Tips for Whitewater Rafting

One:  We took our whitewater rafting adventure in the summertime, the middle of August.  So unless it’s a bit chilly outside, I recommend just wearing a swimsuit under your life jacket.  Ladies, I would suggest wearing swim shorts, or perhaps a skinny pair of men’s trunks, so the waves don’t hit you with a vengeance.  But the guides tell me that wearing a cotton t-shirt on the ride will increase your chances of a chill, as the cotton does not shed water with any speed whatsoever.  You’d be better off evaporating the cold water from bare skin.

Two: If there are more than three people in your party, I would suggest requesting a raft all to yourselves.  It’s not worth it to get stuck with a couple little rugrats and people who don’t help paddle or carry the raft. (Yes, we experienced this.)

Three: Keep loose articles closely attached.  If you need to wear sunglasses, make sure you can look down at the ground without them falling off.  I took mine on the ride and had no problems. 

Four:  If you wear contacts, I would suggest wearing either a spare pair of contacts or disposable soft lenses (even if you normally wear hard gas permeables, like I do).  If a wave comes up and splashes your face head-on, your $150.00 eyes are gone forever.  This is partially why I wore the sunglasses – I wore a spare pair of contacts, but still didn’t want them getting lost.  The sunglasses successfully deflected most of the water.

Five: Try to schedule your rafting adventure in the summertime, when the foliage around the river is green and the weather is just about perfect.  I wouldn’t have wanted to take my ride in any cooler weather.