Safety

Safety is not a coincidence, and when the proper precautions are taken on and off the water, a river trip can be one of the most fun and relaxing experiences of your life.

Good leadership is critical to safety. Last Descents requires that all guides and/or oarsmen have first aid training and ample experience on the rivers that they guide or rivers of similar and greater difficulty. Every trip must have one Wilderness First Responder and all other guides must be Wilderness First Aid certified or equivalent.

On the water, our safety protocols are very similar to that in Grand Canyon or other commercially run rivers in the United States. Each trip starts out with a significant safety talk covering what to do in case you fall in, the raft flips, or your boat gets stuck on a rock. Passengers are fitted into Type V lifejackets, and in some cases helmets and on the water guides check that lifejackets continue to remain well fitted and review other safety issues.

For equipment, we use 16’ rafts and catarafts, and will soon add a number of 18’ rafts to our fleet. On first descent expeditions and difficult whitewater runs, we bring safety kayakers to assist in potential rescues and scout ahead for difficult rapids. On every trip, at least two boats have major first aid kits while other boats have minor first aid kits. Every boat carries at least one throw bag. We carry two major patch kits that are spread appropriately in the formation of boats. There is at least one spare lifejacket for every ten participants, as well as spare oars, a spare pump, spare rope, and a rescue kit with pullies and webbing. Our overall outfitting meets or exceeds industry standards worldwide.

Because most injuries occur off the river during falls in the rocks on scouts or in the evenings when people have consumed alcohol, we are especially careful to pay attention to safety in camp and while scouting and hiking. All trip members are required to wear shoes at all times unless the lead guide determines that a sandy beach camp is safe without shoes, and we request that clients hike with a partner if they are to go exploring. During scouts, we remind passengers to walk slowly and check for loose rocks, and guides keep a close eye on all passengers, helping passengers that have trouble with moving on rough terrain. In the evenings, if people do consume alcohol, we remind them not to urinate at the river’s edge unless it is a quiet eddy.

We found another Grand Canyon. Read here for more on our first descent of the Salween this September.

Think Tank on the Yangtze a huge success.

Winter trip schedule posted!