Rivers are chock full of interesting features. Some of them are hazardous, some of them are not… really.
A river eddy is a unique feature. It is characterized by currents, often circular, that flow in the opposite direction to the main direction of the river. If you can get to them, they provide a spot to rest while navigating a river.
This article discusses what a river eddy is, its features and characteristics as well as how to use it to your benefit while kayaking. But wait, there’s more… This article also discusses a significant list of other river features as well, including how to navigate them safely and effectively.
Let’s begin.
Table of Contents
What is a river Eddy?
Water rushing around a river obstruction such as a large rock or other debris creates a pressure differential. This pressure differential creates a circular current that flows back on itself and runs in the opposite direction of the main river.
Sometimes eddies present as standing water, other times they look like a smaller river running along the periphery of the larger river but flowing the wrong way.
Because the intensity of water movement is much lower, eddies are used as resting spots to stop and scout the next leg of a section of river or particular rapid. Often, paddlers navigate a challenging river by ferrying from one eddy to the next.
You can find Eddy lines at the edge of eddies where the principal downstream current of the river meets the upstream current of the eddy. Eddie lines can be challenging to navigate because of the two currents pushing your boat in different directions.
How to perform an eddy turn. Exiting the main section of the river to an eddy requires the crossing of an eddy line. Here’s how to do it:
1. Look at the eddy you want to reach.
2. Pick up speed with three-to-four strong paddle strokes before making your turn. Gaining sufficient speed keeps your kayak from getting caught on the eddy line.
3. Point the bow of your kayak high up the eddy. The angle at which you attack the eddy depends on the speed of the current. Typically, a 45-degree entry angle works while faster currents require less angle.
4. With an active paddle in the water keeping you upright, apply edge to make your turn into the eddy. Remember to initiate the upstream edge of the current that you’re entering and do so once you’ve crossed the eddy line.
5. Complete your turn from downstream flow into the eddy and return your upstream edge into the water.
How to perform an eddy peel-out. The steps are mostly the same as those above.
1. Approach the eddy line with enough speed to cross the line without getting caught.
2. Point the bow of your kayak approximately upstream at a slight 45-degree angle as you connect with the eddy line.
3. Initiate upstream edge according to the current you’re entering. Maintain an active paddle in the water to keep your kayak afloat.
4. Make a wide arching turn from the eddy back into the main current.
Jackson Kayak produced a three-minute YouTube video detailing how to catch and peel out of an Eddy that is worth the minor investment of time.
What is current?
Having jumped ahead to discuss river eddies, let’s circle back (just like a river eddy) to briefly discuss current.
Current is simply the flow of water. Sometimes it’s slow and meandering. Other times it’s highly turbulent.
Current tends to flow slower along the inside of a river bend and faster along the outside.
Also, current tends to flow faster along the surface of the river because there is less weight and friction than on the bottom of the river.
What is a rapid?
A rapid is water turbulence resulting from flowing over, around, or through some obstruction. Most often, rapids are formed by water flowing over boulders located below the surface.
What is a hole?
When water flows over a single rock or rock ledge, it creates a void that results in a circulating flow or some similar water movement.
Objects flow over the ledge, fall into the void and then become trapped from the hydraulic created by the circulating flow.
What are hydraulics?
Hydraulics are water circulating on top of itself. Fast water causes hydraulics as it flows over rocks and other obstacles.
Hydraulics can be found at the bottom of steep drops. In these situations, water flowing behind the rock creates an upstream back-current. This back-current sucks debris (and sometimes kayaks) back into it.
You can identify hydraulics by the pile of foam that collects at the bottom of a steep drop.
Smaller hydraulics can range from ‘fun’ to ‘nuisance’. Large hydraulics can be deadly, requiring respect and a wide berth.
What are drops?
A drop is a smaller feature that sees the river lose some altitude over a short distance. A waterfall is a common example
What is a standing wave?
As high volumes of flowing water are constricted by flowing over a rock, a stationary wave can be created behind it.
Standing waves can occur in shallow depths with particular underlying rock formations.
The right wave allows kayakers (and surfers) to catch it while facing upstream and experience the feeling of traveling quickly over the water while actually remaining completely stationary.
What is a wave train?
A wave train is simply a group of waves of similar size all traveling in the same direction. Waves in a wave train generally don’t break.
What is a downstream V?
This is an inviting pattern created by largely unobstructed flowing water. White, breaking wave patterns begin wide apart, narrowing as they proceed downriver. This creates a ‘V’-like pattern of white that bounds an area of smoother water.
If you’re looking for a safe, smooth path down a river, do your best to move from one downstream V to the next.
The opposite of a downstream V is an upstream V. Where the downstream V indicates unobstructed water flow, the upstream V indicates more dangerous, submerged rocks.
The white wave pattern of an upstream V is characterized by breaking waves that begin at a particular spot on the river where the submerged rocks are located, widening out as you move further down river.
The smoother, safer water is found in the middle of the ‘V’ further down river. To reach this smooth water, you need to either paddle over the rocky, wavy terrain, or move across the river to find a safer downstream V.
What is a strainer?
A strainer is sieve that you find on a river.
Strainers are obstructions created by objects that collect and compress together on the river. They can be made from fallen trees, branches and boulders, as well as other natural and man-made debris.
Typically, there exists enough space for water and small amounts of material to pass through the spaces in a strainer. However, larger items cannot pass through the obstruction and get caught – further adding to its size.
