River snorkeling

[Riversnorkel]

Hello,
'Tanks' for having me over for a visit to the board!
I specialize in swimming in rivers. maybe this side of the underwater world does not portray the romantic image of snorkeling. There are no tropical fish or colorful coral, but thre are lots of fish and aquatic creatures, interesting geology and plants and even the occasional sunken bits of treasure!
Swimming in current is amazing, no matter which direction you face. Upstream swimming and crawling is what we call skulking.
Moving from rock to rock like a fish would, hiding behind rocks, darting across rapids, diving deep and fighting for progress upstream.
We play in small rapids, holding on to boulders and logs while the current whips our legs behind, a blast! Swimming upstream is a good way to view fish, as they usually face upstream. this type of skulking is cold, exciting and very physical.
Downstream river snorkeling is much different.
Snorkeling with the curent is like flying!
Blowing by unsuspecting fish, even the most benign current will boost you along at a fun speed. Work up to diving, it's fun to just float along on the surface.
We constantly look ahead to avoid geting trapped by obstacles like logs and rocks, but at the same time we use the sheltered water behind these same dangers for safety areas to regroup and scout ahead. It a lot like whitewater kayaking in this respect.
Do not snorkel face first down unknown rapids and always keep your hands out in front of you to deflect you from rocks.
Safety is very important in river snorkeling, always swim in buddy teams and scout the water ahead, both above the water and below.
Start small and enjoy a small creek or river to get the hang of it.
I would encourage you to check out river skulking, it's an amazing experience!

 

[David Wilson]

As a lifetime snorkeller who swims in the chilly North Sea off the North East coast of England, I also think that the prospect of exotic flora and fauna can be overrated and they certainly don't represent a necessity for me when snorkelling. Your "pen-portrait" of river snorkelling is most eloquent. Have you ever come across a book entitled "We Swam the Grand Canyon: The True Story of a Cheap Vacation That Got a Little Out of Hand" by Bill Beer?

Here's a "Publisher's Weekly" summary:
April 10, 1955: the water temperature was 51F, and a fierce wind buffeted two men as they entered the Colorado River at Lees Ferry. The author and John Daggett had set out to swim the river through the Grand Canyon. At a time when fewer than 200 people had run the river in boats, this was daredeviltryand illegal. Their equipment was primitive: Army-surplus rubber boxes to carry gear, thin rubber shirts, woollen long johns and swim fins; they also took a movie camera to record the adventure. Twenty-six days and 280 miles later, bruised and battered, they left the river at Pierce Ferry. Beer relives the miseries and exhilaration of that singular journey, a gripping story of endurance. In an afterword, he discusses other, legal trips through the Grand Canyon (he has swum the occasional rapid from a boat) and assesses the present state of the environment; he has high praise for the Park Service. This will appeal to readers who enjoy adventure.

Here in Europe, a new water sports activity is evolving in the form of "swimtrekking", which in the Mediterranean means swimming from island to island with the aid of masks, fins and snorkels. There are "wildswimmers" here too, who regularly swim outdoors in rivers, lakes and seas, some opting to swim bareskinned, others with wetsuits. I see both as an exciting development and snorkelling can only benefit as a pursuit when it's recognised as a way of swimming on the surface from A to B as well as an activity involving submersion. Snorkelling offers the best of both worlds, the one beneath the waves and the other from the water surface to the skies.

Thanks again for starting this thread!

 

[Riversnorkel]

Cheers!
From your description of wildswimming sounds like a match for what we are doing, it certainly is wild. The idea I keep remembering is that most of us do not live near a coral reef. Some of us do live near a river. Check out your backyard!

 

[Riversnorkel]

David,
Check out my youtube channel dedicated to Skulking:
YouTube - riversnorkeling's Channel

And on FB:
River Snorkeling | Facebook

 

[David Wilson]

Most impressive, Riversnorkel!

I so agree that people tend to ignore what is available in their own backyard. Mention scuba diving here in the UK, and people will list their favourite British dive spots. Mention snorkelling in this country and they'll only talk about their last trip to Egypt and the Red Sea. There are a few hardy snorkellers here in England and a growing band of open-water swimmers, who opt to swim locally without an exposure suit. That's a step too far from me!

I mentioned the Bill Beer book in my earlier message. Here in the UK we have Geoffrey Fraser Dutton's seminal book "Swimming free: On and below the surface of lake, river and sea", in which he describes, back in 1972, his experiences snorkelling Britain's waterways with the aid of a wetsuit, snorkel, mask and fins. River snorkelling has an excellent heritage.

 

[james croft]

I love river snorkeling!

 

[Riversnorkel]

Skulking is a lot of fun and it's exciting to hear that others are into it.
I Would like to hear about some of your adventures James.
David, it sounds like those fellas are a bit more hearty than the rest. It's the same with rock climbing in the UK, not for the weak or the faint of heart!
Personally I use the best wetsuit I could buy and cover every inch of exposed skin. Of course our rivers come right out of the Cascade mountains and off the snow.
Some of us use these crazy gloves made for kayaking. They work well in big current and for grabbing passing rocks.

 

[Riversnorkel]

New video up on the youtube page!
YouTube - snorkel4

 

[Riversnorkel]

Photos taken last week.

 

[porgyhunter]

You guyshave the right idea. Just started snorkeling and diving rivers in N.H, Very clear neat geology, old relics, etc. Use a small 40 pony with just a backpack to keep streamlined for FLYING as you call it. Also do tidal rivers in Cape Cod. Rivers Rock!!! :cool2: