Manners Matter on the River

By Teresa Gryder, originally appeared in Cascade Currents, 2017

You might hear it called River Etiquette. I’m referring to the customary behavior that helps us flow smoothly down the river as a group. Unfortunately for most of us, our parents didn’t teach us paddling. We had to figure out how to behave on our own. If you are a new paddler, this stuff is key. If you teach new paddlers, please pass on the basics so that the new folks know what is expected for the good of all.

Manners in social situations are mostly about keeping everyone comfortable. If you don’t have to see someone talk with their mouth full, so much the better for you. On the river, it’s different. On the river, manners are more like traffic laws, only there are no enforced laws on whitewater rivers. Our customs vary from river to river and crew to crew, so when you’re in a new place, ask. Still, having good awareness of each other helps facilitate flow and increases our overall safety by reducing collisions, crowding, delays, and botched moves.

Here are some customs that impact whitewater safety on day trips. Multi-day trips, commercial trips, and motorized craft bring is another level of complexity that will not be addressed here. Furthermore, and it should go without saying, all paddlers on any section are expected to know and obey the official rules of managing agencies. It may not be bad manners to skip wearing a life jacket, but it is dangerous and endangering yourself endangers those around you. 

For the purpose of day trips we should have an idea of the normal traffic flow including spacing, pacing, and eddy manners. We should also maintain certain standards when it comes to group behavior.

BOAT MOVING DOWNSTREAM HAS RIGHT OF WAY

This is the rule that almost everyone knows. The paddler who is simply running the rapid should not have to deal with paddlers jumping in front of them, surfing, peeling out, or otherwise interfering with their intended line. Practically speaking this means you should always look upstream before you peel out into the current or slide into a surf wave. Any paddler that is playing in a wave or hole must be skilled enough to avoid oncoming paddlers, or relinquish the wave or hole to avoid a collision.

This rule is especially important when the boat coming downstream is 10 times bigger than yours. A large boat cannot change course to avoid you if you happen to catch a great surf wave. Your friends, on the other hand, will want to allow you the surf and will attempt to go around you instead of making you ditch the wave. Ultimately though, it is up to you to avoid a collision. Playing chicken is a violation of this rule.

SPACING AND PACING

The right amount of space between boats varies depending on the river, your group, and the individuals concerned. For safety’s sake, we like our groups to be close enough together that we can respond quickly if someone needs a rescue, and far enough apart that nobody gets messed up by crowding. Complicating that effort is the fact that each individual has different requirements for personal space. Individuals who prefer a lot of space may hang back or rush out ahead to be sure they won’t be crowded. We have to keep an extra eye on these people because they are often all alone. Some groups get used to paddling very closely together and weaving down the river like a tapestry. It’s up to each of us to find our own strand in the weave.

Just as people have different needs for space around them, they also move at different speeds. I divide them into floaters and chargers, though of course it’s more complicated than that because boats move differently too. Floaters bob downstream, making the moves that are required without working very hard. Floaters tend to get to the bottom of each rapid first, and hang out in the eddy at the bottom of each rapid until the group catches up. Chargers move faster, but typically catch eddies and make moves, causing them to drop behind. Chargers can catch up by sprinting or skipping the big eddy at the end of the rapid.

Disparities in pacing can cause conflict within a group. Floaters often overtake chargers who are playing their way through the rapid, and a miscalculation can cause boats to get bunched up right at the crux of a rapid. The solution for this challenge is broad awareness on the part of every paddler. Keep an eye on all the boats around you, not just the one you are behind. If you are a floater, look behind you regularly. If there is a pack of boats right behind you, take a few strokes forward to make some room. If you are a charger, be willing to sit an extra moment in the eddy so you don’t upset anyone’s apple cart by making moves too close to them.

One place where pace really matters is at the pinch points of the run. Put-ins, scouts, portages, and take-outs can cause massive slowdowns because only one or two boats can move through at a time. When it is your turn to move through the pinch point, be efficient, but also be careful, because a fall or a dropped boat during a sketchy climb can ruin everyone’s day. Don’t crowd another person who is trying to climb past a difficult spot: give them the time they need to do it right. Teamwork in moving boats, roping stuff up and down cliffs, and setting up seal launches can make everyone’s day more pleasant.  Hard rapids are another possible pinch point. If a rapid has a bad hole or other significant challenges, only one boat at a time should attempt it. Wait for a sign or signal that the coast is clear before committing to a blind drop.

