White-Water Rafting : Rapid Grades

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The weekend is here and you want to explore all your options of making that break away from the city...

If you are one of those adventurous kinds, you'd probably look into some kind of physical activity that would involve some serious and strenuous (but relieving from all the mundane weekly workload) physical activity around where you live.


And some of you might just want to head out and jump on to a raft on one of the exciting rivers around where you live.

Rafting or whitewater rafting is a challenging recreational activity utilizing a raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this activity as a leisure sport has become popular since the mid 1970s.


A simple and fun activity it sure is...but read on to know what to expect once on your raft.


RAPIDS

A rapid is a section of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient causing an increase in water flow and turbulence. A rapid is a hydrological feature between a run (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a cascade.


A rapid is characterised by the river becoming shallower and having some rocks exposed above the flow surface. As flowing water splashes over and around the rocks, air bubbles become mixed in with it and portions of the surface acquire a white colour, forming what is called "whitewater".

Rapids occur where the bed material is highly resistant to the erosive power of the stream in comparison with the bed downstream of the rapids. Very young streams flowing across solid rock may be rapids for much of their length.


RAPID GRADES

Grade 1

Rapids are small regular waves. The passage is clear and easy to recognise and negotiate. Care may be needed with obstacles like fallen trees and bridge piers.



Grade 2

Rapids have regular medium sized waves (less than 1 metre), low ledges or drops, easy eddies and gradual bends. The passage is easy to recognise and is generally unobstructed although there may be rocks in the main current, overhanging branches or log jams.



Grade 3

Rapids with fairly high waves (1-2 metres), broken water, stoppers and strong eddies, exposed rocks and small falls. The passage may be difficult to recognise from the river and manoeuvring to negotiate the rapid is required.

Grade 4

Difficult rapids with high, powerful, irregular waves, broken water, often boiling eddies, strong stoppers, ledges, drops and dangerous exposed rocks. The passage is often difficult to recognise and precise and sequential manoeuvring is required.

Grade 5



Very powerful rapids with very confused and broken water, large drops, violent and fast currents, abrupt turns, difficult powerful stoppers and fast boiling eddies; with numerous obstacles in the main current. Complex, precise and powerful sequential manouvering is required. A definite risk to personal safety exists.

Grade 6


All previous difficulties increased to the limit of practicability. Very confused and violent water so difficult that controlled navigation by raft is virtually impossible. Significantly life threatening if swimming and unrunable by all but a few experts.


Coming soon...we go rafting on the Kundalika (river at some place on the Mumbai-Goa Highway) and share the experience with you....