The canyons of Costa Rica’s Pacuare River echoed with a few more international accents than normal, blending in with the calls of macaws, white-faced squirrel monkeys and the roar of whitewater. They emanated from a flotilla of rafts filled with guides and outfitters from around the world — and even the U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica — all taking part in first-ever World Whitewater Rafting Summit, hosted by the International Rafting Federation (IRF). A huge shot in the arm for international rafting safety, the recent October event drew outfitters and safety experts from more than 25 countries with the goal of modernizing rafting procedures and safety protocols worldwide. With many countries going through the learning curve of adopting safety standards, the Summit brought them all together to learn from one another to make the sport safer. And after two days of presentations and seminars, everyone was happy to apply some of what they learned on the water. “Costa Rica is one of the first countries to follow a model of cooperation between the government and private sector to certify guides and rafting companies,” said Rafael Gallo, president of the Costa Rica Sports Association for Adventure and Paddling (ADAR) and owner of outfitter Rios Tropicales, which co-hosted the float. It hasn’t been so easy for other countries.“ It is frustrating to work as private outfitters trying to get a certification process in place in Peru,” said Pepe Lopez, who has run Apumayo Expeditions in Peru for over 30 years. “The government is hard to work with.” And the same wetsuit bootie doesn’t always necessarily fit the same foot. “To have a homogenized system that works for everyone is difficult,” added Joe Willis Jones, IRF president, at the Summit’s opening presentation. “To figure out one solution for everyone is difficult. But you should have some sort of regulation in place in order to be on the river at all — at the very least some minimum requirements, including some level of training, permitting system and insurance.” The get-together started with a guide training workshop on the Pacuare, drawing guides from around the world to renew IRF certifications and go over safety protocols. From there, it moved on to the Convention Center in downtown San Jose for two days of seminars, presentations and panel discussions.
Presenters included Joe Willis Jones, IRF President and Chair of the IRF Board of Directors; Julie Munger, co-founder of Sierra Rescue International and the Western Regional Director for Rescue 3 International; Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, the Minister of Environment and Energy for Costa Rica; Ena Buenfil, owner of Mexico’s Huaxteca Expeditions in the waterfall-strewn San Luis Potosi region; Tim Marshall, IRF Raft Guide Instructor, Chair of the New Zealand Rivers Association, and owner of New Zealand’s Ultimate Descents; and more. “The hope is that we can all learn from each other’s procedures and issues to take back home to our own operations,” said Marshall, who served as event director when the World Rafting Championships came to New Zealand. “We can see things that work in one country and transfer them to another.” Topics included advances in raft guide certifications, swiftwater rescue and wilderness first aid techniques, risk management, social media concerns, language barriers between guides and clients, and more. “Many countries are seeing an increase in Chinese tourists who are seeking rafting trips, and clear communication is paramount,” said Gallo in a panel on the language subject. Indeed, on a commercial trip paralleling the later Friendship Float, one guide had customers from Belgium, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Switzerland.
The afternoon ended with visits and speeches from Costa Rica Minister of Tourism Maria Amalia Revelo, as well as the Ministers of Health and Environment and Energy, who were next door attending the country’s packed-house 2019 Conference on Climate Change. On Thursday, former outfitter and motivational speaker Ken Streater kicked things off with a talk on the power to be change-makers as guides, before Abigail Polsbyof Sierra Rescue updated attendees on Wilderness First Responder Training, with station breakouts on shoulder reduction, splinting and more. Scotland’s Jim Davis, owner of Ace Adventures and a member of the Scottish Rafting Association, discussed insurance and litigation issues affecting the industry (the cost of insurance has risen 300 percent in the past three years, he claimed), followed by Finland Rescue3 Europe Instructor Mark Hirst addressing proper safety talks. Gallo then wrapped things up with a presentation on training Colombia FARC guerillas to become raft guides, and co-founding Colombia’s Paddling for Peace initiative. When all was said and done, and the IRF announced its partnership with the United Nations to help combat climate change, the summit was followed by the “One River, One World, One Family Friendship Float” on the Class III-IV Pacuare, where outfitters from Scotland and New Zealand shared rafts with those from Ecuador, Chile, Peru and more — all joining the calls of macaws in the name of making the sport safer. —For more info visit irfwwraftingsummit.com
What We Can Learn from a Rafting Tragedy in Costa Rica
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The canyons of Costa Rica’s Pacuare River echoed with a few more international accents than normal, blending in with the calls of macaws, white-faced squirrel monkeys and the roar of whitewater. They emanated from a flotilla of rafts filled with guides and outfitters from around the world — and even the U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica — all taking part in first-ever World Whitewater Rafting Summit, hosted by the International Rafting Federation (IRF).
A huge shot in the arm for international rafting safety, the recent October event drew outfitters and safety experts from more than 25 countries with the goal of modernizing rafting procedures and safety protocols worldwide.
With many countries going through the learning curve of adopting safety standards, the Summit brought them all together to learn from one another to make the sport safer. And after two days of presentations and seminars, everyone was happy to apply some of what they learned on the water.
“Costa Rica is one of the first countries to follow a model of cooperation between the government and private sector to certify guides and rafting companies,” said Rafael Gallo, president of the Costa Rica Sports Association for Adventure and Paddling (ADAR) and owner of outfitter Rios Tropicales, which co-hosted the float.
It hasn’t been so easy for other countries.“ It is frustrating to work as private outfitters trying to get a certification process in place in Peru,” said Pepe Lopez, who has run Apumayo Expeditions in Peru for over 30 years. “The government is hard to work with.”
And the same wetsuit bootie doesn’t always necessarily fit the same foot. “To have a homogenized system that works for everyone is difficult,” added Joe Willis Jones, IRF president, at the Summit’s opening presentation. “To figure out one solution for everyone is difficult. But you should have some sort of regulation in place in order to be on the river at all — at the very least some minimum requirements, including some level of training, permitting system and insurance.”
The get-together started with a guide training workshop on the Pacuare, drawing guides from around the world to renew IRF certifications and go over safety protocols. From there, it moved on to the Convention Center in downtown San Jose for two days of seminars, presentations and panel discussions.
Presenters included Joe Willis Jones, IRF President and Chair of the IRF Board of Directors; Julie Munger, co-founder of Sierra Rescue International and the Western Regional Director for Rescue 3 International; Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, the Minister of Environment and Energy for Costa Rica; Ena Buenfil, owner of Mexico’s Huaxteca Expeditions in the waterfall-strewn San Luis Potosi region; Tim Marshall, IRF Raft Guide Instructor, Chair of the New Zealand Rivers Association, and owner of New Zealand’s Ultimate Descents; and more.
“The hope is that we can all learn from each other’s procedures and issues to take back home to our own operations,” said Marshall, who served as event director when the World Rafting Championships came to New Zealand. “We can see things that work in one country and transfer them to another.”
Topics included advances in raft guide certifications, swiftwater rescue and wilderness first aid techniques, risk management, social media concerns, language barriers between guides and clients, and more. “Many countries are seeing an increase in Chinese tourists who are seeking rafting trips, and clear communication is paramount,” said Gallo in a panel on the language subject. Indeed, on a commercial trip paralleling the later Friendship Float, one guide had customers from Belgium, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Switzerland.
The afternoon ended with visits and speeches from Costa Rica Minister of Tourism Maria Amalia Revelo, as well as the Ministers of Health and Environment and Energy, who were next door attending the country’s packed-house 2019 Conference on Climate Change.
On Thursday, former outfitter and motivational speaker Ken Streater kicked things off with a talk on the power to be change-makers as guides, before Abigail Polsbyof Sierra Rescue updated attendees on Wilderness First Responder Training, with station breakouts on shoulder reduction, splinting and more. Scotland’s Jim Davis, owner of Ace Adventures and a member of the Scottish Rafting Association, discussed insurance and litigation issues affecting the industry (the cost of insurance has risen 300 percent in the past three years, he claimed), followed by Finland Rescue3 Europe Instructor Mark Hirst addressing proper safety talks.
Gallo then wrapped things up with a presentation on training Colombia FARC guerillas to become raft guides, and co-founding Colombia’s Paddling for Peace initiative.
When all was said and done, and the IRF announced its partnership with the United Nations to help combat climate change, the summit was followed by the “One River, One World, One Family Friendship Float” on the Class III-IV Pacuare, where outfitters from Scotland and New Zealand shared rafts with those from Ecuador, Chile, Peru and more — all joining the calls of macaws in the name of making the sport safer.
—For more info visit irfwwraftingsummit.com
What We Can Learn from a Rafting Tragedy in Costa Rica
Read article
River Trip Camping Essentials
Read article
The article was originally published on Canoe & Kayak
What We Can Learn from a Rafting Tragedy in Costa Rica
Read article
What We Can Learn from a Rafting Tragedy in Costa Rica
River Trip Camping Essentials
Read article
River Trip Camping Essentials
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
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