When I was 60 years old, I signed up for a Swift Water Rescue Technician certification course given by NYS Homeland Security. Before being allowed in the program, all had to demonstrate we could flat water swim 400m using various designated strokes without stopping. The facility in central NYS was designed and built by the same organization that builds Olympic whitewater courses. Ours is capable of discharging and recycling 100,000 gal/min. Not only do we swim aggressively, learning rescue techniques, we also learn to control rescue rafts, and even canoes and kayaks. Included is a simulated low head dam, and a city scape with flooded buildings with furniture, and flooded vehicles for rescue training. We were taught to avoid strainers, if possible, but otherwise to swim aggressively toward it, fast enough to launch yourself over the top. Of course, we only used smooth inflatable strainers, lacking any upward pointed branches.
After Swift Water certification, I went on the next winter to train on a frozen lake for cold water ice rescue training.
Following that, I certified in a steep sided white water canyon as a swift water rescue motor boat operator.
I had a tremendous amount of fun in each of these, as well as learning valuable rescue skills for myself and others.
Although I am primarily a flat water canoer, one never knows when a race might have a segment including some class 1 or 2+ swift water, or the weather on a large. wide body might kick up some nasty stuff. There are two short segments on the Yukon River where such knowledge could be useful where it is common for some racers to capsize on almost every race.
Five Finger Rapids, Yiukon River photos taken seconds apart:
