Downtime on Zig Zag Falls - Cataract Creek, Alberta

A little downtime in the worst place you could be on Zig Zag Falls. Landing an inch on the wrong side of the boil line sent Chris into the cave and then onto a little down time. He says he saw total blackness he went so deep. It's a tough place for a rescue given that you can't get close to the paddler on shore at all and you have to risk sending another paddler down the drop (and once down there, it's still tough to get close)...I'm sure there's a better and quicker way to pull off this rescue...comments appreciated.

Creative Commons Music: www.ccmixter.org

grapes - Ophelia's Song
Duncan Beattie - Nice E

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• whitewater kayaking
• kayaking
• cataract creek
• alberta
• zig zag falls

[MrOnionpits]

@MrOnionpits It's all part of the gamble of running a consequential rapid. Good carnage, and I'm glad he flushed!

[MrOnionpits]

@MrOnionpits I don't know about sending another kayaker down. The potential for two swimmers there seems like a possibility given the stressful nature of the situation. Of course, I don't know if he was the strongest paddler of the group, but having the most experienced through first and setting safety for others is essential. The fact is, this rapid appears difficult to set proper safety and some carnage ensued.

[MrOnionpits]

No one wants to go deep in a hole, especially a second time, but it appears that the second plunge is what flushed him out. With that said, your throw bags were a bit short and tying them together was a good idea. Reassessing after the first short throw would have lead to a solution quicker. A longer rope(two clipped together) would have helped more with the problems of angle and leverage, which you ran into after getting the first bag to him.