability (picking lines, effective stroke work, timing)

- Leadership skills (effective use of the crew, group control)

- Being self motivated (identifies tasks and completes them without direction)

- Being a team player.

- River knowledge

- Rescue skills / Rope work

Inform a duty manager when you think that a trainee may be ready for assessment, i.e.

he/she can deliver a complete session with no prompting or assistance, safely and

professionally from start to finish. The trainee log must be completed on a daily basis.



ORCA SESSIONS

The Orca sessions begin in the same way as rafting activities. All the points in the meet

and greet section are identical. There are a few points that do differ, however, between

Orca and rafting sessions.

All guides must ensure that when running an Orca session above the Chipper they stress

the importance of correct defensive swimming technique. If contact is to be made with

the Chipper while swimming, feet must be pointing downstream with the head upstream

and clients should be shown how to walk along the face of the Chipper. A demonstration

of this technique in the water is required.

Orca sessions are mostly run from a safety kayak. When running sessions with multiple

staff a mix of safety kayak and bank based safety/rescue may be most appropriate. There

should always be a safety kayak on the water. Running a session solely from the bank is

unacceptable.

If Orcas end up surfing at the Ski Slope rapid the guide’s first priority is to the clients. A

safety kayak offers greater mobility in this scenario. With multiple staff a combination of

safety kayak and throw bag/live bait could be utilised. Live bait at the expense of a safety

kayak is unacceptable.

Orca sessions are more physically challenging to the customers than a raft session. It may

be necessary to take rest breaks throughout the day. There is no exact set pattern to the

Orca session, but you must be able to demonstrate that your session is suitable for your

group and that it is progressive in nature – the session should progress at a suitable pass

for all clients.

A basic outline for the session may be as follows:

1. Meet and greet

2. Raft session for full day Orca sessions only

3. Introduction to Orca equipment

4. Warm up on easy section of Tryweryn, above Chipper or below Chapel Falls.

5. Progress onto more challenging rapids, run above Chipper section, or run Chapel

Falls

6. Move to harder water, Ski Slope, NRA bridge starting at raft take out

7. Runs through Graveyard and down to the centre, finish above Dog Leg.

8. Runs through Miss Davies’ section

Note: Most groups do not run the Dog Leg section of the river. However, very able

groups have successfully run the section. Again it is for the guide to decide on what level

the clients can achieve. Please err on the side of caution.

The lower river is now an excellent option for Orca sessions. Check your clients’ level of

competency before committing to a river journey. Collect a radio (in waterproof pouch),

space blanket, and a 1st aid kit if you are going off site, and remember to organize a

shuttle with a duty manager.



END OF SESSION (Raft & Orca)

All raft and Orca sessions need to finish on time. Sessions should not finish any earlier

than 15 minutes before the scheduled end, i.e. 10.45am for a 9am - 11am session. The

point being, 15 minutes is enough time to have another run of the river. If the clients wish

to finish earlier due to being cold or tired then that is fine. The guide must assess the

clients and their enjoyment levels and run the session accordingly. On cold days the

guide needs to keep the group moving and motivated. Try not to have the group hanging

around. Sometimes this can be difficult when you’re waiting for a bus. Often bus

problems occur when it’s extremely busy on the river in the peak summer time. Bunching

up on the river is a common cause of having to wait for the bus. Altering spacing by all

flotillas on the river can alleviate most waiting problems.

If a session does finish early for whatever reason, ensure that you inform a duty manager

of the reason so that they have ongoing information regarding the sessions and clients’

whereabouts.

De-kitting the group correctly is essential to the centre’s sessions running smoothly. At

the end of a session the group, including the guide, heads for the kit rails on the patio.

The guide needs to explain the procedure for de-kitting. This needs to be done clearly and

in a logical, progressive manner. If paddles are no longer required, hang them up. Store

the helmets next. Take them from the clients and place them in the correct place on the

racks in the drying room. Explain to the clients the correct way to hang the buoyancy

aids on the hanger. It is then the guides’ job to hang the buoyancy aids on the correct

rails. The clients are now ready to use the showers. Before they leave they need to know

where to put the boots and wetsuits when they return them. Our procedure at NWWC is

for the clients to dip both boots and wetsuits through our 3 barrel system. This cleans and

disinfects the boots and wetsuits. They then need to be hung in the appropriate places

according to the colour coded system. Wetsuits should not be hung inside out. When you

have done this you should have 15 minutes or so before meeting your next group. This is

time for a bite to eat and a drink. Once you have met your next group and gone through

the initial procedure again and they are off getting changed, it is worthwhile checking

through the kit to make sure things are in the correct place. However well you explain,

clients will misplace the gear. It is every guide’s responsibility to check through the kit

when he/she has a spare minute between sessions. If we all do this then the operation will

run well.

When running in a flotilla, the kitting and de-kitting of groups can be shared amongst the

guides running together, this enables one guide to have a break. Working as a team on

and off the water makes the day easier and more enjoyable. All guides are responsible

to check that the kit is in order.



END OF THE DAY

De-kit clients as described, guides need to unpack the throw-bags, coil them and hang

them up to dry. First aid kits need to be placed on the shelf above the paddles, the lids left

open on the Peli Boxes for condensation to escape. Any problems such as saturated First

Aid kits need to be reported to the duty manager.

The list of jobs that then need to be carried out is as follows:

1. Wash up the dishes in the guide room, please ensure that all cups/ and dishes are

collected. ( 1 guide)

2. Loading rafts (4 to 6 guides plus drivers)

3. Supervise wetsuits and boots coming back in, (1 guide) in the drying room, and (1

guide) by the barrels.

4. Once boats are loaded these guides will be available to ensure kit is all stored

correctly; paddles numbered and in the right place, boot rack full and boots in size

order, wetsuits right side out and hung on the correct rails, cags and B.A.s’ on

hangers.

5. Check the male and female changing rooms for any additional wetsuits/ boots that

may have been discarded.

6. Empty the barrels and set them to refill if there is rafting the following day.

7. Wheel the kit rails into the drying room. Please ask a duty manager if this is

required as sometimes the kit rails are left out so that the drying room can be

cleaned.

8. During very busy periods it may also be imperative to change all the outside bins

on site.

Please note that no personal equipment is to be hung to dry in the plant room, or staff

shower. Personal equipment may be left overnight in the guide hut if you are rafting the

following day but the bench, chairs and floor must be free of equipment so that the floor

can be cleaned.

The end of day clean up is every guide’s responsibility. If you are finishing earlier in the

day (1 hour or more before the end of the day) you will be asked to contribute towards

the end of day clean up before you leave. Please ask a duty manager for direction.



BOAT HANDLING

With so many other factors involved in raft guiding, the actual boat handling must be

instinctive. If it becomes the main focus of the attention, then the guide is not yet ready

to be a professional guide.

The guide must be competent in the use of;

• Stroke work

• Momentum and Skid

• Positioning in waves and holes

• Breaking in and out

• Controlled landings

• Assessing and calling ‘Up Fronts’ and ‘High Sides’

Learning Outcomes;

Trainee guides will be able to;

• Turn a raft using draw and reverse sweep strokes

• Keep a raft running on course by means of a stern rudder stroke

• Understand the term ‘Skid’

• Track the raft and keep it on course on the river

• Cope with the raft skidding by the use of momentum to compensate

• Understand correct calls and commands for calling ‘overs’, and recognise the

need for these commands



RAFT HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS

Many factors will affect the way in which you are able to negotiate a rapid with your

crew. Primarily, you must be able to identify the line down a rapid. This is dependant on

your river reading skills. Unfortunately, being precisely aware of the line a raft must

follow down a rapid in order to make a successful descent is one thing, keeping the raft

on line is another. What makes boat handling so difficult is that you must predict the

effect future water (water that is just in front of your raft) is going to have on your raft

before your raft flows into it. To stay on line you will either have to negate the effect of

this future water, whatever hydraulic features that might be, or you may have to use it to

your advantage. Luckily the only variables that you have to control are your raft’s angle

to the flow and its raft’s speed. By adjusting the speed and angle of your raft you will be

using the future water, the raft crew and a combination of your own strokes from the back

of the raft.

TRACKING AND SKIDDING

Rafts have a flat bottom and no rails, which mean they tend to skid around on the surface

of the water. The average weight of a raft and crew is 630 kg. Rafts tend to skid around

and take a long time to stop thanks to momentum (mass x velocity). The more weight

there is in the raft and the faster it travels, the harder it is for the guide to change

direction.

Therefore, when turning the raft (giving the raft spin momentum), it is important to be

aware that the raft will continue to spin long after the guide or crew have finished a

stroke. Being aware of spin momentum, or skidding, means that you will be able to allow

for any extra travel caused by the momentum of the raft. Ordinarily this would involve

you using your crew to make the raft spin, calling a ‘stop’ before you reach the boat angle

you require, and then allowing the raft to skid into position.

To track the raft (i.e. get it to run on course again), the raft has to be paddled in that new

direction. This is known as tracking. If the raft is run in one direction, then the paddlers

stop paddling, the raft will continue skidding on its initial course due to its momentum.

This is true even if the angle of the raft changes. Without power to drive the raft, it will

skid along. Therefore, a raft can actually be travelling in one direction whilst facing

another. To actually change course power needs to be added, as well as the direction

change.

Does this mean that the raft is going to skid all the way down the river and be impossible

to control? Fortunately, this is not the case. The raft’s momentum can be your ally.

When running a rapid, you will have set your raft’s angle to keep it on line. Once happy

with this angle, it is possible to paddle forward on this course thus giving the raft

momentum in your chosen direction. The momentum you have given the raft in this

direction will help it stay on line. The future water the raft is going to be travelling into

will find it harder to push the raft off-line. It will therefore feel as if the raft is tracking,

maintaining a straight desired course.



FUTURE WATER

Being able to predict the exact effect a section of water is going to have on a raft is the

hardest skill to master. There are, however, one or two golden rules that should make this

process easier.

A raft will continue in a straight line after hitting a hole/stopper only if the raft’s direction

of travel is perpendicular (i.e. 90 degrees) to the stopper. This is known as being wave

straight. Always bear in mind that the stopper will slow the raft as it exerts a force that is

directly opposing the raft’s direction of travel. Large stoppers will flip a raft even when

the direction of travel is wave straight. Even very small stoppers can flip a raft if a side-

profile is presented to the upstream forces of a stopper.

Water in a river will always try and maintain a straight course, as proved by Newton’s

First Law of Motion. Therefore water will tend to flow straight into the outside of river

bends, taking the raft and its occupants with it. To prevent an imminent collision with the

outside riverbank on a bend, it is important that you set an angle towards the inside of

bends, and paddle forwards. A common error is to turn the raft into the inside of the bend

too late, not giving enough time for the crew to paddle away from the outside bank. This

setting-up of the raft angle before approaching a river section, such as a bend, is often

referred to as pre-turn. Pre-turning or setting up, (i.e. getting the angle just right) before

entering a bend, or any sequence of moves, is essential.

THE RAFT CREW

The raft crew is responsible for making every large movement of the raft following a

command from the raft guide. The more precisely and quickly the raft crew responds to

the guide’s commands, the more responsive the handling of the raft will feel. The

importance of the ‘stop’ command is frequently underestimated by raft guides. It is

instrumental in controlling the momentum of the raft, be it when the raft is travelling

forward or spinning. Please bear in mind that as momentum has components of mass and

velocity, you will have to make alterations to boat handling as the size of your raft crew

changes. For example, you will find that hydraulic water features move lighter rafts off

course easier than heavier rafts.

It is important that the raft is loaded correctly with equal amounts of power on either side.

Place the most competent paddlers at the front and the most apprehensive next to you.

Weight distribution throughout the raft needs to be as even as possible. This includes

passengers and equipment carried.



