September 15, 2025

Know Your Skills, Know Your Strengths: Tips on Whitewater Safety

September 15, 2025

“The more people who have whitewater safety knowledge, the better.”

When Rachel Lewman, co-owner of SOTAR, signed up for a recent two-day Swiftwater Rescue Course on the Illinois River, she wasn’t just ticking a box. She was investing in the safety of her crew and community.

And she’s convinced that anyone can contribute to the safety of others on the river.

“I kept thinking whitewater rescue was all about strength,” Rachel said. “It’s not! It’s all about knowing what you are capable of and then having the right skills to help others.”

One of the most important takeaways?

Don’t become a victim.

“If you can’t save or rescue someone with the knowledge you have, it’s better not to put yourself at risk, because then you become the next person who needs to be rescued,” she said.

Building up that knowledge was the focus of this training, which was designed to turn rafters into capable rescuers when out on the river.

The course focused heavily on teamwork, including setting up pulley systems, running throw-bag drills, and learning how to give clear instructions during a crisis.

It also focused on teaching participants to assess dangerous situations quickly.

“If the situation is life-threatening, you usually forgo certain steps,” Rachel explained. “If it’s a pinned boat, you have time to plan things out. But if it’s a person and they don’t have airway access, we have to act more quickly. And if someone’s floating down the river, you can throw the throw bag immediately.”

She emphasized that much of rescue work isn’t primarily physical.

“It does take strength, but the best rafters put in minimal effort,” she said. “They let the river do the work. Yes, we’re working against the river in a sense, but we also have to work with it. Where are the eddies? How can we create our own eddies around a body or person that needs to be rescued so there’s a space around them that’s diverting its flow? You’re always reading the river.”

Another takeaway? The best rescuers trust their gear.

“Before this course, I had an experience where my husband flipped a boat in Blossom Bar [on the Rogue River],” Rachel recalled. “They had their helmets on, and their life jackets on. My brother thought he was helping my son by holding onto him, but what he was doing was holding him underwater. You have to trust the life jacket to do its thing.”

Having the right gear is key. “The more gear you have, the better,” Rachel said, but added that there’s a fine balance between having the right tools and letting your gear take up too much room in your boat. “Carabiners, pulleys, and a static rope line are the key ones to have. Even just a carabiner and a static rope line, or even just a rescue throw rope. Anything is better than nothing.”

Another helpful tool was the book recommended by the course, Sierra Rescue River Rescue and Safety Field Guide. “It’s pocket-sized and has all the pulley systems and the basic things we learned,” Rachel said. She considers it an excellent resource, full of reminders of what she learned in the course. “You can look at it and go ‘I remember doing that.’”

No matter what gear and training you have, there is no perfect scenario.

“We can run drills all day, but a rescue situation isn’t going to be the exact scenario we practice,” Rachel pointed out. “So knowing what your skills are, knowing what your strengths are, is important.”

And learning those strengths was one of the most valuable parts of the experience. While Rachel was intimidated at the beginning of the course, she found it empowering.

“I realized I knew more than I thought I did,” she said. “My rock-climbing experience came in handy. My mothering experience came in handy in terms of being calm and assessing a situation. I had something to contribute, which was surprising. That’s something I liked about it. Now I’m like, ‘Don’t be afraid to take this course. Your life experience—that’s what you use.’”