Risks aside, rafting the Payette is still a hit Two recent fatalities fail to keep tourists away

Two rafting fatalities this month aren't keeping people off popular whitewater rivers north of Boise, and the number of fatalities versus the number of participants shows that it's a relatively safe activity.

Rafters like Jen Compton of Boise continue what they consider an exciting sport by knowing the river, their paddling crew and whitewater safety.

"Definitely, there's always a risk," she said, securing an extra paddle in her raft at the river-launch site Tuesday at Banks. "You just have to take precautions."

Outfitters agree. Tom Long, owner of Cascade Raft and Kayak, north of Horseshoe Bend, screens clients, scouts rapids daily and has his guides give customers extensive safety talks before they get on the water. They also have rescue plans in place.

Although the fatalities occurred on rivers that Long and other outfitters run, it hasn't affected business.

Cascade Raft and Kayak has booked about 1,000 people this week on the Payette's North, South and Main forks. The numbers are higher than normal for a week in June because of the influx of visitors for the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regional Championships, Long said. Normally, in a warmer month like July, he will have 1,000 customers a week.

Very few cancellations have come in because of the fatalities, he said.

Whitewater rafting and kayaking in the Payette River system is safe based on the number of people who participate and the number of fatalities that occur, he said.

About 110,000 people float the whitewater sections of the Payette River each year. In the past 10 years, there have been seven rafting and kayaking deaths, according to Idaho Statesman records. Fatalities have decreased since the '90s because of whitewater safety education, Long said.

There have been two recent deaths. An 85-year-old Louisiana man died Saturday in a rafting accident on the North Fork of the Payette River north of Smiths Ferry. David Goldsmith of Baton Rouge drowned while rafting with family members at the last major rapids of the Cabarton run of the North Fork. Goldsmith was wearing a life vest.

A 29-year-old Meridian man, Andrew W. Smith, died in a rafting accident June 10 in Staircase Rapids on the South Fork of the Payette River. He was wearing a helmet, wetsuit and life jacket.

"Safety protocol was impeccable," said Long who saw the accident. The victim was young, appeared to be a strong swimmer and was only in the water 90 seconds, he said. The Boise County coroner ruled it a drowning, but the accident is still under investigation.

"These are two unfortunate tragedies," Long said.

Although extensive safety measures are taken by rafting companies and those who run rivers on their own, there are inherent risks.

"The problem is that rafting has inherent risks, like riding a bicycle," he said.

That safety is instilled in rafting company customers and they come away with a positive experience.

"It was pretty exciting," said Ashleigh Becker, 17, of Las Vegas, who was here for the soccer tournament.

"We got a crash course (in safety)," she said. "We are going again."

Guides and outfitters are sticklers about safety.

They dress clients in wetsuits, booties and splash jackets for cold water.

They screen clients to make sure they are able to take the intensity of some of the wilder runs on the Payette River system. If not, they are talked into doing more of a family stretch of the river.

During safety talks before launching, guides give a crash course on river safety, which includes tips like:

-- Make sure your life jacket fits properly. That means all buckles must be buckled and the jacket should fit snugly.

-- Keep the chin straps on your helmets buckled. Helmets must fit and be worn properly.

-- Listen to paddling instructions so you don't hit fellow passengers in the face or head.

-- When knocked out of a raft, assume the whitewater swim, which is on your back with your feet pointing downstream to avoid rocks. Swim aggressively toward shore or the raft. It's your biggest life preserver.

-- Never stand up in the river. Your feet can get lodged between rocks, leaving you face down in the river, trapped by the current.

-- When knocked out of a raft, immediately look for the raft.

-- Look for the end of the paddle offered by a guide if you are close to the raft.

-- If you are far from the raft, watch for the guide tossing a rescue rope.

-- When in the water, watch for the safety kayaker. Do what the kayaker says.

-- If an entire raft is flipped and everyone is in the water, listen for instructions from the guide. He or she will get the raft right-side-up and ask you to climb aboard. Guides try to do this in 60 seconds.

-- During a swim, time your breaths in river waves. Swimmers end up going through waves, not over them. You don't want to breathe right when you are going through a wave.