PERSONAL STROKES

These are strokes done by the raft guide from the back of the raft. They come in two main

types; rudder strokes and turning strokes. Rudder strokes are used to keep the raft

straight, and turning strokes are used to set the angle of the raft.

Turning Strokes

• Pry - Hold the paddle against the side of the raft and drive the face of the blade

away from the raft by levering the shaft of the paddle against the raft.

• Draw – Hold the paddle vertical and pull the face of the blade in towards the raft

• Forward Sweep –Pull the face of the blade through a large arc starting in front of

the body and finishing behind the body, using the rotational muscles of the torso.

• Reverse Sweep - The reverse action is a reverse sweep.

Rudder Strokes

• Stern Rudder –Similar to the pry in that the paddle is held against the side of the

raft. Slice the knife-edge of the blade through the water as the raft travels

forwards.

• Hanging Draw – Similar to the draw stroke in that the paddle is held vertically

and away from the raft. The paddle then remains in this position and the knife-

edge of the blade slices through the water as the raft moves forwards.

It is important that all of these strokes can be executed by the raft guide unconsciously, as

the guide will be focused on many other tasks such as communication, or reading future

water. It is common for the above strokes to be used in combination, i.e. a draw into a

forward sweep. The skill of seamlessly combining personal strokes needs to be

practiced.

Breaking -Out

Breaking-out is the entering of an eddy from the main current. There are two techniques

we use for breaking-out in rafting.

• Point the raft upstream and ferry glide sideways into the eddy in a controlled

fashion. This is especially useful for entering small eddies

• When entering larger eddies, position the raft to cross the eddy line at a shallow

angle. The boat will automatically slow down without submerging a tube. Adjust

the angle further, only after the entire raft is in the eddy.



Break-In

Breaking-in is the entering of the main current from an eddy. There are two techniques

we use for breaking-in in a raft.

• Break-in using an upstream ferry glide - It is essential that a shallow angle be

maintained while crossing the eddy line. One part of the raft will be in slow

moving water (the eddy) whilst the other will be entering fast water (the main

flow). A shallow angle is required until the entire raft is in the flow. Once the raft

has accelerated to a similar speed as the main current, the raft’s angle may be

turned downstream. Trying to turn abruptly on the eddy line can result in a flip.

The guide needs to have his/her paddle ready in the water with a steering stroke.

This will compensate for the force of the current acting on the bow of the raft as it

enters the fast main current. It is far better to enter the main current with a very

shallow angle. It is much easier to increase the angle to the current, rather than to

try to decrease. Once the current has taken control of the raft it is very hard to

regain control quickly. In summary, start shallow and increase the angle as

necessary.

• When exiting larger eddies it may be possible to perform a fade out. Simply

paddle out of the back of the eddy with a downstream angle. The eddy line is less

defined and weaker here, and there will be a reduced chance of the raft flipping.

FERRY GLIDING

There are two main types of ferry gliding; the upstream and the reverse.

It is one of the most useful techniques for manoeuvring the raft across the river and

into small eddies. The angle of the raft, relative to the current vector, is always

critical.

If a raft was paddling directly upstream and was able to hold its position, then we

could say that the force of the current vector was in equilibrium with the force

generated by the rafting crew. In this situation the angle of the raft could be altered

slightly to the left or to the right in order to move transversely across the river. This is

a forwards ferry glide. Any greater alteration in raft angle relative to the current

vector will result in the raft moving across the river at a faster rate but also being

pushed down stream at the same time.

However, if the current speed is fast, a shallow angle will not suffice, as the raft will

move downstream at a much higher rate to the velocity across the river. The ferry

angle must be adjusted to compensate. Guides must initially adopt a shallow angle for

control, which will then be increased to gain ground across the river before the raft is

pushed too far downstream.



On large volume rivers the ferry angle can be as great as 90 degrees to the flow.

Literally point to the objective bank and paddle straight towards it.

The reverse ferry glide is the same as a conventional ferry glide except that the front

of the raft is now pointing downstream and the rafting crew have to paddle backwards

in order to move across the river. This type of ferry glide has advantages over a

conventional ferry glide in that the raft is continually pointing in a general

downstream direction and there is no spinning involved.

Reverse ferry gliding is one of the most important factors to gain control of the raft on

a small technical river. The nose of the raft is turned towards the danger (rock,

stopper etc) and the ‘all back’ is command called. The crew then paddle backwards to

slow the raft down. It will then start to make way across the river away from the

danger. The reverse ferry glide gives the guide the advantage of being able to see the

obstruction at all times. If the raft does not make it around the obstruction, such as a

rock, it will strike the rock nose first with good angle and bounce the raft away from

the obstruction. The raft is also slowed down so as the line becomes more technical.

The raft is at a much slower speed and is easier to negotiate or set up the line than

when moving at speed. However, it must be noted that the reverse ferry kills all the

momentum the raft had. If you are trying to reverse ferry away from a hole or stopper,

and do not manage successfully, the raft will drop in to the hydraulic with no forward

speed. This will probably result in a big flip or surf.

Note: Once the raft velocity has reached equilibrium with the current velocity

(i.e. all the water around the raft is going at the same speed), the angle of attack

in the ferry glide can be very steep. This is true for reverse, or forward ferry

glides.

OFF-LINE

Inevitably, there are always going to be moments when your raft is off-line. A common

scenario on a tight technical river involves hitting a rock and spinning out of control.

The first priority would be to get the crew to hold on and get down in the raft. Then try

to impact the rock either with the front or the back of the raft in order to reduce the

chance of a flip. As you find yourself spinning down the river the raft will at some point

be angled back on line. The skill involves recognizing this moment and calling a ‘forward

paddle’ to break out of the spin and regain control. It is critical that you only call the raft

crew up to paddle if you deem that it is safe to do so. Many rafts, especially those found

in the U.K., are symmetrical. Therefore, after finding themselves off-line and being

forced into a spin, the guide may decide that it is simpler to run the rapid with the back of

the raft leading the way.