EDDY MANNERS

We practice catching eddies at the top, however if someone is already in the eddy you are catching, it is good manners to catch it below them and wait your turn to peel out.  Even if there is space for a boat upstream from them, if they are moving up the eddy, you should hit it below them. If there is room for one boat beside them and behind them, you still catch it behind them, so that they can continue to the top without having to wait for you to peel out first. This “flight pattern” allows a smooth flow of paddlers into and out of the eddy, and orderly entrance to play waves and holes.

It is fair game to take turns when entering a feature from opposite sites of the channel, and to use hand or head signals to let the other paddlers know when you are going or when you relinquish your turn to someone else.

If you are not playing, you should get out of the “flight pattern” of boaters who are queueing up to play. Be ready to peel out when you get to the top, and head for a less crowded eddy. If you are playing, you should keep your place in the queue and be ready to go when you reach the top of the eddy.  

Anyone who is about to leave an eddy should Look Upstream and all around before venturing into the current. This 360 degree awareness is important. When you are in an eddy and coming out of it, it is your job to see every moving boat in your area and avoid interfering with boats that are in or about to enter the current.

A finer point of Eddy Manners has to do with small eddies. When you hear someone talking about Creek Manners usually they are talking about how we behave in and around small eddies. On a creek, the last eddy before a major rapid may hold only one or two boats. If you can’t catch it when you need to the consequences can be severe. Good Creek Manners dictate that you remain conscious of others who may need to catch the same eddy as you, and make room for them. This may mean moving away from the eddy line so they can catch it right next to you, or quickly climbing out of your boat and onto shore to start a portage or scout. If there’s a hazard downstream you might even position yourself to catch incoming boats. You can also make room for incoming paddlers by peeling out. A particularly elegant way to time your peel out is to exit at the same moment that they are coming into the eddy just below you. This eddy exchange requires accurate timing, and resembles a dance. The bottom line is that we make room for incoming paddlers when there is a good reason to want to stop.

Another aspect of Eddy or Creek Manners is Boof Manners. Boofing is fun, however it is not OK to boof over a rock when there is someone behind it that you might land on. I like to do S-turns in small eddies, and I have had boaters charging at me and threatening to behead me with their boats. If you are a boof maniac and you kill me, I will haunt you. Abort the boof if there is someone in the eddy. And if you figure out that you are the one in the eddy behind a good boof, move along and let them have their fun.

GROUP MANNERS

Lots of people have written about appropriate behavior for groups on the water.  Most basically you are supposed to stay together with your group, and to keep your entire group together as a unit. When your group is slow and another group approaches from behind, they will appreciate it when you pull over and let them go by. Likewise when you are moving faster than another group, you can pass, but wait until you have your whole group close together so you can all pass quickly.

Paddling past fishermen is somewhat more complicated as they may, depending on the run, consider you to be an intruder without rights. Always give them a wide berth. Be friendly if it is reciprocated, and be quiet if it is not. At the very least avoid their lines and avoid the eddy-lines or eddies that they are actively fishing. Paddling down the far shore works in most cases but sometimes you will have to pass underneath a line.

Some paddling groups are particularly loud, and noise carries on the water.  Homeowners, fishermen and wildlife may not appreciate your cheers and jeers, they may be in their quiet place where nothing but rippling water and the call of a hawk is welcome. Please be mindful of who might be hearing your ruckus, and adjust your volume accordingly.

BOAT CONTROL

Maintain control of your craft. If you are colliding with other boats, you are not minding your manners very well. If you do as I did and go barreling into an eddy and spear one of your good friends in the kidney, you will be very sorry that you didn’t handle your boat’s momentum more accurately. You and your boat add up to a heavy projectile, so take care, and keep it under control.

MANAGE YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT

Your kit is your responsibility, and other people’s kits are theirs. Keep your gear in good condition so that you don’t become a liability. Also, carry basic safety gear so that you can assist others. Don’t move, adjust or borrow another person’s gear without asking permission. If you do move or adjust something, adjust it back when you are done.

MANNERS IS A MATTER OF AWARENESS

River etiquette is based on being broadly aware of what’s going on with your group and around you. Keeping the river clean; wildlife calm; pinch points flowing; homeowners, wildlife and fishermen happy; and boats flowing downstream is easy to accomplish when you are all working toward this same goal. Being wide awake helps you to notice situations about to happen and make room for better outcomes. Manners help us prevent collisions, bad runs, and other accidents. 

With no cost and considerable reward, you can hold your teacup with pinkie held high, and you can hit the eddies below boaters who are already there.