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Ocoee River Rafting: Stories Worth Living

To flip or not to flip?

Jun 19, 2019Uncategorized0 comments

That is the question. Flipping the boat could be a lot of fun, but it could also be unsettling, it depends on what kind of paddler you are, where you flip and whether the flip was on purpose or not. I remember the first time I flipped in a raft, I was 12 years old and it was my first time rafting, I was on a boat with oars, me and the other kids called it the superman boat, because the guide was actually doing all the work for us. The ride was going fine, and the guide actually let us guide some of the way. I remember running a rapid close to a bridge and suddenly being under water. I was the first one out of the water, followed by the guide and my fellow raft companions.

I was excited about it and exhilarated with adrenaline, but my best friend was not. She was under water for about 3 seconds and came up crying, thinking she would die. She said she had a flash black and could see her whole life (all 12 years of it) rushing before her eyes. She looked terrified. The guide unflipped the boat and we kept on rafting. By the end of the trip, I had a big smile on my face, and hers was frowny. I loved the experience and she will probably never do it again. After that little anecdote, you must be wondering: How do YOU know if you want to flip the boat?

The answer to that question is simple: you don’t (usually) know if you really want to flip. My best friend (I was telling y’all about) was a “wild” ridder and wanted to flip, but didn’t enjoyed it when it happened. Some wild ridders freak out when the boat flips, and some mild ridders that would never imagine they would enjoy flipping the boat, actually love it. There is only one way to know if you’ll enjoy flipping: by flipping the boat. That is why for a lot of guides it is hard to know if they can purposely flip the boat or not, to give the costumers an adventurous ride. Usually it’s safer not to flip the raft, or flip it in calm water. In the Ocoee River there are some spots where you might flip depending on your angle or how fast or slow you are going, and how much weight there is on the boat, but the best flip is the unintentional flip, the one that happens when no one is expecting it.

Sometimes you want to flip so bad, you do everything right to flip, but it just doesn’t happen. Sometimes you are trying hard not to flip the boat, some weird water rocket physics goes on and you end up flipping. The River will decide your fate, so just let the water gods challenge your emotional control or let you smoothly ride above the water. In the end, the question “to flip or not to flip” doesn’t really depend on you (though your participation in paddling or not paddling might decide that for you), the river gods will do what the river gods decide to do, so, just have fun in either case and accept your fate, which ever it might be. Remember, keep trying to do what you want: to flip, or not to flip. Best-case scenario? You’ll fail both attempts.

By: Laura de Leers

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Five Star Rated on

    
 
 
       Amazing trip, great guides and great company
My gf and I decided to take a quick trip to the mountains. We look at OAR for whitewater rafting. We called about 9pm and Sarah Beth answered and took our reservation for the next morning. Sarah Beth also ended up being our guide on a half day trip. She talked a lot about being assigned more office duties and spreadsheets versus guiding runs down the river. My gf does not know how to swim so I was a little nervous. Sarah Beth was truly amazing asking at every section of rapids if we want to go big, risky do 360’s take the hard path or easy path. Thankfully my gf agreed to go big every time. We did get completely thrown on the last run of the day and we loved that part of the experience. Sarah Beth should definitely be on the water more whoever makes up the schedule. She knew everyone on the river and had many friends from other companies stopping to talk to her. The 3 other rafts with OAR were also guided by great guides who were a lot of fun, very kind, funny and interacted with the guest so well. I am now trying to schedule a trip with my son and his high school buddy’s for a few days. Thank you Rick and Diana
  
 
     O8735XWrichards 
 04/05/2024
 
 
 
      White Water Rafting, Camping & Hiking
This was my first White Water Rafting trip. As a solo gentleman of 60, I was excited. I camped at their location for 5 days. The showers & restroms were large & clean. The Staff, friendly, accessible and accommodating. I did the Upper & Middle Rafting, along with a tubeing event. All the Guides were professional, explained each persons responsibility and explained Safety in detail. I will use OAR every year. This was a great location for trail hikeing and off road biking. The trails at the 1996 Olympic were fantastic to ride along, and to watch the rafters Also, with their location to Lake Ocoee, I was able to Paddleboard for hours, each day. If you brought your trailered boat, this campground with plenty of room for boat trailer & camping would be a top choice
  
 
     John-Lester G 
 23/03/2024
 
 
 
      Best Honeymoon Adventure Ever!!
In July my husband and I were celebrating our honeymoon in Tenessee, and I had never been whitewater rafting before. Now I can't wait to go back!! we signed up for the daytrip and requested Jon Hall which was the best decision ever! he was so skilled, and just the most fun guide ever, with an incredible blend of experience, immaculate vibes and knock your socks off adventure! It was worth every penny, and we can't wait to visit again for our anniversary and will absolutely be requesting him again! (P.S. the other rafting companies might have exciting pictures on their website, but this place is the real deal!)
  
 
     Jessica S 
 10/01/2024
 
 
 
      Great Weekend Experience
OAR hosted our Men's Retreat this weekend. Good people at OAR treated us like family!The food was great and they didn’t hold back any. they did everything possible to make this a retreat to remember. OAR had many activity options available, but I chose to rest in nature. I look forward to going back again. It was Great!!
  
 
     Michael W 
 16/10/2023
 
 
 
      Best trip of the summer
Best trip of the summer! Staff was fun and professional. Our guide asked what kind of experience we wanted and she delivered.
  
 
     Corey K 
 16/10/2023
 
 
 
      Amazing Men's Retreat at OAR!
OAR hosted our church's Men's Retreat this weekend. What an amazing place to grow closer to the Lord and to fellowship with other brothers. The kind folks at OAR treated us incredibly well. The food was delicious and plentiful; they did everything possible to make this a retreat to remember. OAR had many activity options available, but I chose to go river rafting! The guides were thorough and professional. Their knowledge of the river and equipment made this a safe and exhilarating adventure. Special thanks to my river guide, Tyler, whose skill and antics made this such a fun, exciting and memorable rafting experience.
  
 
     Scott D 
 08/10/2023
 
 
 
      We loved our trip.
We had a great time rafting this weekend! Rodney was a wonderful guide. I highly recommend the trip.
  
 
     Orrin T 
 02/10/2023
 
 
 
      Exciting and fun trip for a first-timer!
One of the most fun things I did the whole time I was in Tennessee! I joined a larger group of rafters as a solo traveler and had so much fun. I felt very safe even though it was my first time rafting, but it was such a blast! Cowboy did a great job guiding us through the rapids and answering all of my questions about the rafting industry and the natural/cultural/industrial history of the area. Wish I had signed up for a longer trip!
  
 
     Clara S 
 28/09/2023
 
 
 
      An absolute blast
Great fun for all ages - our group ranged from 12 to 50+ and everyone had the thrill of a lifetime. Our guide, Jon, was top notch and will definitely plan a return trip one day. OAR had great prices and very easy to book online.
  
 
     Gregory H 
 25/09/2023
 
 
 
      So much fun!
My wife and I went rafting as part of a birthday package I made for my wife. We had the best time with OAR and our guide Charlie! He was ver knowledgeable of the area in general and a very experienced guide on the water. He knew just how to cater to our experience to make it memorable. We will definitely be back with other friends, family, and colleagues!
  
 
     Rainer S 
 18/09/2023

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