White Water Rafting & River Grading White Water Rafting In The U.K. So most people have heard about white water rafting and understand the basics of what happens, i.e., you get into a big inflatable boat and go down the river and run the rapids! We find ourselves getting asked some very weird and wonderful questions about our activities but there are also a lot of common themes so we thought it would be a good idea to answer some here! So here goes! What Do The River Grades Mean? Rivers and rapids are graded on an international scale of 1 to 6 (with the exception of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado which has it's own unique grading system of 1 to 10.) Most rivers that are used for white water rafting in the U.K. vary from grade 2 to grade 4 as this offers the most fun without the risks involved in rafting grade 5 or above. For the most part, if a complete novice was to raft down a grade 3 or grade 5 they may not see or feel much difference in terms of excitement level, however the level of risk from grade 3 to grade 5 increases significantly. Below we have added a description of the international river grades and also added what we feel is our view of what to expect and who it may be suitable for. Class I: Easy fast moving water with riffles and small waves. Few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. Risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy. Suitable for anyone, gentle rafting we have trips available for age 5+ such as our River Rafting Safari. Class II: Novice straight forward rapids with wide, clear channels which are evident without scouting. Occasional maneuvering may be
White Water Rafting & River Grading White Water Rafting In The U.K. So most people have heard about white water rafting and understand the basics of what happens, i.e., you get into a big inflatable boat and go down the river and run the rapids! We find ourselves getting asked some very weird and wonderful