Campbell River, river tubing, river rafting

River Tubing

During the summer months the activity on the Campbell and Oyster River increase dramatically particularly with kids tubing the rapid waters. Although this is a fun activity, there are inherent dangers and rules of ethics that should be observed to have a safe and fun trip down the river.

A lesson learned

I can remember snorkelling the Campbell with a friend one day in early July on a scouting expedition, we had rescue Canada boogie boards and were doing the pre-season scout for the first school of pink salmon to enter the river. It was our goal to enter the river at the outfall and snorkel down to the fresh water marina to survey the entire river. We had put in right behind the outfall to take advantage of some of the fast water in the higher reaches of the river and came across a dangerous snag about 150 meters into the run.

I turned to warn my partner of the danger and hit a rock on my right lower thigh. The impact took my breath away, for a brief moment I could not bring air into my lungs it hurt so much, I instantly went into shock, became dizzy, head achy and nauseous. I thought my leg was broken and I was in a 7mm wet suit which generally provides considerable protection.

We exited the river as quickly as possible, which was extremely difficult because I could not use my leg and I felt like I was going to vomit. When we made it to shore we checked to make sure the leg was not broken, it took a good half hour before I could be reasonably assured that I was capable of commencing the swim, which was a better prospect than walking back to the car at this point.

And the lesson?

If I did not have a boogie board I would have been in a great deal of trouble. I am not sure that I would have made it as I was rendered incapable of swimming on my own especially in a fast moving current.

The neoprene wet suit afforded a great deal of protection in addition to floatation and cushioned the blow substantially.

I did not anticipate nor did I see the rock, generally you flow around obstacles in the river but I was in an awkward position because I was facing up-stream in an attempt to warn my partner about the snag.

Once you are in the river it is very difficult to get out. It is also almost impossible for your partner to get to you even if they have a boogie board, so if you are in a crisis you are for all intents and purposes on your own.

I am a seasoned veteran river snorkeler, I have hundreds of runs under my belt and even with that kind of experience you can get into trouble, so safety is at all times paramount.

Having said all that; tubing or floating the river is fun, so if your follow some simple guidelines you can improve your safety margins and also maintain the integrity of the river bottom and the eco-system.

The best place to enter the river is on the west side under the logging bridge, stay in the middle until you almost reach the first highway bridge where the water becomes faster, there is a submerged pylon with rebar sticking out of it on the left hand side of the river just before the bridge so stay to the right, it is deeper on that side anyway. Once you are past the bridge you can move back to the center or to the left side of the river. Stay clear of the docks on the right hand side. Exit the river at the end of the road by the Quinsam Hotel. It is an easy take out and the rip rap is easy to gain access to.

Safety Tips

Wear your life jacket at all times.
Familiarize yourself with the course of the river before entering the water.
Stay clear of the spawning channels, you could be interrupting the spawning of the salmon.
Wear runners, the river bottom can be irregular and entering the river and exiting the river can be a problem in bare feet.
Wear a hat and short sleeved T-Shirt for sun protection.
Do not stand in the river. Salmon build Redds in the gravel which is where they lay their eggs, you could be dislodging the nest if you stand in it.
Only float the lower reaches of the river. The flow here is slower and more consistent, the river is also wider and snags are not as much of a problem.
Do not leave any garbage and clean up after yourself.
Check your tides, it is best to float the bottom reaches of the river when the tide is at its medium, if the tide is high it is too slow and if it is low the water is too shallow.
Pay attention to the river and always face down river, you never know you might be fortunate enough to see a bear fishing on the shore.
Don’t try and fight against the river current, you will never win.
Stay in a group but don’t tie your tubes together.
Have a rope tied to the tube but do not under any circumstances tie the tubes together nor tie them to yourself.
Let someone know what you are doing and what time you are expected back.

River Behaviour and Code of Ethics

For the Operation and Pleasure use on or in the Campbell River

In recognition of the increasing pleasure and commercial use of the Campbell River, the following voluntary code of ethics has been developed by the cooperation with industry partners to minimize user impact on the river and promote river safety.

Key Objectives:

To protect and enhance the Campbell River natural beauty, water quality, aquatic and wildlife resources.
To identify and respect the concern for possible impacts on the river and its resources by all users with the goal of minimizing them.
To communicate the safe use of the river.

Code:

Be safe and always swim, boat, snorkel or float with a partner.
Be aware of your surroundings and the river hazards at all times.
Respect all other river users.
Respect all adjacent private property.
Designated spawning channels are not to be disturbed at any time.
While swimming or snorkeling, limit the impact on the fish. No lingering, herding or wolf packing.
Recognize and use designated river entry and exit locations.
Please take all personal items and garbage with you when you leave.

Have Fun