White Water Rafting on the Davao River

Raging Rapids: Wild Water Adventure

White Water Rafting is something that is all but genetically programmed into my being. Many of my fondest memories from childhood are trips my family would make at the start of each Summer to hit the rapids on the Buffalo River in Southern Missouri.

I can't help but smile when I remember waking up at an insanely early hour, to spend hours on the road, packed to the gills with food, coolers, sun screen, and anything else you can think of to take along on a rafting trip. Except in those days we weren't really rafting, we were riding the rapids in canoes.

We usually required two canoes for everyone to sit comfortably, and it seemed as though I always found myself in a canoe with Larry, one of my dad's friends from their high school days. Larry was an outdoorsman type, and was very serious when we were flying through the raging white water, but every time the water was still, he somehow decided to intentionally tip us into the water. I never really liked that because it always caught me by surprise, but now that I look back on it, I have to say that it was a blast.

But that was then, and this is now. Those days were consumed with riding canoes down mildly swift rapids. These days are meant for a large rubber raft, and facing up to the challenge of a true white water rafting experience, with roaring, raging rapids that threaten to sweep you away with even the slightest mistake.

Basics of White Water Rafting

Before going any further, we should take a moment to look at white water rafting realistically. While this is a leisure activity and a great deal of fun, it is also an extreme sport. People can and do get injured when rafting on fast rapids. Therefore, you should exercise a degree of caution, using proper safety equipment and an experienced guide who is familiar with the river you are rafting on.