Rafting

Rafting is a recreational activity, utilising a raft to navigate a river or other body of water.

Whitewater rafting can be a dangerous activity if the proper precautions are not taken. Below is a generally accepted classification system used to classify rivers for rafting and boating difficulty:

Class I - Easy. Fast moving water with riffles and small waves.
Class II - Novice. Straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels.
Class III - Intermediate. Strong eddies and current, requiring skilled manoeuvring.
Class IV - Advanced. Powerful but predictable rapids requiring precise boat handling in turbulent water.
Class V - Expert. Long, obstructed, or violent rapids which expose paddlers to a high degree of danger, requiring expertise and reliable equipment for safe passage.
Class VI - Unrunnable. Likelihood of death, or destruction of equipment in attempting.

As expertise increases, and equipment becomes more durable, or reliable, what may have once been considered class VI becomes class V plus, and eventually class V. In the past, the Grand Canyon has swallowed whole expeditions, leaving only fragments of boats, yet it is now run by commercial outfitters hundreds of times each year, with relatively untrained passengers.

The most popular commercially rafted stretch of river in the United States is the Arkansas River in Colorado, through the Royal Gorge, Bighorn Sheep Canyon, Browns Canyon and the Numbers sections, seeing up to 250,000 people rafting down river in a busy summer. Other popular destinations include Africa, Chile, Nepal, New Zealand and Costa Rica; in fact, just about every country with a navigable river offers rafting tours.