Video & Blog: Packrafter Swiftwater Rescue Course// Payette River - July 2024

Written By Understaffed Packraft

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to take a packrafting specific swiftwater safety course! I really recommend that every boater take this course in their respective craft, but the packrafting specific course was invaluable to those of us who run deep, backcountry raftpacking expeditions.

I took my course through Swiftwater Safety Institute, and I took this directly from their website:

REC-I Learning Objectives

  • Contact swimming rescues

  • Foot entrapment extrication

  • Shallow water crossings

  • Basic knots

  • Vector pull as mechanical advantage

  • Boat pins / flips (class specific and course site dependent)

  • Problem solving with limited gear and resources

  • Overall emergency assessment

  • Group communication

  • Proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

  • Hazard avoidance and recognition

  • Gaining comfort swimming in rivers

  • Rescue priorities (self, team, others)

  • Risk assessment

  • Stress Guide Assessment

  • Self rescue and group rescue priorities

  • Throw bag techniques

So, what did that look like?

A HELL of a lot of fun! A heck of a lot of swimming. Swimming through flatwater, swimming through rapids, swimming with our boat, swimming on the back of someone else’s boat - LOTS OF SWIMMING. Tossing bags, self-rescue, partner-rescue, rescuing unconscious swimmers, building rescue rafts, strainers, zip-lining across the riving….too many incredible skills to list! Thank you SSI, Dan Thurber, and Nate Moody for an incredible course.

Understaffed Packraft

Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world. I took the midnight train to Denver, CO.

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