Top Tips for Staying Safe on the River in Alberta this Summer

raft

Never use an ankle leash on moving water

If you use your SUP on a river, leave the ankle leash at home! Although most SUP boards come with an ankle leash, these leashes are designed for flat water use. Lakes don’t have a current, so the ankle leash isn’t an entrapment hazard on a lake.

Tragically, every year on Alberta rivers, several paddleboarders drown due to ankle leash entanglements.

The Alberta Whitewater Association recommends that ankle and calf leashes never be used on rivers.

Many people think that if their leash gets caught on something, they’ll be able to easily remove the leash, but that’s not true in a moving water environment. The force of the current can overpower even the strongest individuals and prevent them from reaching their ankle.

ankle leash dangerous on rivers

Never tie yourself to anything while on the river.

Ropes present a hazard when combined with moving water. You may see people:

tie boats together,
tie floating coolers to a boat,
leash children to a boat, or

All of these are dangerous actions in moving water.

Ropes can get tangled around body parts while you are in a boat or swimming. If you get trapped within the coils, it can be impossible to free yourself from the rope. If you are trapped in the rope that is tied to a boat, and you go on opposite sides of a rock, logjam, bridge pillar or other obstruction in the river, the river current can push and trap you under the water.

two rafts tied together with red X indicating rope is bad

Bring a Buddy

Days on the River are more fun if you bring others! Also if one of you gets into trouble, there’s other people around to help you or call for help.

two people in a kayak

If you’re swimming in the river, keep your feet up

When you head out on your river trip, there's always the possibility that someone will end up in the water. This could be intentional or accidental. Either way, it's really important to understand how to swim safely in a moving water environment.

The key thing to remember is to always keep your feet up in moving water. Don't stand up until you are in the safety of an Eddy or a very calm and shallow spot in the river.

The safest way to swim in a river is called defensive swimming. This is simply laying on your back and allowing your lifejacket to float you. Keep your feet pointed downstream, so you can push off of any obstacles you come across. By keeping your toes at the surface, you reduce the risk of trapping your feet on submerged obstacles. In this position, use your arms to steer and get yourself back to your craft or to the shore.

If you’re a strong swimmer, you can look downstream to check for obstacles, then, when it is safe, roll onto your stomach and front crawl in the direction you want to go, always ensuring that your feet stay very, very close to the surface of the water.

Alberta’s rivers are usually very cold and it can be quite a shock if you end up in the water unexpectedly. A panicked feeling and gasping for air are quite common. Try to take several deep slow breaths to calm yourself.

A foot entrapment is when a swimmer's foot gets stuck on a submerged obstacle such as a tree or a rock. Then, even in quite gentle current, the force of the water pushes the swimmer forwards and the swimmer has to fight the current to keep their head above the water.

These are one of the most dangerous situations that can occur on a river and they often happen in seemingly safe places.

It is very, very challenging to rescue someone from this scenario, so prevention is much better than cure: Swim in a defensive swim position, keep your feet up at the surface, and don't stand until you're in very shallow and calm water.

Wear a properly fitted and secured Lifejacket

Drowning is the third leading cause of preventable death in Canada and in 80% of fatal incidents, the individual was not wearing a life jacket.

A lot of people think, “I’m a good swimmer, I don’t need a lifejacket”. The hard truth is that the majority of people who drown on rivers are good swimmers who would have lived if they were only wearing a lifejacket.

Alberta's rivers are typically cold, and falling in unexpectedly can cause an involuntary gasp response, which can spell trouble underwater.

Another point to consider is that it’s challenging to rescue a swimmer in distress in the water. Wet people are slippery and hard to hold onto. By wearing a lifejacket, you make it much easier for someone else to rescue you, as they can grab you by the lifejacket’s straps.

By wearing a lifejacket you are also normalizing lifejacket use and making those around you more likely to wear theirs.

Wearing a lifejacket is a requirement in many jurisdictions. For example, in Calgary you could receive a $500 fine for not wearing one.

A lifejacket can only save you if you wear it correctly. It’s useless if it’s unworn or worn unstrapped. So next we’re going to cover how to properly fit a lifejacket.

The first step is to size the lifejacket correctly for the user. This will vary based on weight and height. If you open up the lifejacket you’ll see writing inside the vest which will indicate the size or weight the lifejacket is designed for.

Next, we want to put the lifejacket on. If it has a zipper, do that up first. Then connect all the buckles. Make sure to check for any hidden buckles, especially lower down on the lifejacket.

Once we have the lifejacket on, we want to tighten the buckles starting at the bottom and moving to the top. Once this process is complete, you can check how well fitted the lifejacket is by simply grabbing the shoulder straps and pulling the lifejacket up towards the user's ears. If the lifejacket stays put, then you're good to go. If it rides up above the user's ears, then you’ll need to tighten the straps.

If you can’t tighten the straps any further, then you should choose a smaller sized lifejacket.

Alberta River Safety

Top Tips for Staying Safe on the River in Alberta this Summer

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