If you have simply been pushed wide of your line, performing a ferry glide will often be a

suitable course of action.



Positioning in Holes and Waves

It is important when entering a hole or a wave to hit it square on: this prevents the raft

from being swamped and even flipping. This is called wave straight. If the raft hits a

diagonal wave not square, i.e. with too much of the raft’s side, rather than front, the raft

will spin off wildly, and may even flip on bigger waves. Just as the guide must orientate

the raft to the current vector when ferry gliding, so must the guide orientate the raft to be

wave straight through the rapids.

The skid effect can be used to our advantage when running rapids with diagonal waves.

If a raft is running downstream, gaining momentum, approaching a big diagonal wave,

the guide can turn the raft into the wave to make it wave straight. The raft will still

maintain downstream momentum due to the skid effect.

Controlling your speed in a flotilla

Over the course of a rafting trip it will be necessary to control the speed of your raft,

relative to the rest of your flotilla. Bear in mind that you must conserve the strength of

your rafting crew. You will not want to be paddling forwards and backwards all day

long! Therefore you must place your raft on faster or slower moving areas of water in

order to control your speed. This may involve moving over part of an eddy line to slow

your speed, or avoiding a series of breaking waves, known as a wave train, in order to

maintain your raft’s speed. This is a skill that requires years to master, and is the

trademark of an accomplished river guide.



RAFTING TECHNIQUE

READING THE RIVER

For someone that has never been on a river, the term ‘reading the river’ may sound

strange – but it is the key to safe river running.

It is essential that you are able to tell what obstacles lay ahead, above and below the river

surface. The surface itself offers numerous clues, as do the configurations of the river

bed, and shoreline. For the most part, these will be obvious. In a raft, the guide has a

great advantage over other craft such as kayaks. The guide can stand up to see further, so

has greater warning of the section coming up. When in doubt, or if the line the guide

should take is not obvious, a safe eddy must be made to allow the guide will to scout

from the bank.

Sighting the Obstacles

Sometimes potentially dangerous obstacles are difficult to see. The most difficult are

those which run parallel, or almost parallel, to the current.

A good way of sighting obstacles is to look for a ‘V’ shaped pattern on the surface of the

water.

The ‘V’ pattern with the point of the ‘V’ pointing upstream usually means an obstacle

e.g. rock, tree, branch, steel rods.

A smooth ‘V’ pattern with the point downstream usually means a tongue or a chute

between two obstacles. See diagram on page 31.



Upstream V

____________________________________

River Flow

_____________________________

OBSTACLES

Downstream V

____________________________________

River Flow

Smooth Tongue or Chute

________________________________

OBSTACLE

When running white water we are essentially linking the downstream Vs., sometimes

called green highways. We manoeuvre the boat from one green highway to the next,

avoiding obstacles, running through waves and stoppers, changing the angle to face the

on-coming waves so that the raft is wave straight. The speed of the raft varies as the

guide negotiates the line and then calls for power to punch through holes. The guide

employs river sense to read the lines.

River sense is a quality developed through experience and time on the river, by looking,

listening and learning from the more experienced.



COMMANDS

Commands should always be clear and precise

The basic commands are:-

Forward Paddle

Hard Forwards

Back Paddle

Hard Back

Stop

High Side Left

High Side Right

Hold On, Lean In

Get Down

For a left hand turn we use:-

Left Back, Right Forwards

For a right hand turn we use

Right Back, Left Forwards



DEALING WITH INCIDENTS / RESCUES

When dealing with an incident please remember the priorities of self, team, clients and

victim. This relates to the hard fact that during a rescue situation your safety must come

first and, if we follow the continuum, the safety of the victim comes last. It is all too easy

to place yourself, your team mates, and your crew in danger when engaging in a rescue

attempt. If we consider a situation in which a client has fallen out of a raft and is floating

down the river, various rescue options are available. Below is a list of possible courses of

action, ranging from low risk to high risk options. In reality a guide may use a

combination of actions to effect a rescue, even simultaneously, however low risk options

will always be implemented first and high risk options will always be implemented last

following a dynamic risk assessment.

Talk: If you deem that it is safe to do so you can direct swimmers to swim in a direction

of your choosing, i.e. to the raft, to a safety kayaker, to another raft in the flotilla, in a

direction away from danger. This you can do by shouting and pointing, (This needs to be

covered in your safety talk).

Reach: Use of paddle by guides or other clients to aid in rescue

Row: Chasing and picking the swimmer up by raft or safety kayak.

Throw: Use of throw bag by the raft guide or safety that is preset on the bank. Please note

that using a throw bag from a raft will result in a momentary loss of control over the raft,

potentially placing yourself and your crew at risk.

Go/Tow: The guide commits to the water to rescue the swimmer. This is a very high risk

option. However, in some instances this may be a last resort. Examples include the raft

becoming in-operable and the guide committing to calm water to rescue an unconscious

victim, or pre-placed safety (live bait) set in place during an Orca session.

The above protocol has been adapted from one used by water rescue professionals. This

alteration was necessary as raft guides are adept at manoeuvring craft on white water.



SWIMMERS

If clients are spilled out of a raft it is the guide’s priority is to get them back to safety as

quickly as possible. This may involve transportation to firm ground or a guides’ raft. We

must inform clients how to swim in whitewater and what to look for (this is covered in

the safety brief).

• Don’t panic

• Try not to get separated from your Orca/raft

• Get into the defensive swimming position. Never stand up in moving water.

• Listen to me for further instructions. I may ask you to swim in a certain direction

away from danger or towards an eddy.

• I may throw you a throw bag.

• Time your breathing as you move downstream taking breaths in the troughs of

each wave.

• If you are instructed to do so by myself, it may be possible for you to attempt to

self-rescue, in which case, swim to the bank (illustrate a safe eddy when on the

water). Climb on to the bank and sit down. Leave all your safety gear on and

stay where you are until I return to get you. This may take 5 minutes.