You’ve presumably heard of the term ‘Stranger danger?’ Well, on a river that term becomes ‘Strainer danger’. Strainers must be avoided because they are extremely dangerous.
The force of the water flowing into and through a strainer is often sufficient to take hold of a kayaker and pin him against the strainer – making it extremely difficult to escape. In some cases, the complex hydraulics pulls a paddler under and into the strainer, making escape virtually impossible.
The best strategy for managing the risk of a river strainer is to leave an extraordinarily wide buffer between you and the hazard. This could even necessitate your getting out of the river and walking around it.
If you get caught in a strainer, you’ll probably need help to break free. This is a very good reason why you ought not to paddle fast rivers alone. You and your paddling companion would do well to be properly trained in swift water rescue strategies in case one of you accidentally gets tangled in a strainer or some other river entrapment.
If you find yourself pinned against the business end of a strainer, you need to make a decision – either climb the stronger branches back towards land (if you can), or peeling through the branches of the strainer to swim away downstream. (The latter is a last-ditch alternative is usually if you find yourself pinned underwater.)
What is a sweeper?
A sweeper is an above-water version of a strainer. Sweepers occur when branches of a tree hang low over (and into) a river. Paddlers trying to pass through a sweeper run the risk of being swept off their boat and into the water.
What is a low head dam?
A low head dam is yet another river hazard to be avoided. This hazard is a drop in the river that creates a uniform hole the entire length of the hazard.
These obstacles are typically man-made.
They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, usually obstruct the entire width of a river, and are characterized by complex and severe hydraulic activity.
Dams are not to be paddled. They are to be portaged. Period.
Rapids and their Classes
Rapids come in various shapes and sizes, depending on the prevailing landscape and water volume.
Paddlers follow an international scale of difficulty that defines the characteristics of a particular rapid, how difficult it might be to paddle, and the skill level necessary to successfully navigate it.
Class I These rapids are fast-moving, characterized by small waves and the occasional obstruction that is easily missed by a paddler with only minimal training.
The risk to swimmers is low and self-rescue is characterized as easy.
Class II While slightly more involved than Class I rapids, Class II rapids are still straightforward, with wide, clear channels that can be navigated in real-time without prior scouting.
Some maneuvering might be required. Trained paddlers can miss rocks and medium-sized waves with relative ease.
The risk of injury to swimmers remains relatively low while group assistance is rarely required.
Class III This class of rapid is characterized by medium-sized waves that are irregularly located and difficult to avoid.
Paddling skill is required to navigate complex, fast current and tight boat passages.
Large waves or strainers might be present but can usually be avoided by experienced paddlers.
Strong currents and eddies are found in Class III rapids, particularly on rivers with high water volume, so it is best for less-experienced paddlers to scout the location before engaging the rapid.
Swimmers are rarely injured in Class III rapids and self rescue is usually not complicated. However, group assistance can sometimes be helpful in order to avoid ‘longer’ amounts of time spent in the water.
Class III rapids are considered the limit for experienced paddlers in typical canoes, given the complexity of required maneuvers as well as the high probability of the canoe being swamped.
Class IV This class of rapid is intense and powerful, characterized by turbulent water that requires precise boat handling.
Among the river hazards found in Class IV rapids are eddies, large unavoidable waves, strainers, powerful currents and large volumes of water – most of which should be avoided with fast maneuvers while under pressure.
Many Class IV rapids require necessary moves to either avoid a dangerous hazard or to properly navigate it, head-on. Because of this, scouting is highly recommended in order to understand the landscape and plot the safest route possible down the river.
Risk to swimmers is moderate-to-high, depending on the particular rapid. Furthermore, challenging water conditions make self rescue more difficult. As such, group rescue is usually necessary, but requires some training to effectively execute.
Paddlers should also be well-practiced in kayak rolls and wet exits.
Class V These rapids are quite simply the hardest of the hard. Only the most experienced and physically capable paddlers should attempt these rapids – understanding the risk of injury is high.
These rapids typically have some combination velocity, waterfall, tight passages, mean waves, large obstacles and sketchy hydraulics.
Play in this water at your own risk.
How to Exit Your Kayak in an Emergency. The Wet Exit.
When your kayak flips over – and at some point it will indeed flip over – you need to have the skills to get out of it while still in the water. We call this skill wet exit.
You first learn this skill by practicing on land – later graduating to calm water (ideally a pool or lake) before attempting in fast-moving water with debris smacking into your dome.
Here are the steps to executing an effective wet exit.
1. Be sure that the grab loop of your spray skirt is out and accessible before putting-in.
2. If you recognize that your kayak is flipping over, take a deep breath.
3. While upside down and underwater, run your hands forward along the edge of the spray skirt to find the grab loop.
4. Push the grab loop forward. Then, lift and pull it back to remove the spray skirt.
5. Pull your knees to the middle of the kayak, then push it away with your legs. Like an upside down squat.
If you are paddling with other kayakers (as you should be while on a river), knock three times on the bottom of your hull to alert them that you’ve flipped, allowing them to approach you and offer assistance.
Parting thoughts about river hazards and how to paddle them
River kayaking can be super-fun as you use the gifts of the river to move about.
River eddies are an important feature, though not the only one, that if understood, can make your experience safer and more enjoyable.
Learning to identify the many components of a river, including the dangerous hazards, and navigate them effectively, will keep you sufficiently ‘intact’ to paddle for another day.