Niseko Ukka, a packraft guide operation based in Niseko, put together a rundown of basic river terms and hand and whistle signals on their blog. The premise: getting the team’s communication aligned is directly tied to safety.
Packrafting should, as a rule, be done with others. Solo, there’s no way to respond if something goes wrong. With that in mind, this is worth a read for anyone learning how to communicate as a team on the water — check out the Niseko Ukka blog.
River Terms Worth Knowing
Beyond basics like bow and stern, the post introduces river right and river left — orientation based on facing downstream.
For water-feature terms, it covers waves (where the whitecap is the backwash), holes (high risk of a capsize), eddies (weak or reversed current, easy to stop in), rapids, and pools (deep, current-free stretches).
For technique terms, it explains the ferry angle and glide for crossing current, the high side for shifting weight to avoid a flip, scouting a rapid from shore, and portaging around a hazard on land.
Paddle Signals and Whistle Codes
Hand signals cover five situations: all clear (go), stop, okay, eddy out (stop at a specific point), and SOS.
Whistle codes: one short blast means attention, two means upstream, three means downstream, and three long blasts mean SOS.
Related Link
→ Niseko Ukka blog: “River Knowledge Worth Knowing” https://niseko-ukka.blog/must-know-knowledges/
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