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Hey Pete, do you feel that ferrying is effective for swimming in situations like this?


Yes

Quote:
Would you disagree?


I would disagree

While not from the specific curriculum we utilize, it is close enough-

From Water Rescue Techniques


Quote:
Swimming and Wading Techniques in
Swiftwater Rescue
Outline
4 of 5
2. Peel Outs
a) Swiftwater entry (See above)
b) Speed – for faster moving water you should have
more speed coming across the eddy line. But you may
be able to compensate some with your Swiftwater
entry.
c) Angle – Your angle exiting the eddy should be
pretty aggressive, at least 45 degrees, depending on
where you want to go. If you want to ferry across the
river you should have a greater angle than if you just
wanted to reenter the current to go downstream.
d) Position – As in boating you should try to exit the
eddy from the safest and highest spot to keep from
being pushed back into the eddy.
F. Ferrying in Moving Water
1. While not as useful as in a boat you can slow your
downstream progress
2. Angle should be approximately 45 degrees upstream angle to
the current.
3. Works most effectively in aggressive swimming facing
upstream, but you can use an aggressive backstroke.
VIII. Whitewater
A. Breathing Patterns
1. Turning your head to the side in waves may help
2. Time breathing in wave trains, so that you breathe after
going through a wave on the back side of it.
B. Special Considerations
1. Ledges
a) Pull knees up to your chest or “ball up”
b) Prevents foot entrapment
2. Holes / Hydraulics
a) Change shape of your body or ball up
b) Swim to one edge
c) Swim to bottom
d) Look for jet of water underwater
3. Strainers – Will discuss specifically in strainer drill.
C. Swiftwater


We normally train on the Potomac River. When the water levels are low and for classes we normally use the Whitewater Course at the Dickerson Power plant. Everyone is required to travel down the flume to the outwash area, where we conduct most of the training (to try and stay out of the way of the kayakers). This web site has most of the flume, with around minute 3:25 to 3:31 showing where we conduct most of the training. Everyone is required to perform self-rescue/aggressive swimming across the outwash area using ferrying techniques.

Dickerson Whitewater Course


Pete