Many common water safety tips will also help participants stay safe while they’re rafting. Boats and rafts are very different. People who have experience with boating may still need to take some time to develop rafting skills. However, many types of boating safety equipment will also help the people who are going rafting.
Rafting Helmets
People may not immediately associate helmets with any sort of rafting. However, wearing helmets during other types of outdoor activities has been common for a while. Bike helmets are a legal requirement in many areas. Wearing helmets during many other activities is starting to become more popular, and participants need to wear helmets while rafting.
While head injuries during rafting trips are still relatively uncommon, helmets will already help prevent many of the most severe accidents. Anyone interested in Float the Bow River rafting should wear a good life jacket and helmet.
Life Jackets
People need to wear life jackets when they decide to go rafting. The life jackets need to fit them properly, and the jackets need to be fastened in place when they’re worn. Most modern life jackets are relatively comfortable. They shouldn’t inhibit a person’s motions very much. The people wearing the life jackets will usually get used to them relatively quickly.
Individuals who enjoy going boating may already be used to wearing life jackets. It’s just as important for rafting participants to prepare for the weather that day.
Weather Changes
People often dress very lightly for rafting trips. They might just want to wear swimsuits and shorts. However, a dry suit can help protect participants from cold water. Even when it’s a hot day outside, the water might still be very cold. Dry suits can offer plenty of protection, and they’re also perfect for many outdoor activities involving water.
People will stay warm more easily while wearing their dry suits, even if they do successfully stay outside the water during the rafting trip. Most dry suits are also made from a comparatively flexible material. Someone in a dry suit can also apply less sunscreen than they might otherwise.
Sun Protection
It’s certainly important for people to wear sunscreen if they want to spend time rafting, even if they don’t plan on being outside for a while. People don’t need to be outside all day to get sunburned.
Lots of people get sunburned during boating trips. Sunscreen is particularly important during any sort of rafting trip, because rafts are almost completely open. People won’t get any shade when they’re on a raft, or at least not any shade from the raft itself.
While people who raft through areas that are surrounded by trees might benefit from some natural sources of shade, they can still get sunburned under these circumstances. People will spend their time in the raft itself, so they won’t have to worry about the sunscreen getting washed off at different points.
People have to reapply sunscreen after swimming, and after half an hour has passed. Reapplying with some sunscreen during the rafting trip can prevent sunburns.
