Carnage at Crystal Rapid on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon Swim Team Motto: "Hit it Sideways..."
How not to row into Crystal Rapid on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon at high water...or ever. Flip - everyone was ok and we got the raft back upright in under an hour.
July 29th, 2020

[@kevinargue6514]

The part where you swam river right… that was a good line.

[@trailerframeproductions142]

If that's a good line I would love to see a bad one.

[@BronsonLamb]

Definitely not a recommended line...

[@_shinaman_3972]

That line is great if you want to learn what not to do during Crystal 🤣 10/10

[@induss1491]

@@_shinaman_3972at that point i think he was saying it to hype them up bc he knew they were fucked

[@johnrflinn]

Good line, good line, hit it O O O oo oo OO O ufff, ufff, uffff

[@charlesmcdonald5465]

Refreshing swim in the lovely calm waters of the Colorado!

[@ConquerYou]

Good line! You got it, you got it! You don’t got it.

[@stevedavis7522]

I kept hearing good line good line. I said for what flipping? And guess what! Nasty swim on the right.

[@MrFg1980]

Yer boat's swimmin' away, dude...

[@grantlorje7140]

I would like to do this one day. I am really inspired. This was peaked after listening to an album the called The River Speaks plainly by Pixie and the Partygrass Boys which led me to be currently reading The Emerald Mile.

[@JonHutman-qf7jv]

Nice friends, got the beers out of the water before you.

[@ConquerYou]

This looks awesome! I want to do it.

[@bobdobelina2336]

Put a chicken line on your boat!

[@tomfarnsworth950]

Went through Crystal successfully in 2018. Everyone said it was good to be ABC - Alive Below Crystal. Looked like a tough swim. That water is COLD!

[@jimmcgregor4598]

good line?

[@_shinaman_3972]

LMAO it would have been good if he kept pulling away from the center of the rapid 🤦🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️ at the very least he should have T-upped to the wave instead of going in sideways.

[@terryjohnson3888]

No flip lines on the boat? good for helping you climb back on top....

[@induss1491]

right? how are you supposed to get up there and self-rescue?

[@TheBunkerdog]

Been though the hole twice in an 18 footer but hit it straight on made it both times

[@induss1491]

yeah, sideways not recommended

[@HDeeGardiner]

That doesn't look fun. A long and tiring swim in really cold water. My daughter almost did the same thing. We were just a few weeks behind you. She was able to straighten it out just in time. We got some major air, but luckily did not flip.

[@stevedavis7522]

Why did you let go of the raft?

[@SarahHochstetler]

Roll on your back

[@derekboe8925]

this looks easy

[@TheBunkerdog]

What size raft

[@BronsonLamb]

18 footer

[@mikekenney1947]

Not the line I’d take at Crystal. Jaws wide open and angled

[@marksimpson5439]

He need to pull alot harder and sooner ! It might of been those oar rights or wrongs

[@denisemead764]

Way too long of a swim!

[@don7294]

You both should have been on the upturned raft within 30 seconds. Where was you safety?

[@kingsolomon8946]

That’s not a good line!!

[@Michael65429]

So many things wrong here that I’m not gonna even bother to critique. Hopefully you learned a hard lesson from this “good line”

[@charlesnorville9900]

As the rower with the mullet. I’ve been snakebit here by sneaking it right. Flipped 3 times. So the strategy was to use monentum and blow past it. Clearly misjudged it. But don’t forget.... we’re all between swims!

[@SolomonRex1]

You guys went right up the middle..never a good idea on this rapid. I’ve sneaked right a few times but have run it left most often….so fat…no flips there, but yes, we are all between flips

[@marksimpson5439]

Where is his help ?? Oh filming

[@jimburton7308]

Swim to shore! Don’t just float downstream like a log!

[@23jdizo]

It’s easier just to float down with the boat until they reach a calm eddy. Navigating downstream on the shoreline definitely isn’t easy or safe. As long as they have proper cold water gear on, they’re fine. What they could have is some sort of rope that allows them to pull themselves up onto the flipped raft. That way they can at least get out of the water. But they also get to stay with the boat. There are plenty of places we’re swimming to sure is the correct decision. Not here though.

[@23jdizo]

It’s easier just to float down with the boat until they reach a calm eddy. Navigating downstream on the shoreline definitely isn’t easy or safe. As long as they have proper cold water gear on, they’re fine. What they could have is some sort of rope that allows them to pull themselves up onto the flipped raft. That way they can at least get out of the water. But they also get to stay with the boat. There are plenty of places we’re swimming to sure is the correct decision. Not here though. 5:14

[@isissucks9622]

So you enter rapids in reverse?