That Time Mike Almost Drowned

I learned about swarming after a friend took a bad swim in the middle section of the NF payette. A swimmer can't swim to shore in rapids like these. So boaters get close to the swimmer and take turns giving him flotation (like after 6:26 in this video). If a swimmer lets go from a boat, a second boat should be close enough to assist if necessary (hence swarming). Its a huge help physically and psychologically that can save a life. Glad Mike is OK.

Wow, this is a great tool for those that think kayak is just floating down the river. Good narration too, glad he is ok.

This is a great video that illustrates that very experienced kayakers can get into very tough situations. Thanks for posting as people get a false sense of security and complacent.

I almost drown 2 years ago in the ocean and these types of videos really get my heart rate up just watching them. Glade everyone is ok.

Excellent video!..pretty much says it all. This happened to me once, on a spring high water river in MN..(was only class 3, and about 16 years ago, but very cold)..I still remember it, like it was yesterday! Feels like you're being flushed down a drain pipe..you just can't get to shore, and is very tiring..very hard to time your breathing, and your friends can only do so much. After a swim like this, a person truly becomes a 'changed man'...and the word RESPECT reigns high in one's vocabulary...

Dave acted exactly as he should have and so did mike, you get eye contact and it's important to have voice contact, meerley by Dave shouting instructions, would have boosted mikes well being, he knew his kayak was there to grab and he had the sence to let go at crucial times , two swimmers in that water would not be good,,, well done to you both,,,,

The voice over for this is brilliant. Until you have been chucked into a rapids after capsizing it’s almost impossible to describe how draining it is to try and swim into the eddies. Especially after you miss the first one/two because your head goes. The scariest feeling I’ve ever had is missing the throw line from a poor safety throw and you just keep going. The exhaustion is terrifying.

7:59 I have never in my life seen a more urgent exit from a kayak... Holy shit that was honestly impressive as hell

Thanks for posting this guys. I've been kayaking for a few years now and this is the first time I've heard of flush drowning. Excellent video.

When I was on a church trip about almost 6 months ago, I sort of went through the same experience. We were about half way done going down the Ocoee River, then suddenly, I fall out of the raft and I end up in between 2 currents. I nearly drown then another raft comes and nails me in the back of my head and I had hit my nose on a rock. That same raft had a guy and he pulled me out of the water onto the boat. We got to a stopping point and I had blood rushing down my nose. I just thank God that I am still alive today because of that guy. Wish I could've gotten his name though.

This is a very well commentated video. I don’t know much about this sport but this all made sense to me. It was almost like a short film. I’m glad everyone made it out OK.

