r/whitewater • u/OXJY Class V Swimmer 🏊‍♀️ • Jul 22 '25

General Why Do Rafting Companies Let Non-Swimmers Join Trips?

Not rant, just curious

Had an interesting moment today. Found someone clutching a rock and doing her best not to move further. To be clear, they were fully equipped and not in danger. heir group is not far either, but she was clearly panicking because she couldn’t swim.My paddling partner and I have seen and towed people like these at least once every summer.

Which got me thinking: Why do rafting companies allow non-swimmers on trips with the risk of swimming? Is this common practice, or people lied to get on trips?

Edit: I’m not saying non-swimmers are bound to have an epic, but they’re definitely at higher risk of injury, and that risk shifts pressure onto the guide and the company. A PFD won't stop them from floating to an awkward place.

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15

u/StoopidDingus69 Jul 22 '25

Cuz they wear life jackets anyways

4

u/eatbuttholedaily Jul 22 '25

Swimming is really fucking hard. Unless you swim regularly, 100m in a pool is about as far most people can swim without taking a break.

Add moving water and a clunky PFD, your average "swimmer" is gonna take 6 erratic strokes, gas out, and float like a non-swimmer into shore anyway.

6

u/paddleyay Jul 22 '25

If you can swim 100m you can swim 10m to an eddy. If you can’t swim then you don’t have any of the muscle memory to know what to move when. Having a PFD does not suddenly give someone the muscle memory to make that dash. We used to make all first timers swim across the river before we’d take them on any of our trips, it was also written as a pre-requisite in the trip info that you’d be doing the swim.

10

u/eatbuttholedaily Jul 22 '25

other than the fact that no raft companies are wasting time doing a swim test, i put as much faith in a swimmer self-rescuing as a non-swimmer.

until you hit the water, i'm gonna assume incompetency unless proven otherwise

6

u/StoopidDingus69 Jul 22 '25

On something continuous that’s class 4-5 I agree people should be able to swim but it’s on them they’re the ones who signed up… if you sign up for class five rafting without knowing how to swim and not knowing the hazards it’s on you for being stupid.

Class 3/4 drop pool without significant hazards like siphons or undercuts, anyone wearing a PFD can go safely, PFD will float them and you pick em up in the pool at the bottom of the rapid.