FLIPS

Flips result in multiple swimmers and must be avoided at all cost. On the Tryweryn,

guides must act logically and with speed in order to defuse the situation.

Key factors are as follows.

All passengers must

a. Adopt the defensive swimming position.

b. If clients find themselves underneath the raft in the air pockets formed by the

tubes then they must make their way to the outside perimeter line and hold onto it

by ducking their heads under the outside tube. Once in this position, they should

await further instruction.

c. If clients find themselves close to the raft, they should try and hold onto the

perimeter line and await further instruction.

d. Due to the shallow nature of the Tryweryn it is very unlikely that you will be re-

flipping a raft as this will extend the duration of time clients are subjected to

collisions with rocks. Therefore you should endeavour to pull all swimmers who

are holding onto the perimeter line onto the upturned raft. Once clients are on top

of the raft they can assist it in pulling other clients up onto the upturned raft.

Hopefully clients will still have their paddles and they can then assist you in

paddling after other clients who are swimming, or in paddling the raft to the river

bank where it can be re-flipped. In some of the larger flat pools on the Tryweryn,

it may be suitable to re-flip the raft immediately and then assist clients back into

the raft.

All guides must

a. Climb onto the raft and assess the situation as quickly as possible. It is very

important at this stage to ‘count heads’. Getting a quick idea of where everyone is

will enable you to construct a plan to contain the situation. Failing to complete

this stage makes it possible to neglect a client who may be trapped under the raft!

b. As soon as possible, get your entire crew to a safe location. It may be necessary to

set a downstream marker where you know the furthest downstream client to have

reached, and conduct a search moving upstream to the point where you flipped. It

is also recommended that guides conduct a hasty search of places where they

think the clients are most likely to be, e.g. under the raft, on rocks in the flow.



INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE

All raft guides are outdoor professionals and responsible for the clients’ safety by law.

Guides also have an obligation to other groups on the water as well as their colleagues.

When running in a flotilla it is common for the more experienced guide to take overall

command (becoming the incident commander) until a duty manager arrives if required.

Other guides assisting should do so under the guidance of the Incident Commander. The

Incident Commander is responsible for controlling the whole environment in which the

incident takes place.

In an emergency it is up to the guide(s) to:-

• Stay calm and assess the situation

• Locate all casualties involved in the emergency

• Make sure nobody else is in danger (e.g. set upstream spotters to divert river users

if required, contain the general public, isolate a hazard)

• Build redundancy into your evacuation plan if required (e.g. downstream back up)

• Remove clients from immediate danger

• Contain all clients that are in your care

• Send for help (if needed): rescue or ambulances



CASUALTY TRANSPORT

If you need to deal with a first aid incident on the river, please follow your first aid

training protocol. Remove the casualty from impending danger, (e.g. out of the river.) and

apply first aid. Please remember to notify a duty manager that your first aid kit then needs

restocking.

Further aid is required:

If the casualty can walk to, and get into the bus, then transport them in the bus to the

centre.

If the casualty is not capable of walking, or you have any reason to suspect a mechanism

for a spinal injury, stabilise the situation and send for assistance.

Help should be called for by either:

• Using the radios in each NWWC bus

• Sending a river guide for help at the main centre

• Sending a trusted member of the group to the main centre building

• Sending a NWWC bus to the main centre for help

• Phones in the satellite building around the site can be used to dial 999. Use the

prefix 8 before dialling 999. If you do dial 999 ensure a duty manager is

informed of this as soon as possible.

When sending for assistance from a duty manager please state what sort of help is

required, e.g. to deal with bleeding, a collapse, or a spinal injury.

When contacting emergency services the following information will be required. This list

is laminated and located in the First Aid room.

• Exact location of incident

• Chief complaint/type of injury

• Number of casualties

• Approximate age of patient

• Sex of patient

• Is the patient conscious?

• Is the patience breathing?

• If trauma or severe blood loss, what part of the body is affected?

• Is the patient aware of his/her surroundings?

• Is the patient breathing normally?

• Any other relevant information e.g. danger / difficult location



ENTRAPMENTS

Entrapments are probably one of the worst nightmares a raft guide could encounter, but

are not particularly common. As a raft guide, you must be aware of entrapments and

different types of rescue.

Teamwork and speed are the key factors, especially if the victim’s head is under water.

Due to the seriousness of entrapments clients should always be warned about the dangers

of standing up in moving water.

Fig 1 The Snag Tag Rescue (Stabilization line set-up)

The foot entrapment victim has been located. The initial priority is to stabilise the

casualty with head above water to protect the airway. A line is thrown across the river

downstream of the victim and trawled upstream with the aim of getting the line under the

armpits of the victim to provide support. You should try and get both ends of the

stabilisation line as high as possible to offer the maximum amount of support to the

victim.



Fig 1.1 The Snag Tag Rescue (Stabilization line in position)

The stabilisation line is now in place. The line has been pulled tight and then secured to

two trees through using a no-knot. The line is releasable should the team need to let the

line go. It also is far easier to provide support as the trees will not fatigue as a person

would whilst holding the line, with the pressures involved. One person monitors the

victim’s position, ensuring the airway is maintained.

The other team members prepare to put a secondary line across the river to try to release

the foot from the entrapment.

Please note that securing the rope as high up the two trees as is practically possible will

provide the victim with maximumsupport.



Fig 1.2 The Snag Tag Rescue (Tag line)

The throw-bags downstream have been thrown across and joined together, due to the

floating properties of the rope. Rocks are placed in the bags in order to try and sink the

line. The aim is to release the foot by pulling it upstream and back out the way it went in.

The above aerial view shows the stabilisation line in place and the release line being

worked upstream.

Fig 1.3 The Snag Tag Rescue (Close up view)

The diagram on the left illustrates the

stabilisation line and the sunken

release line in place, ready to be

pulled upstream to release the

entrapped foot.

Downstream cover to recover the

victim will be vital as soon as the

release is achieved. Due to the high

levels of trauma often encountered

during entrapments, downstream

cover should consist of a raft or a

live bait rescue.

