River Safety: Why I think strainers are the most dangerous hazard for scout river trips on Class II or lower rivers

This is a follow-up to my earlier post, which looked at the AWA accident database. One distinction is that AWA database includes all whitewater accidents from Class I to Class V – and may not be representative of a typical scout trip. By “scout trip” I mean a river trip in canoes or kayaks, on Class I or Class II water, with paddlers who have passed the BSA swim test, who are wearing properly fitted PFDs, and who are supervised by adults who have taken the BSA Paddlecraft Safety Class and BSA Safety Afloat.

I have led several scout river trips in Texas and out of state. We do not canoe in high water or cold water. We also don’t canoe rivers with long, rough swim potential. But we do float rivers with rapids, sharp bends, trees, and other obstacles. By far, the most scary situations I have observed with scouts are boats being swept into and then pinned on strainers/sweepers. I wanted to describe how these situations happen and share some strategies for avoidance in case it is helpful to other scout leaders.

The pin usually happens with a partially submerged tree in a bend in the river, often on the outside bank. The current pushes inattentive or unskilled paddlers into the strainer, where the boat fills with water and is pinned. The situation is dangerous because the pin occurs in the fast outside bend current with many branches to hold swimmers. The water at these locations moves significantly faster than a person can swim.

Typically, we set up on the river with one competent adult canoe in the front and another as a sweep boat, both with radios. The lead boats near or following the competent adult usually take good, safe lines. The strainers usually catch a middle-of-the-group boat that is too far back to get instruction from the adult in front but too far ahead of the sweep boat.

I am usually the last boat in the group. Each time we have had a strainer-pinned canoe, it has taken 1-3 minutes for me to ferry over and eddy out to provide assistance. During those minutes, the scouts are on their own. In one of the incidents, we had a scout under the water in the strainer who was pulled up by his buddy before I arrived. Fortunately, in each of our situations, the pinned scouts kept calm, climbed the strainer out of the water, and waited for help. I and two other dads had to figure out the safest way to get the scouts off of the strainer – which involved climbing over, then jumping clear and swimming from the backside. After the scouts were clear, it usually took us 30 – 60 minutes to pull the boat out.

The reason strainers are so dangerous for scouts is that in a strainer-pinned boat or a swimmer swept into a strainer, a drowning could occur before an adult can provide help, even on a mellow river. It surprised me how fast things went from a relaxed paddle to a life-threatening situation. These strainer pins scared me and caused me to rethink our float plans for scout trips. Specific changes include:

1. We stress to the scouts that strainers are the most dangerous thing they will face on the river. Before each trip, we describe the past strainer pin situations, often having the scouts who were there tell the story. We explicitly say that strainers are life-threatening.
2. We stress “cutting the C” of bends to avoid obstacles in the outside current.
3. We discuss where strainers occur and how to avoid them – including aggressive swimming if a capsized boat is heading toward a strainer.
4. We talk through what to do if you get swept into a strainer – stay calm, climb up, do not go under.
5. We keep a tighter boat spacing to allow for quicker assistance and direction to boats to avoid strainers.
6. We try to ensure that every boat on a river section with strainers has a competent stern paddler. Big, broad sections are good for learning. Tight, windy rivers call for a stern paddler with a J stroke.
7. We have boats call out danger to the boat behind them. “Strainer right!” This way the information gets conveyed to the whole group.
8. I carry a pin kit, including a 75′ line with 2,500 lb breaking strength, slings, 2 carabiners, and a pulley. Recovering the boat is not a safety issue, but it’s always good to finish with the same number of boats you start with.

Since we have made these changes, we have completely avoided strainer incidents. The most effective of these changes is the first: making the scouts aware of the danger. On the rivers we canoe, strainers are pretty easy to avoid if the paddlers are paying attention.

I don’t want this post to scare anyone from taking kids canoeing. River canoe trips, particularly multi-day trips, are some of the very best high-adventure options for scouts. But a deliberate focus by the adult leaders on the specific risk of strainers will significantly improve the safety of the trip.