White water rafting classification: How many levels of white water rafting?

Whitewater rafting is a thrilling collective water sport. When you feel the passion of waves, you can enjoy the magnificent and extraordinary experience of snow mountains and rivers.
Do you know what white water is?
And how many levels of white water rafting?

The origin of "white water"

The turbulent river water rushes down from the upstream layer by layer, passing through different river beds in width and depth, forming different laminar flow and turbulence. The power of river water impact provides air flushing and unstable rapids, making the water surface appear tube bubble like white spray (like the foam that loosens after swinging a soda bottle), so it is called "white water".

How many levels of white water rafting?

The standard water level ranking system holds six major categories. The scale used is referred to as the International scale of river difficulty and was created by the American Whitewater Association.

The international scale of river difficulty is a reflection of the difficulty and the degree of skill needed to raft across a section of a river. The level of difficulty varies with the differing water levels throughout the course of the river. The specific river section is given a numerical representation of its difficulty. A + or– is sometimes added as a suffix to show if it lies on the upper or lower side of the difficulty level.

Class 1: fast flowing water with shoals and small waves.
There are few obstacles, which can be avoided through simple training. The danger to swimmers is insignificant and easy to save themselves.

Class 2: Suitable for novices with certain physical strength and sports performance.
Straight and wide rapids, clear channels, no need to send people to protect on the shore generally, occasionally need to use skills, but trained oarsmen can be invited to avoid stones and medium-sized waves. Swimmers are rarely injured and rarely need team help. The rapids above this difficulty level are marked as "2+".

Class 3: rapids with medium and irregular waves.
It may be difficult to avoid and may flood open boats, require good ship control ability and complex skills, and quickly pass through narrow passages or places full of reefs; Big waves or "nails" may appear, but they can be easily avoided. Strong eddies and strong current effects will be found, especially in wider rivers. The unskilled party (including people and dangerous places) shall be protected on shore. Injuries are rare when swimming. Self rescue is usually easier, but team rescue may be required to avoid floating for a long time. The rapids above this difficulty level are marked as "3+".

Class 4: High level drafting, fierce, strong but predictable torrent.
It is necessary to drive a closed boat in the violent water. According to the characteristics of the river, there will be huge and inevitable waves and holes, or very narrow channels. It is necessary to quickly find countermeasures under pressure. For the fierce and exact whirlpool, it may be necessary to discuss countermeasures, set protection or give up. Level 4 rapids may require action above danger. It is necessary to set up protection before the first person goes down. The swimmer's risk of injury ranges from medium to high, and the water potential may make self rescue more difficult. Team rescue is usually necessary, but it requires skilled skills. It is recommended to master skilled Eskimo tumbling skills. The rapids above this difficulty level are marked as "4+".

Class 5: Expert dafting.
It is extremely long, remote, or extremely violent, will expose oarsmen to unpredictable risks. Water falls may include huge and unavoidable waves and holes, or steep and narrow waterfalls, accompanied by complex and laborious routes. The two pools (or actual shoals) are connected by long distance rapids, which requires the paddlers to have a high level of adaptability. The whirlpool may be small, violent, or difficult to pass. The highest difficulty of this level is the result of a combination of many factors. It is recommended to set protection on the shore, but it may be difficult. Swimming is dangerous, even for experts, rescue is difficult. Solid Eskimo tumbling technology, appropriate equipment, rich experience and skilled rescue skills are necessary. Because it is more difficult than Level 4, Level 5 is an extreme and multi level ruler, which is marked as 5.0/5.1/5.2 respectively. With the increase of the grade, the difficulty increases gradually.

Class 6: Extreme and adventure level rapids.
Such journeys are almost never tried and are usually extremely difficult, unpredictable and dangerous. The consequences of making mistakes are very serious and rescue may be impossible. Under smooth water flow conditions, after personal inspection and protection, it is only suitable for the team composed of experts. Level 6 torrent may become 5. X torrent with the increase of process.

Some tips

"Falling into the water" is a dangerous thing after all, so as a dangerous rafting, safety comes first!
Here are some tips for you.

• Tighten the strap on your life jacket. After getting on the boat, you can firmly insert your feet into the gap between the inflatable rafts in front of your seat, with a little help, but not too tightly, so as to avoid falling into the water and tripping your feet.
• You should pay attention to sitting around the inflatable raft. Although you don't feel safe at first, it is the best place to keep balance. Unless the guide shouts slogans to make everyone shrink in, always remember to sit outside for a week.
• Use your paddle. When the waves are very big and the flow is very fast, don't be afraid. Use the paddle vigorously in the water, which can give you strong support.
• The people sitting in the front should ensure that everyone paddles synchronously. The people sitting in the back should follow the rhythm of the people in front. When you are in harmony with everyone, the boat can move forward awesome, and it will be more smooth when passing through the torrent. Especially in the place of small waterfalls, follow the command and pull hard so that you won't fall out (because rowing is water support)!
• If the boat capsizes or you fall into the water, do not panic, because you have the most advanced life jacket, which will keep you from sinking. When you know you are going to fall into the water, hold your breath and wait for yourself to surface. Say important things three times, don't be afraid, don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Then lift your feet in the water as much as possible, because if you don't do this, your feet are under your body. With the flow of the river, you can easily get your feet stuck in the rocks in the river bed. If you fall into the water, enjoy it. You will float down and the guide will pick you up. Never swim in white water. No matter how slow the current is, your foot may be stuck in the stone and it will be difficult to pull it out.

Wearing a helmet can give you better protection.

The Canoeing and whitewater-Sport Safety Helmet in our shop provides protection in whitewater from classes 1 to classes 4.
Canoeing and whitewater Sports Safety Helmet is designed to help protect from bumps,scratches and concussion. It is not intended for use in white water classes 5 and 6 as given by the International Canoe Federation. No helmet can protect the wearer against all unforeseeable impacts. However, for maximum protection, the helmet must firt well and all retention straps must be securely fastened.