If you’ve ever been to or heard of Rishikesh, you already have a fair idea of what rafting is like! However, there’s much more to rafting than meets the eye. One of the most extreme adventure sports out there, rafting is a recreational and competitive sport which has more often than not proved fatal. But with adequate precautions and training, the risk involved in this sport becomes absolutely worth it once you’re in that inflatable boat rowing through rough rapids of a fierce river!
Rafting is one of the few adventure sports which is rarely done solo and appreciates teamwork. There are certain sections of rivers which are more dangerous to cross than others, called rapids. Rapids are formed when parts of the river bed have a steeper gradient than other places, causing the water to increase in turbulence and velocity. Rapids themselves have varying classes and the difficulty in manoeuvring a raft increases with increase in the size of the rapids.
The ‘Then and Now’
The first-ever river rafting expedition dates back to the 19th century when in 1811, rafting through the Sanke River in Wyoming, USA was planned but failed because of the strong river current coupled with little training and not enough equipment. It wasn’t until mid-1940 that the Sanke River Canyon was successfully rafted through, during an expedition led by Clyde Smith. Although river rafting has seen a long history, the International Olympic Federation only included whitewater river rafting in 1972 in Munich.
The words rafting and Rishikesh often go hand in hand in the Indian vocabulary, but little do most people know there are much better rapids found in other rivers in India than just the Ganges.
Rafting in India
The words rafting and Rishikesh often go hand in hand in the Indian vocabulary, but little do most people know there are much better rapids found in other rivers in India than just the Ganges. Here is a look at the top places for rafting in India.
Best Places for Rafting in India
Indus River
Beas River
Ganga River
Lohit River
Best Time to go Rafting in India
The best time for river rafting in India is majorly dependent on the flow of the river. During monsoons the rivers usually get very aggressive, making it unsafe for taking out a rafting trip. The best time for rafting then would be during the post-monsoon and dry winter months from September to December and February to April.
Rafting Courses and Certifications
The International Rafting Federation or the IRF is the governing body that overlooks various aspects of whitewater river rafting throughout the world. The IRF has classified the river rapids into six levels- from Class 1 to Class 6, with the difficulty increasing as the Class increases. The IRF also organizes an annual World Rafting Championship wherein professional rafters from different countries compete against each other to be declared the winner.
The International Rafting Federation has also grouped various age levels for competitive rafting starting from Open (ages 15 and above), Youth (15-19), Junior (15-23) and Master (ages 40 and above). The IRF GTE Certification Award is a globally recognized licence for all trained rafters. Mostly, this is the only licence required in most countries, however, some nations might also need the rafter to obtain a regional licence as well. The IRF GTE Certification has several levels including IRF Instructor, IRF Trip Leader and IRF Guide Certifications.
Although there are several government-run and private run institutions that offer rafting courses in India, none of them are licensed by the IRF. These institutions include Indian Himalayan Centre for Adventure and Eco-Tourism in Sikkim, Jawahar Institue of Mountaineering and Winter Sports in Pahalgam, National Institue of Watersports in Goa and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports in Manali. However, some companies have IRF licensed instructors including Rescue India and Red Chili Adventures in Rishikesh. And IRF license in India can be obtained by training under one of the few IRF certified rafters in India including Bhupendra Singh Rana (bhupi@rescueindia.co.in) of Rescue India and Tsering Chotak (chotak@wetnwildexplorations.com) of Wet N Wild Explorations, Ladakh.
Rafting Career Prospects
There are a number of rafting career options one can take up after proper training including competitive rafter, rescue rafter, rafting instructor, rafting trip leader etc. One can even think of working with the International Rafting Federation itself after gaining extensive education in this sport!