Arkansas River - Wichita Whitewater
At all levels, surfing at the spillway requires a support group, whitewater equipment and special training.
Never boat the spillway alone! Boat with people who are capable of rescuing you. Take a Swiftwater Rescue Class so you can learn to rescue others.
Get training! Like driving a car, boating whitewater without training could be fun or suicide.
Always use whitewater gear, PFDs and helmets! The spillway is not suitable for touring boats.
The river is different at every level and sometimes at the same level. The hydraulics can be fun or deadly. This is not the place to be macho.
Notify police before and after spillway activities. People on the highway generate emergency calls when they see kayakers in the spillway or if they see one roll.
A City ordnance prohibits running the dam. The undercurrents have been known to re-circulate people and boats until rescued by fire department personnel or flushed out by other debris. One homemade raft re-circulated for at least a week. This kind of attention from law enforcement ruins it for all of us.
© 2005 Chris Collins, All Rights Reserved