First time watching your channel great footage and so true regarding the short time you have to get out after dumping no matter your physical shape. Almost 30years ago my best friend growing up in Kennewick,Wa now my brother in law. Oddly enough we married sisters we met while both working at a raft shop on the Deschutes River over the summer -Maupin. I went off to college at pacific university just outside Portland in Forest Grove grove wrestling scholarship my brother in law stayed in the Maupin area after the first summer still lives just outside Maupin in Tygh Valley. We grew up kayaking the Yakima, umatilla, Palouse, walla walla most just quiet floats but some not which is how we ended up in Maupin working. We spent every moment off work traveling away from the Deschutes looking for real water to run and fishing this went on for several years me in college he working odd jobs and the River seasonally. We often kayaked the White River in summer a stretch about 11-12miles above Tygh Valley it was always fun and never once saw another boat on the White river back then just the two of us I assume more kayak the white these days but I don’t know I have not ran it or any other River in a kayak since around 1995. My brother in law called me and said got to get here by morning the White River is raging. To the actual story on the river. We scrabbled up to the upper crossing early the next morning and yes it was raging not just raging it was fucking Pissed and let me tell you it pissed all over me that day. When we saw small tree blow by us at the put in might have passed and came back another day. But not the two dip shots from Kennewick we had little sence back then but man we lived we lived hard I Miss that feeling but I have an amazing family still married to the sister with three great kids which took priority over such trips as the flood stage White River run with 1970s wet suit that had holes all over in them and it was basically still winter. It should be pointed out I mentioned the put in. It was where the river had blown out the road. Anyway we went for it and we were hammering it amazing thing water that fast and choked into that narrow canyon with rock on both sides many stretches no way out if you dump and even in the summer always the risk and often a problem log jams which is just another long list of summer run incidents I could share but I see a thumbnail right now of someone stuck on glade creek under a log so that covers half the stories some very scary as I think back. Okay back to the White flood stage run of 1995. We were doing well but not a moment to relax rafting through the trees and all over the canyon tough to know where we were actually at and moving so fast. Anyway at the largest drop in river elevation I drop over an 8 to ten foot falls we called three rock and was caught boiled my friend was maybe a minute behind me due to tree strike funny story too. Anyway their I was getting rolled turbines just pummeled brother in law comes over and skips right off and over my boat. I see him and he yelled get out. I hung in there for what seemed like ten minutes but was likely 10seconds. So out I go but not much better down I go and I am not coming up again I was trashing and finally relaxed for just a moment and my head popped up and I was out of the hole and shot like a rocket down river. Here is where our two stories collide and I lived the amazing physical shape and what a few minutes cold raging water does to the body. This is what we did not count on I was not going to get out for a long time even with my brother trying desperately to help. By the way I held onto my paddle the entire time because I knew if I lost it I was screwed. I was in the water maybe 5-7minutes but honestly after I was shot out from the bottom of that hole it took everything I had to finally get out of the water. Had to explain the rest of the time in but the water was just violent and I was getting more water than air most of the time anyway had one shot at it brother grabs me by my hair and wheels around and say hold the fuck on and we swing into a really strange area where the high flood water had cut away the land and large Boulder creates on the upstream side created a small eddy behind. I just remember crawling on my hands and knees but could barely support the weight of my body it was like I weighed five hundred pounds no shit. We stayed there about a hour. We both knew we were not going to be able to hike out where we were at I was hypothermic and he was not far behind me. We had no means to camp, make fire, . So off we went into the craziest water I ever ran. About an hour and a half to the take out and a take out that was funny or ironically enough half gone the water had washed the entire backyard and shed of our buddies house on the river as it passes through Tygh Valley. I will say this that hour and a half I knew if I went in again I was dead. The water was so crazy I found myself literally screaming not a wahoo scream but screaming in holy terror. When we got out of the water we both stood in a shower at our buddies place until the hot water ran out and we could still not warm up. While our other buddy watch out back wondering when his house was going to flood or be washed away. When I drove home after about a half hour in the warm car both my arms and neck went into this complete agony even my face was locked up Thought I was having a stroke assume it was just coming out of the severe hypothermia. I never kayaked again. I left my kayak in Tygh Valley that day and never went a picked it up because I knew it might kill me. The feeling even after being almost scuttled on the White was hard to capture again that exhilaration just pulsing through every core of your body for two hours straight. I have taken my kids on white water raft trips several times over the years but all tame rivers Deschutes, John Day, Yakima. I turn 50 this past august 2020 I do miss those days but would change nothing about the amazing life I have lived so far. Awesome to watch you guys I have subscribed and promise to never again write a book in your comments. Take care be safe out there some advice when you take on risky challenges at the moment of final commitment Or engaging take a moment and listen because you heart and soul will be speaking you just need to listen this is With everything in life be present be still be calm listen and take heed. One thing I did not elaborate on I had said I held onto my paddle through being churned when I got to the crawl out point I was a bit freaked out because my heavy aluminum paddle was in a curve. What had been a fairly new straight paddle was now a slightly curved bow. We both stood on the paddle jumping up and down attempting to bend it back but it did not move a millimeter. I have no idea how I did it under water that day but I did. My brother still has the paddle hung up in his shop in Tygh Valley.which I have taken down several times over the years handing to people having them attempt to bend it back straight. Yep that’s all folk thanks for letting me relive some great memories and sharing information that can save lives. Dad

Eye-opening narration. I will definitely keep this in mind next time I paddle at higher water.

Burly river, that stretch of rapids just keeps going and going, no breaks! Great video, goes to show that even experienced people can get in to serious trouble.

Grateful to see that your friend Mike is OK! Thank You for sharing. Great advice and narration. 👍💪🏼

Epic video, well done boys. both you and mike. never quite realized how hard it is to get a guy whose free of his boat out of the water at times. i thought he was unconscious at first, felt like this was much much worse, thankfully it was just mike being chill.

Thank You for sharing this video! Our community needs more of this …

Thank you for adding the dialogue with the footage. I had seen it before but i didn't realize the added dangers which you described. Glad Mike was okay.

Great video to post - thank you! Three things I know: 1 you can always swim, 2 you can always flip 3 you can always walk.

Currently this is the highest resolution version that we have online.