We went river rafting on Tuesday in Costa Rica. We went with h2O adventures. Professional. Experienced. Great company.
So I have to admit…this little adventure of ours is probably the most terrifying experience I have ever had. Terrifying in the sense that I basically thought I was gonna die. I thought my life was gonna end. I fell into these level 5 rapids a couple times…I’m convinced I felt the early sensations of drowning. I panicked. I freaked out. Cold cold ice water. It freezes you up. The rocks….they bang you up and mug you. White water splashing everywhere…if you fall in….getting a good breath of air is practically impossible. This was a level V run according to our guides. Not for beginners. We were all beginners. We wanted something tough. Little did we know it would be this tough.
Someone at the beach later in the day told us that someone recently died in that same river doing the same thing we were doing. This river run was intense. It was dangerous. It was terrifying.
Having survived it all, now a little bruised and a little battered (emotionally and physically) I can now say I have never had such a huge adrenaline rush. My heart has never raced faster than in those rapids. If you asked me to do it again, i’m not sure i’d say yes. I’d have to really think about that one. I’m just glad we all made it out alive. The helpless feeling like a rag doll in those rapids isn’t very pleasant. Here are a few pics from the adventure.
Yes…it was very intense. Yes, I would go river rafting again. I’m just not sure i’d do Level 5 rapids. Maybe 3. The company also does other levels in other parts of the river or in other rivers. h20 adventures did a great job and we all really enjoyed it (only after knowing we were gonna live another day).
This was by far the most exhilarating experience of the trip and probably of my life up to this point. I was staring at death in the face on multiple occassions.
Dang…I’m kinda glad I missed this day! Looks crazy. Glad you guys survived!
You guys are nutz. Totally nutz. I would have been the guy with the camera.
This is Rachel’s cuz. You guys are idiots I tell you! That is so awesome that you got to do this and have all these great pictures of your ride. I’m glad that you both are still alive. Idiots. Idiots. Idiots. (And I mean that as a compliment!)
Hello!! Im glad to see you enjoyed your experience with us in Costa Rica! You hit the Chorro section at the most exciting level of the year. It’s great to hear your take on the trip you had with me!
Although it may have felt like eminent doom while in the rapids, for the record, no one has ever died on this stretch of whitewater. We always run our trips as safely as possible, and because we are the only company running this stretch I know the injury record is almost non existant!
I hope that your experience really was a great one, and if anyone is interested in coming back with you and trying this in the future, we’ll try and keep you in the boat!
Good Luck with all your future adventures! I hope rafting will be among them!
Pura Vida!
Stevo