Rapid Network

White water rafting is an absolute blast. If you are looking for something unique to do this summer for a family vacation, a California rafting trip is a great choice. That being said, you need to understand what you are getting into. This means understanding the rapid classifications so that you know if you are booking a relaxing trip on the water or one that will be a white knuckler.

Rapids

It goes without saying that not all rivers are the same when it comes to rafting. There are some rivers that flow along slowly and peacefully. Then there are rivers that crash through canyons as well as on and over boulders in the water. This second form is referred to as a white water rapid because the turmoil in the water leads to plenty of foaming water and a turbulent ride. Not all white water is the same. Some provides a brief and simple thrill while the most aggressive form involves steep drops and, frankly, a lot of danger. With this in mind, you need to know and understand the rapid classifications.

Classifications

There are six classifications used for river rapids. The higher the number, the more difficult the rapid is to raft. Each level is called a "grade." With this in mind, let's take a look at each classification.

Grade One: This level of rapid is very tame. You are going to see the water speed up a bit through the area, but you will only have to maneuver a bit to get through it.

Grade Two: Level two sees the water speed up a bit and the presence of underwater rocks is definite. For rafting skill, there will be a need to maneuver some and understand the eddies around the rocks. "Eddies" are fluctuations in the flow of water that run in a direction other than the natural direction of the water, often forming small circles of current.

Grade Three: Now we are picking things up. You can expect to do a good bit of maneuvering to get through these rapids. There is going to be fast water, splashing and maybe even some small drops off ledges into pools of water. These rapids are not dangerous, but they are going to get your adrenaline up.

Grade Four: At this level, you need a guide. The rapids are going to require significant maneuvering. There will be plenty of visible rocks as well as underwater obstructions. The water will be flying and there is a good chance someone will fall out of the raft. You can expect a couple of drop offs at least.

Grade Five: Level five rapids call for someone who is very experienced with white water to be the guide. We are talking typically about rapids that are very fast with large, tricky channels between big above and below water rocks that create tricky water flows. Serious drops over what are almost waterfalls should be expected.

Grade Six: This is the most advanced level. Unless you are an experienced rafter, this grade of rapids should be avoided. The path is generally considered so difficult as to almost be impossible to get through. There are usually geographic formations that make the flow of water fast and tricky to maneuver. One can expect big elevation changes. All and all, this is well above any vacation rafting level of ability.