The Safety Break
Whitewater rescue podcast: Stories of whitewater river rescue, accident reports and analysis, and river safety education. We can learn a lot from our mistakes, so let's help each other navigate the rivers safely. If you have a story you'd like to share (great rescues, near-misses, epic beatdowns, or other mis-adventures), send a brief description to thesafetybreak@gmail.com. We focus on non-fatal incidents only, out of respect for victims' friends and families.
Episodes
24 episodes
Cumberland Blues
A paddler encounters a surprising entrapment scenario on the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River.
Beacon Village
Paddlers join forces to help save their neighbors trapped by the rising floodwaters of the Swannanoa River.
Blind Drop
A hidden strainer creates a day of carnage on Overflow Creek in Georgia.
Gambling with all the Marbles
A solo paddler encounters a hidden strainer in the spring runoff of the Beartooth Mountains of Montana.
A Conversation with Charlie Walbridge
Charlie Walbridge describes his career of river safety education, his work with the AW Accident Database, and recent conservation efforts involving Big Sandy Creek.
Big Splat
A missed roll leads to an upside down run over a waterfall, directly onto a rock. We'll discuss management of multi-system trauma in the wilderness, plus a bonus story from Jeff Snyder describing one his best screw-ups on Big Sandy Creek, from ...
The Right Place at the Right Time
A successful live-bait rescue and resuscitation on the Green River Narrows.
Testing the Waters
Returning to the rivers of Western NC after Hurricane Helene.
Risk and Reward on the Russell Fork
A close call in an undercut rock on the Russell Fork Gorge, plus some history of the race and the annual river rendezvous.
Royally Screwed
A cold water immersion and entrapment on California's Royal Gorge.
We just saw it from a different point of view: Tangled up in the leash debate
Exploring the issue of paddleboard leash entanglement. Cover photo by Paul Clark.
The Saluda Boys, Green Race Safety, Part 4
A conversation with one of the legendary Green Race safety crew. Cover photo by Todd McGinnis.
The Safety Net, Green Race Safety, Part 3
A look at the complicated logistics of Green Race safety.
The Mental Edge: Green Race Safety, Part 2
Tackling the mental and physical challenges of Green Race preparation.
Go Left and Die: Green Race Safety, Part 1
A hard crash and entrapment during a race practice lap.
Picking Up the Pieces: Shoulder Dislocations, Part 2
An interview about shoulder health and rehabilitation after injury.
Up Against the Wall, a Shoulder Dislocation on the Stikine, Part 1
A paddler confronts a shoulder injury deep in the Canadian wilderness. All about shoulder dislocations and how to fix them.
Resurgence
A whitewater athlete finds his way back to the river after a life-changing accident.
Behind the Curtain on the Agua Azul
A paddler is trapped behind the curtain of a large waterfall, with no clear way to escape. After more than an hour, his friends reach him using a live bait rescue technique.
A Glance at the Abyss, Part 2: Resuscitation
A close look at the resuscitation of a drowning victim on the Jalacingo, and essential CPR education.
A Glance at the Abyss, Part 1: Submersion on the Jalacingo
A paddler has a brush with death after a prolonged submersion. Once his friends retrieve him from the water, there's some serious work to be done to bring him back. Part 1 of 2, examining drowning resuscitation.
