 "Photo: Jeb Draper")
Now that the school year is ending, one of the most popular recreational activities for Chico State students is floating down the river with friends on an inner tube, raft or other watercraft.
With the hot summer sun, floating can be extremely enjoyable, but following a few safety tips can prevent your float from becoming a total disaster.
The most popular river by far to float on locally is the Sacramento River, which has a launch point in Glenn County.
The number one thing to avoid is drinking excess amounts of alcohol or being high on controlled substances, said Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones. These substances impair judgment and can lead to serious accidents.
“You can quickly get into a lot of trouble if you’re not thinking clearly,” Jones said. “You can get into a strainer or get caught on a snag.
A strainer is a series of branches underwater that let the current flow through, but can catch and trap a person like a giant spider web.”
A snag is a branch or a tree either sticking out of the water or just underneath the surface.
Jones said boat patrols on the water are constantly on the lookout for tubers who show signs of intoxication.
The last big tubing event resulted in more than 60 rescues, Jones said.
These mostly involved people who had lost their tubes and were floundering or were caught in snags or strainers.
Another tip for avoiding danger is to never tie oneself to anything else, Jones said. Many tubers like to tie themselves to their tube or to the tube that carries their ice chest.
Working the riverboat patrols is Glenn County Sheriff Reserve Deputy John Trammel. He says if you have an ice chest it is OK to tie a rope to it, but only hold the rope with your hand without tying it to yourself or your tube. Or, if the chest is small enough, you can carry it in your lap.
No glass is allowed on the river, Trammel said. Officers will likely be checking ice chests for glass containers at the main tubing start point — the Irvine Finch River Access.
Trammel highly recommends having at least one sober person in the group.
“It’s sort of like having a designated driver,” he said. “If someone gets in trouble on the water then a sober person can help them out a lot better than someone who is drunk.”
The best way to avoid snags and strainers is to simply to be aware of your surroundings, Trammel said. Often a snag is visible jutting out from the water, but even if it’s below the surface it can sometimes be seen by the naked eye, he said.
Memorial Day weekend and the Fourth of July weekend are times when tubers are out in their biggest numbers, Jones said. The single most-tubed day of the year happens at the beginning of the fall semester on Labor Day, which, this year, will be Sept. 7.
Jeremy Jostad, land and water coordinator for Adventure Outings, said that wearing a personal floatation device can be a literal lifesaver. Though they can be cumbersome, he recommends everyone wear one on the river.
The Sacramento River can be deceptive. The water may look very calm, but the current underneath is extremely powerful, Jostad said.
Victor Cantu can be reached at
vcantu@theorion.com
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