The H2O Adventure Guide Club has published an article explaining the basics and precautions of “throw bag rescue,” a technique for rescuing people from the shore using a rope. This article serves as a follow-up to a previously published piece on group rescue and focuses on ensuring safety from land.
Downriver rafting is, of course, a lot of fun. However, when engaging in these activities in the field—and to ensure you can look back on them as a fun experience once you return home—it’s essential to understand both “safety” and “dangers.” Experienced rafters and guides ensure safety through a combination of accumulated knowledge and practical insights gained from experience. Since they’re sharing this knowledge through blog posts, I encourage you to read them and use them as a resource for your river adventures.
Check out the blog post via the URL below!
Positioning and the Throw
According to the guide, the rescuer should stand just upstream of a downstream eddy, on stable footing rather than in the water.
Before throwing, call out “Rope!” or use a whistle to alert everyone nearby. Aim just downstream of the swimmer’s chest. Hold the rope loosely in your hand — never wrap it around your wrist or hand. Get into a low, braced stance before throwing.
Receiving the Rope
The swimmer should grab the rope itself, not the bag, and never wrap it around their neck or body. Lying on their back in the “otter position” to manage water pressure and breathing, they’re pulled to shore in a pendulum motion.
What Never to Do
- Wrap the rope around your hand (risk of fracture or being pulled into the water)
- Try to haul someone in from the middle of fast current
- Throw from unstable footing
As with the group rescue guide, the underlying framework is the same “3S”: Safety, Simple, Speed.
Related Link
→ Throw Bag Rescue Basics and What Never to Do (H2O Adventure Guide Club, Japanese) https://guide.h2o-a.jp/blog/815/
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