ENTRAPMENT TWO LINE



ENTRAPMENT (One Bank Access)

Fig 3 Entrapment (One Bank Access No.1)

.

The rescue team only has

access to one bank, therefore

the placement of a stabilisation

line is not possible. A line is

thrown into the main flow

upstream of the victim. A team

downstream gets ready to

recover the line when it washes

down past the entrapment,

while another team acts as

downstream backup ready to

commit to the water should the

victim become free.

Using a kayak or raft would

also be a suitable way of

recovering the line.

Remember do not rely on the

victim to assist in his/her own

rescue.

Fig 3.1 Entrapment (One Bank Access No.2)




Having recovered the line, the

team walks the line upstream to

make a loop around the victim.





Fig 3.5 Entrapment (One bank Access No. 6)

A vector line is

clipped to both

ropes that form the

loop. The vector

can be slid towards

the victim to form

a cinch, enabling

the rescue team to

extract the victim.

The back up team

is ready to affect a

rescue should the

victim become

free. Please note

that cinching

victims may result

in crushing

injuries. However

extraction from a

life- threatening

situation must take

priority here.



TETHERED RAFTS

Every entrapment situation is different; note that it may be necessary to have a

stabilization line in place to support the victim before a tethered raft is used for

extrication. Tethered rafts are only going to be effective on low volume class II and III

white water. Remember a risk assessment is always going to be necessary before

committing a rescuer to the flow.

Fig 4 Two Point Tether

The large arrow in the above diagram shows the direction of flow. The smaller arrow

indicates that the raft can be manoeuvred across the flow. Any position relative to the

flow can be achieved if the bank teams co-ordinate how much rope they take in or let out.

As always ensure that you have clean lines. This method of rescue has the distinct

advantage of providing a floating platform from which an entrapped victim can be

rescued.

Fig 4.1 Four Point Tether

As illustrated by the arrows in fig 2, the four point tether offers more control over the

raft. Due to the number of people involved it is imperative that one person has overall

control over the movement of the raft and that a clear system of communication has been

established. As in any rescue attempt, upstream spotters and downstream cover will be

required.

THE TELFER LOWER



The Telfer Lower: Belayed on shore. The tag line on the river left bank may be

eliminated if the rescuer is short-handed and the up and down line utilised instead.

Fig 5 The Telfer Lower

The Telfer Lower or Raft on a Tyrolean, is a very effective and safe method for

recovering victims or equipment from mid stream. However, it requires a lot of time and

equipment to set up. The raft is being lowered by the person in the bottom right hand

corner of the picture using an Italian Hitch.



RAFT WRAPS

A wrap occurs when a raft gets held on a midstream obstacle by the force of the water;

such an obstacle may be rock, log, or bridge. Obviously, picking lines that avoid the

proximity of these obstacles is the best method of avoiding a wrap. If contact with an

object is imminent, all attempts should be made to turn the raft so that the front or back of

the raft impacts first. This dramatically reduces the chances of the raft becoming

wrapped.

If the raft impacted the object with a side-on profile, the downstream tube will rise up

against the face of the object, exposing the internal compartments of the raft to the full

force of the river, which then forces the raft flat against the object. The upstream tube of

the raft at this point will be held under the water.

Wraps can be averted during this split second of impact, by transferring the weight of the

crew onto the downstream edge of the raft. The command for this move is, “High-side

Left/Right or Jump Left/Right”. The response from the boat crew must be immediate!

If there is no high-side attempt, chances are that the tube will be forced under. Some of

the crew may be thrown from the boat, possibly pinned between the boat and the

obstacle, or end up standing on the upper tube or the obstacle. It is therefore important

that you keep track of your clients at this point by counting heads. If you suspect that a

client may be trapped between the raft and the rock, it may be necessary to cut the floor

of the raft.

The most common place to wrap on the River Tryweryn is at Everest Rock. It is

especially important to familiarise yourself with the protocols for wrapping here.

The protocols for removing rafts from a wrap situation on Everest are as follows:

1. If the raft does not become dislodged immediately, by moving clients to the front

or the back of the raft then clients should be transferred from the pinned raft to the

river right hand bank by making use of a tension diagonal or individual throw

bag rescues. Please remember to attach the tension diagonal line to the raft in a

position that pulls the raft onto the rock and that the tension diagonal should be as

parallel to the current vector as possible (i.e. as downstream as possible). No

attempt should be made to dislodge the pinned raft before clients are safely on

the river right hand bank.

2. An upstream spotter should be positioned so that he/she can warn rafters and

kayakers of a pinned raft. Spotters should direct river users to move to ‘river left’

in order to miss the pinned raft. The appropriate signal to be used is a straight arm

pointing towards the direction you wish them to go. The spotter may be a rafting

client.

3. The bank-based guide should always be aware that he/she may need to respond

quickly in order to provide downstream safety cover for the crew from the pinned

raft in the event that they should fall in and get washed downstream.



4. Rafts should only be unpinned using anchors positioned on the river right-hand

bank. No ropes should cross to river left! To unpin the raft, start with the most

expedient / simple methods.

Fig 6 Tension Diagonal

Using a tension diagonal is a fast and effective way of evacuating clients from a raft.

Note that the client is being transported into a safe eddy and there is also a guide in the

eddy to receive the client and act as downstream back up with a throw bag if required.

The line is attached to a tree on the downstream side by using a no-knot, which is a

releasable system. It is imperative that the tension diagonal is a releasable system.



Fig 7 Boy Scout Method

The Boy Scout method is the simplest method of un-wrapping a raft using a rope. If this

method doesn’t work at first, try altering your angle of pull.



Fig 7.1 Boy Scout Method (Vector Pull)

It is vital that you make a decision as to which method you require to unwrap the boat at

this point. You could spend a lot of time pulling with people trying vectors etc. After the

first attempt, if the boat is still wrapped solid, start looking towards a mechanical

advantage tensioning system.

