Grand Canyon Rapids - Lava Falls Ejection!

Lava Falls Ejection at 8:03

[@CanyoneeringUSA]

Nice. Very polite of you to flee the boat only at the end!

[@unknowingpoet]

Clean boat! Clean lines. Well done!

[@floydhawk2169]

Very active oarsman, I'd ride with this guy any time.

[@GalletasLife]

You can tell when a guide knows his oars..good skills!

[@todddaugherty110]

I must commend you. Most guys are very willing to show others' swims/flips, but not their own. 6 times through Lava and I always came out still sittin' in the saddle.....but I was mighty lucky almost every time. Stupendous recovery. Thanks.

[@miahsky]

It is one of the downsides to a standing row position. Higher center of gravity. I am excited for my next trip down - hours behind the oars help!

[@bindig1]

Holy Toledo. That was intense

[@michaelhill56]

Great video and that's a good level too! It must have been pretty hot for you to take a dip in Lava lol!

[@HETHRM]

Awesome video - loved it! You climb back into the drivers seat almost as fast as I do ;)

[@MichaelDonlinAwesome]

GREAT edit, AND you kept your hat. Well played.

[@liquidadventuring]

Nice!

[@drmarshall19]

Nice footage.

[@MrDbutcher]

Insane

[@jonmetzler7]

Launching in October. Just curious what you setup you used to mount your camera so high up! Looks like it was all kinds of fun and beautiful blue water!

[@miahsky]

I built a mount out of PVC. I used 1 1/4 inch pipe with a T at the bottom and a cross T at the middle so I can break it down and stabilize to a D-Ring. It is about 75 inches tall when put together. I am happy to send you some pics and more info if you want!

[@jonmetzler7]

Jeremiah Contreras that’d be great.

[@frankshearer4412]

One Hell of a great Oarsman.

[@raftskibum]

Can I ask why your passenger liked to stand up so much? I get the idea of shifting weight to hyside, but for me, that is too much moving around. I would be very distracted.

[@miahsky]

She fell in love with the rush of the rapids. I like to give my passengers a great ride, so I encouraged her to enjoy the rapids and my active rowing style made for an extra splashy fun ride (push into rapids for an extra rush). I like to give my passengers a good ride, and no distraction for me :-)

[@raftskibum]

@@miahsky Very well. We all have our way of doing things. As long as she's not distracting the captain or putting you at more risk, I guess I see no harm in her added fun.

[@miahsky]

@@raftskibum Agreed. Safety 1st. If you can have fun in the meantime... enjoy!

[@hntrains2]

That looks like the widest raft ever. What is it?

[@miahsky]

Lol. This is an older Maravia: Grand 18. I built the frame based on Pro’s frame design. Length: 18′6” Width: 8’4″ Tube Size: 24″

[@hntrains2]

@@miahsky, the right boat for the right river! Do you ever think a stretch of water ahead of you is scary?

[@anniefranks6881]

Would love to know how he has his camera set up!

[@miahsky]

I'm happy to share a document on how I built the camera mount...See the link below!

[@miahsky]

drive.google.com/drive/folders/1siMx1JHlmdkijxWm0ICoFe1WFJUzb_s_?usp=sharing

[@quixotedon4168]

Why is there so much equipment tied down if it’s just you and one other person? Additionally, why is that person just chilling in the front; also, what kind of trip is this?

[@miahsky]

This was a 3 raft (18’), 8 person, 16 day trip over 225 River miles through Grand Canyon National park. We carry group gear for the full trip and everything is “rigged to flip” (tied down). It’s an oar raft, meaning one person rows instead of everyone paddling. It’s a pretty amazing trip.

[@johnderf577]

There were two "oars men" first ,ok. Second, quality.

[@miahsky]

It was just me on the oars... However the first part of the trip I was dealing with dehydration and severe cramping in my arms. Stretching, massage and electrolytes!

[@joelbashore5658]

Sit DOWN!!!

[@miahsky]

Right!?! I learned to row from a standing rower. I have since learned you can sit down a bit (and yes, center of gravity matters). However, standing is also fun. It is definitely more of an engaging experience. Now if I can just get the chance to get on the river. Being on the river is happiness... whether sitting or standing.

[@meyerstyle]

Standing gives more leverage on the oars, and better vision. It's a great tool, especilaly when setting up for a rapid!

[@thakidistight]

That passenger in lava that fell out get recovered quickly? Doesnt look like anyone was making it a priority.

[@miahsky]

That was the oarsman that fell out (me) and I was back in the raft in under 20 seconds. All good.

[@thakidistight]

​@@miahsky lol my bad, I skipped forward from Upset when you had 2 passengers in the boat to Lava and i thought one had been lost. Looks like you only went into Lava with one passenger though. I swam in Lava too, same spot. Whats the reasoning behind not wearing helmets? Not being critical, just asking.

[@miahsky]

@HolstromsGhost The helmet thing is a tough one for me. More technical rapids, with rocks = helmet. Big Water = ??. Most canyon injuries / deaths are on shore. Water deaths are typically either PFD related or alcohol related. The pros do not seem to outweigh the cons for me (in the canyon). Wearing helmets while driving would be safer, however I am not planning on buying a driving helmet anytime soon. That said... Safety is important, and I am open to hearing everything I can. What are your thoughts on helmets in the canyon?

[@thakidistight]

@@miahsky In bigger water like that without too many rocks to worry about, my main concern is the raft frame, oars, captains boxes, ammo cans, cooler, etc coming down on my dome if the boat were to flip. I wore my lid most of the time in the canyon. Im not the helmet police, and its totally up to you. But it seems like such an easy thing to do to prevent serious injury and the boat is filled with so many things that could easily crack your skull.

[@truethought2581]

What technique is that? Guys I raft with don't generally go into rapids backwards....

[@miahsky]

I sometimes enter with a stern first downward ferry angle. The extra power from a pull stroke can come in handy. Plus, if the boat is overly stern heavy it makes sense on some rapids. These were not my cleanest lines, but I’ll take tubes up any day.