Surviving big wave rapids is another kettle of fish!
Instead of technical turns around rocks, the real challenge is from thumping water hydraulics, and the incessant beating
from the succession of holes and standing waves that love to crop up on flooded rivers anywhere.
And the skills needed to master and enjoy this sort of water are different.
Surviving big wave rapids is another kettle of fish!
Instead of technical turns around rocks, the real challenge is from thumping water hydraulics, and the incessant beating
from the succession of holes and standing waves that love to crop up on flooded rivers anywhere.
And the skills needed to master and enjoy this sort of water are different.
To a large degree it requires bravado - that nervy fake courage you need to throw yourselves at a snarling wave or hole!
Momentum is one of your biggest allies. Keep moving, keep going faster than the water.
You need the speed and power to drive through the waves and holes, and be able to paddle across the water to stay away from danger.
Holes happen where the river rushes over a big rock, and creates a hollow behind the submerged rock, often with a curling wave at the back of it.
In a full river, they are difficult to spot, as they don't stand up and announce themselves in advance.
Rather they are lying in wait below the river horizon of waves and chop.
Often you will see the water "bulging" over the submerged rock before it drops away behind it.
If at all possible, paddle hard to skirt the obstacle. But if it is too late, then opt for plan B.
And believe in it! Go straight at the hole (sideways or at an angle trying to get away can easily lead to trouble,
as you are presenting a bigger surface area of the boat to the hole and/or wave!). Go straight and go hard.
Because of the drop into the hole and the wave behind it, it tends to hit the (front) paddler hard on the chest,
and slow the boat down a lot. The key here is to anticipate the moment of the "big hit", keep the paddles high above
your head (never get your paddles caught in rough water like this) and broach the wave.
That means the front paddler must lean into the wave with paddles held high, reach over the wave,
and take a huge firm paddle stroke to try and pull the boat through the "stopper".
In a K2 it's all about teamwork. Both paddle like crazy to get up to speed. Then, as you go into the hole, the front paddler broaches, while the back paddler adds the last, most powerful stroke to help punch through the wave. Also if the boat is "wobbled" by the wave, the back paddler must brace, as the front paddler is still in the hairy water, has water in his eyes, and should be concentrating on the broach stroke.
Standing waves are the other obstacle. In a flooded river, they occur as long wave-trains in places where the river is normally flat,
and every rapid has a series of these waves on the way out of the rapid.
Remembering that you want to use the flow of the river as much as possible to get you to the finish as quickly as possible.
But, also remember that you want to stay away from anything that might slow you down, or capsize the canoe.
The trick is to paddle a line that takes the canoe through the fast water, but just far enough away from the peaks of the
waves to make sure that they don't slow you in any way. If you are in for 40km of heavy water, it becomes very tiring,
and staying away from the breaking waves is still advised to conserve energy.
But remember that if it's all getting too much, there is invariably a sanctuary on the river.
There is no need to follow the Rambos into every hole. On a flooded river, the river is much slower on the insides of corners,
and below the rapids there are often steady pools that are created from the eddies that allow you to gather yourself for the next rapid.
Also, don't be shy to look for the sneaks, especially on the inside of big rapids (think of Number One proper on the Umko).
Make sure you tackle a big water section with a strong boat, with PLENTY of buoyancy that is wedged tightly into the back deck to support it.
Add snug fitting splashies, the mandatory helmets and lifejackets, good working pumps, and a good repair kit with lots of contact adhesive and duct tape.
Then it is possible to thoroughly love "dancing with the river" when it is full.