Initially the line is

tensioned by using a

Boy Scout pull. The line

is then tied off with a

suitable releasable hitch,

in this case a no-knot. A

second line is then

clipped at 90 degrees to

the tied off line and a

vector pull applied as

shown in fig. 6.1. The

load placed on the

anchors and on the

tensioned line is huge

which means that it is

imperative that a self-

equalizing anchor

system is used to attach

the rope to the raft (see

fig. 8).



Fig 8 The“Peel” Using a 2:1 System

It is relatively straight forwards to turn the Boy Scout method into a mechanical

advantage system. You simply need to locate a suitable anchor. Choose your anchors

carefully. Make sure they are solid. If you do not have one solid anchor, such as a large

deep rooted tree, it may be necessary to multi-equalise through a few anchors, to share

the load amongst them. The angle of pull that the guides have chosen is termed a ‘peel’.

They are attempting to peel the raft off one side of the rock. The hope is that this will

upset the forces on the front and back of the raft enough to dislodge it from the rock. This

is unlikely to work for rafts that are severely pinned, as you are pulling directly against

the force of the water.

It is as easy to rig a 3:1 system for a “peel” and is possibly preferable due to the large

forces involved.

The guides are using

a 2:1 mechanical

advantage system.

They have used a

rock as an anchor

which becomes the

only fixed point in

this system.

The line is tied off at

the anchor and then

heads to the raft.

Here it passes

through a pulley and

runs back to the

bank where the raft

guides pull on the

rope. The

pulley is attached to

the raft using the

bow line which has

been tied to form a

self-equalizing

anchor.



Fig 9 The Load Distributing Boatman Anchor

All 3 D-rings are threaded using the end of the line. The end of the line is then tied in a

figure of eight on a bight. Rope is drawn up between the anchor points and clipped into

the karabiner and finally an alpine butterfly is tied and also clipped into the karabiner.

The whole point of a load distributing system is to share a load amongst a number of

different anchors, thus reducing the total load on each individual anchor.

Please ensure that the angle created by the outside lines meeting at the karabiner is less

than 90 degrees, otherwise this may result in the system failing. This is due to vector

forces on the anchor points.



Fig 10 The“Pull” (using a 3:1 system)

The guides have set up a Z drag (3:1 mechanical advantage system) with pulleys and a

brake prusik in place. The guides in this diagram have a good point of pull as they are

sliding the raft directly sideways off the rock, termed a ‘pull’. Pulling from an upstream

angle would mean that you would be pulling against the flow of the water. Pulling from

a downstream angle would mean that you would be pulling the raft further onto the rock.

Note: The guides have safeguarded the system in two ways. The first method involves

attaching a dampener to the line, illustrated here by 5 krabs joined together. If the D rings

on the raft did fail the weight of the dampener would drag the line down and kill the

energy of the failed system rather than it coming back and striking the guides. Spare

buoyancy aids or dry-bags with some water in them can be used as dampeners, anything

that will drag the line down should the D rings fail. The second way in which the system

has been safeguarded involves changing the direction of pull (guides pulling parallel with

the river bank), so that the guides will not be struck by the system should it fail.

On busy commercial rivers, the dampener hanging down clearly shows where the line

across the river lies, should any river users paddle past the upstream spotters.



Be alert when applying mechanical advantage to a wrapped boat from the shore. When

the boat begins to come off the obstacle, the initial movement is likely to be small,

perhaps even imperceptible, but when the boat comes loose it will do so very suddenly.

All personnel should be prepared for this eventuality. Crew, if left on the rock, could be

stranded. Nobody should be standing on the downstream side of the ropes or they may

become entangled as the raft dislodges and pendulums towards the bank between the

ropes and obstacles. Crew on shore should be prepared to release tension from the system

if needed.

Fig 11 Long Tape Multi-Equalising Anchors

If using long tapes from the wrap kit, a loop must be formed through 3 or more D rings.

Once this loop is made, take 2 spans and put a twist in them and clip them through the

karabiner, then clip the last span with the same karabiner. This system will track and

spread the load equally through the 3 attachment points. If one of the D rings should fail,

this will not result in the failure of the whole system, as the twist placed in the sling will

form a secure loop around the karabiner (fig. 11).



PEEL AND PULL

In all the scenarios so far, we have looked at peeling the boat off or pulling it. Sometimes

we will need to use both methods together. We have already seen a number of different

methods for tensioning lines and hauling on boats. The peel and pull method is simply

one end of the raft being peeled off the rock whilst the other end is pulled off. This

method does require more equipment, as we are tensioning 2 lines. Each line must be

attached to the raft with multi-equalising systems. There is a way to peel and pull using

one tensioning system. This leads on to the next section.

INTERNAL “Z” DRAG

If the guide cannot reach the shore with a line, it is possible to un-wrap the boat using a

throw-bag and both bowlines to form a Z drag and two self-equalizing anchors (fig. 11).

A quick fix method of threading a long bowline through D-rings at the front and back of

the raft to form an internal Z drag is possible if equipment is not available. This action

may upset the balance of the raft enough to dislodge it.

Fig 12 Internal “Z” Drag

The internal Z drag can be converted to the main line peel and pull by simply attaching

another line to the internal system and extending it to the bank, where another Z drag can

be placed onto the line (fig. 12). As the main line on the bank is tensioned, the internal

system becomes taught, spilling water out of the boat and peeling the ends off the rock.

The main line then pulls the boat free.



APPENDICES



Appendix 1 Basic Anchors Using Slings

From top:

Basic tape around a tree

with tape knot used to

complete loop.

Basic wrap knotted tape

or sling

2 wrap hitch, very

useful in preventing the

sling from slipping

down your anchor while

setting up.

Girth Hitch or Larks

Foot places a higher

amount of stress on the

tape than a wrap.



Appendix 2 Basic Anchors Using Ropes

Top:

Re-threaded figure of eight knot around the tree is a very strong anchor but not

releasable under load.

