Participants with decked boats ought to be able to eskimo roll. Leaders ought to encourage participants to go after the people who capsize and rescue craft or equipment only if not dangerous and people are secure. All participants must wear P.F.D.'s at all times when on or near the water. Pair paddlers so that weak teams are not created. Stagger teams through the rapids one craft at a time so that stronger teams may assist weaker ones.
High water combined with low-water bridges or narrow chutes can be very dangerous.
As flow rate increases, so does the power of the river, making rescues more difficult and errors more consequential. Strainers , which permit water to flow through without opposition but trap boats and people are extremely dangerous. The enormous water pressure coupled with such a pinning can destroy the boat and drown a trapped person. Down trees, old fencing, and other man-made obstacles are typical examples of dangerous strainers. Surface water flows back upstream into the hole in order to fill it in and thus forms a kind of vertical washing machine or whirllpool effect from which it is extremely difficult to get free.