Читать книгу Carolina Whitewater. A Paddler's Guide to the Western Carolinas онлайн

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8. Do not attempt to run dams or abrupt ledges. Quite often a hydraulic jump is formed in which the surface water flows back upstream, causing a rolling action. This rolling action tends to hold a boat or a person in, tumbling them around and around. The only escape is to swim out to the end or dive toward the bottom into the downriver current.

9. If you spill, get to the upstream end of the boat, and if possible, stay with it. Don’t risk being pinned against a rock. If others spill, rescue the boaters and then go after the boat and equipment.

10. If you get broadside on a rock or other obstacle, lean toward the obstacle, downstream from the direction of the current. It is the unnatural reaction but the correct thing to do in order to prevent the upstream gunwale from dipping into the current and swamping the boat.

In running smaller low-water streams, the possibility of personal danger is usually not as great as in large-volume rivers, but there are many things to watch for that might prove dangerous if not approached with caution. Some of the most common things that the paddler needs to beware of are logs and trees blocking the passage, barbed-wire fences that can prove difficult to see, and low-water bridges that may be just high enough to lure the unwary paddler into attempting a run under them. If in doubt when approaching the latter, pull to shore well above it and check out the clearance. The American Whitewater Affiliation has a safety code that is quite inclusive, and the aspiring boater should become familiar with it.