Bottom:

No-Knot or full strength tie-off. The rope is wrapped at least 4 times around the tree

and the end of the rope is dangled over. This end must be long enough not to flick loose.

As tension comes onto the No-Knot, the friction holds the anchor secure. To release even

under load, unwrap the rope from around the tree. The No-Knot is suitable wherever a

simple releasable anchor is needed e.g. the downstream end of a tensioned diagonal.

Please be aware that if the coils of the No-Knot become tangled (coils overlapping each

other) then the system will no longer be releasable under load!



Appendix 3 Basic Mechanical Advantage Systems

ANCHOR LOAD

Illustrated are 4

mechanical advantage

systems. Every system

shown is a Z drag and has

a mechanical advantage of

3:1. The progression

demonstrates how with

very little equipment a Z

drag system can be put in

place. The prusik in the

uppermost system could

be replaced by a simple

alpine butterfly or

overhand knot, if a prusik

was not available.

The lower 3 diagrams

demonstrate the use of a

french prusik as a brake,

this being the only prusik

that is releasable under

load. A classic prusik, or

triple wrap prusik, has

been used elsewhere.

The two bottom systems

incorporate pulleys to

reduce friction and

maintain rope strength by

decreasing the bend in the

rope. The bottom-most

system has an additional

pulley as a direction

change, which often

makes it easier to organize

pulling teams that are

parallel to the river bank,

as there is less foliage.



Appendix 4 Pig Rig 4:1

4:1 Pig Rig in Action



Appendix 5 FURTHER METHODS OF UNWRAPPING RAFTS

Roll Over Method

A line is placed under the raft. As tension is put on the haul line, the raft is rolled over

spilling the water. This method is very useful if trying to free a raft from a height such as

a bridge. Getting the line under and around the boat is often a very problematic and

complex procedure.



Unwrapping Rafts with No Bank Access

Occasionally access cannot be gained to either bank. Ropes may not be long enough or

the river is too large to gain any access. It is possible to cantilever the raft from the pin. A

multi-equalizer is set on the upstream side of the raft. The rope is then taken and

wrapped around a paddle, oar or cut branch. The guide can, with body weight, lever the

boat and spill water from it.



Appendix 6 USEFUL KNOTS

Trucker’s Hitch

TOP

BOTTOM

The trucker’s hitch is invaluable when securing a load such as a raft on a trailer, as it

affords a mechanical advantage of 3:1 during tensioning.



Double Fisherman’s Knot Secured

Under hazardous conditions this knot should be secured to prevent it from failing. The

fisherman’s knot, properly secured, is one of the safest means of joining two ropes and is

ideal for making prusiks. Remember to leave a tail of approximately 6cm once you have

tied the knot, to allow for slippage.



Overhand Knot on a Bight

The overhand knot is the simplest of knots to tie. It can be used in place of a figure of

eight on the bight or alpine butterfly in the boatman’s self equalizer. However it is not as

strong as the figure of eight and will not take a 3-way load as well as the alpine butterfly.

If tensioned, the knot can be very hard to untie.

PRUSIK KNOTS

French Prusik

The French Prusik is the only prusik that will release under small load rescue situations. It

is an ideal choice as a brake in a mechanical advantage system. The prusik is simply

wrapped around the rope and both free ends are clipped into a karabiner.



The Classic or Triple Wrap Prusik

This prusik has the advantage over all other prusiks in that it is bi-directional. It can be

loaded in line with the rope in both directions.



The Alpine Butterfly Knot

The butterfly knot is a useful substitute for a prusik in a mechanical advantage system.

The Double Half Hitch

The double half hitch provides a quick and temporary means of securing a line to a post,

hook, ring or branch, and is used to tie off a trucker’s hitch when attaching rafts to a

trailer.



Figure of Eight & Re-threaded Figure of Eight

The figure of eight family is the basis for the river guide when making loops to clip to

rafts or haul systems. The figure of 8 knot has gentle curves, stressing the rope less than

other knots, thus weakening the rope less than other knots.

Figure of Eight on a Bight



Bowline

The diagram shows a standard way of tying this knot.

This knot is used to provide a non-slipping or tightening loop. Please note that it is

preferable to use a figure of eight on a bight to form a non-slipping loop during rescue

situations, due to the huge stresses involved.



Appendix 7 RIVER SIGNALS

The pictures that follow are a collection of river signals that are used at the National

White Water Centre, and are commonly used throughout the world. Once you have

received a signal from a member of your team, remember it is common practice to repeat

the signal yourself to show that you understand.

I want you to eddy

out.

Direction of eddy

The eddy out command

is always followed by

a direction point

indicating

where you should

eddy out.



Pointing can also be used to indicate that you would like a raft to travel in a certain

direction. For example, “take the left line”, as shown. The thing to remember is always to

point positive, i.e. the direction you would like the raft to travel in.

Go to river left.

Go to river right.



Stop

Go



Space Out

When running in a flotilla this

command can be used to make

the gap between you and

another raft larger. Two or

three boat lengths are probably

about normal, although there

are exceptions. On the Miss

Davies’ Bridge section you will

have to complete the rapid one

at a time. This is due to the

high probability of rafts getting

stuck on the groin below the

bridge and rafts flipping off the

stuck raft.

Make the spaces smaller

If you are losing your line of

sight with other rafts, or feel as

if other rafts are too far away to

offer you any assistance in the

event of a flip etc., then use this

signal.



This concludes the signals that you are going to require to organise a flotilla on the water.

This is a collection of the most commonly used international signals.

Are you O.K?

Quite regularly used to

establish if a person

requires assistance

Are you O.K?

When closer, you may prefer to

use the thumbs up for are you

O.K.



Swimmer

Making a breaststroke action with the arms can signal to another potential rescuer that

there is a swimmer in the water.

Lost Paddle

This command could be followed by pointing to where the paddle is floating.



There’s been a flip!

This would be a way of signalling to other rafts that they need to assist the raft that has

flipped. A flip obviously involves multiple swimmers.

1st Aid

There is a person that requires medical

attention.

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