White water rafting is a really fun sport to take part in, and if you have never tried it out before, you should do it! It is a dangerous sport, so it should always be carried out in the proper environment with an expert at hand. If you want to find out more information about this sport before you give it a go, here are some answers to popular white water rafting questions:
Do I Need To Have Experience And Be Able To Swim?
This is one of the main white water rafting questions and if you can’t swim, you’re in luck. No experience prior to taking part in rafting is needed; pretty much anybody can give it a go as long as they have a decent level of fitness and are in good health. Trained staff are on hand to guide you through exactly what to do and can assist you when needed. You also don’t have to be able to swim as you will be fitted with a personal floating device (PFD), however it is recommended that you can as it would be a bit of an uncomfortable trip if you cannot swim. If you are afraid of falling in the water and panic because you can’t swim it could be dangerous.
What Should I Wear?
It is best to turn up in the right gear or if you haven’t got the correct stuff and don’t really want to buy it, just ring up the place you are going and find out if they have equipment to hire out. Don’t leave it until you turn up however as they might not, and you will waste time that you could spend rafting! If you are wearing your own clothing you will need different items to match the weather too:
- Warm weather – You will need to wear a bathing suit, shorts and a t-shirt. If you have anything made of quick drying material this is best, however if you are lucky and it is a really sunny day you shouldn’t take too long to dry out.
- Cold weather – You will need to wear a bathing suit, maybe a wetsuit on top, a waterproof jacket and long trousers. Of course when you get wet you get even colder so don’t choose jeans or cotton clothing as these stay wet for longer.
For either weather you need secure footwear such as trainers or sandals so long as they have a strap around the heel.
What Happens If We Get Bad Weather?
Of course nobody can predict the weather and it will be a different situation for different companies so ring up and check their policy on what they do if the weather takes a turn for the worse. Some places will still continue if it is raining but the decision will be on the day.
If you want to know more information it is good to ring up someone who specializes in white water rafting so you can make sure you know all you need to know. You can take part in it at a professionally designed centre such as the Tees Barrage International White Water Centre, or of course you could find a river where professional guides offer white water rafting trips, and the staff at either would be willing to help. Once you have found a venue set a date and go for it, those nerves will turn into adrenaline on the day and you will have a blast!
