Swimming the rapids

On the bank of the Pacuare River by the lodge

One unexpected benefit of the very low water level was the opportunity to learn to swim a rapid.  With a safety kayaker in the water, two guides with throw ropes and a third guide ready to swim, we were ready to learn to cross the river.  The strategy was simple enough but required guts and strength.  Jump in, let the current pull you upriver a few yards and then swim like mad straight into the rapid until you reached the guide with the rope on the other side.

This was a great opportunity to feel the power of the rapids and to learn to feel a little more comfortable in the water.  Almost everyone swam that day and I was proud of how everyone attacked the rapid and went back for more.  By the time we left the lodge two days later, the water level was higher and one of our guides told me that we probably wouldn't have been able to swim the river had the water level been like that earlier.  This photo celebrates both our accomplishment in the moment and, in hindsight, our luck!