Whitewater rafting, touted
as one of Davao City's newest tourist attractions, caught my fancy when I first
saw it on TV a couple of years ago. There was this ad hyping it that got me curious
about this extremely interesting water sport.
The ironic part is this:
river rafting (or any other water sport) isn't really my cup of tea. But being
the part-time daredevil and occasional adrenaline junkie that I am, I told
myself I'd give it a try whenever there's a chance to do so. And who wouldn't
want to "settle the score" with the mighty river which almost claimed
the life of a nine-year old boy playing near its estuary? Now, that would be a
much-awaited "sweet revenge", right?
It wasn’t until a few
weekends ago that that opportunity surfaced. In a fit of wanton abandon,
coupled by a burning desire to get a much-needed rush of adrenaline all over my
veins, I joined a bunch of coworkers who wanted to experience the exhilaration
of shooting the rapids in Davao River. Originally, there were almost ten people
who had committed to join the trek but for one reason or another, only six
showed up on the appointed day. RiverOne Adventure, the operator which
organized our tour, required at least five rafters in order to properly control
the rubber boat. Luckily, our six-man team managed to meet this requirement.
Flushed with excitement, we
assembled in RiverOne Adventure's headquarters near the Ateneo de Davao
University. After choosing and fitting our gear, each of us signed a waiver
releasing the tour operator from any liability in case of injury or death
resulting from the trek. Geez, it was at that moment that I realized how risky
the ride would be. Unperturbed, I signed the form and handed it over to one of
the staff.
Minutes later, we were on
our way to the sleepy village of Tamugan somewhere in the outskirts of the
city, whose body of water happens to be one of Davao River’s main
tributaries. It was going to be the
take-off point of our almost 13-kilometer ride of a lifetime. After a nearly
two-hour road trip from the poblacion, we reached our destination. Hopping off
the jeepney, I cast a wide-eyed gaze all over the place as it’s my first time
to be there and catch a glimpse at Tamugan, the pristine yet polemical river
which is being hyped as Davao’s only remaining potable surface water source.
There, the rafting crew
briefed us about the basics of whitewater rafting. Jimmy, our navigator, showed
us the ropes on wearing our helmets and life vests and using our paddles during
the journey. He also taught us the different paddling strokes—forward, back,
easy and hard paddle. He added that we would be encountering about 20-30 rapids
of varying types while traversing the river. Since it rained hard the previous
night, he said that we’d be dealing with lots of class 1 to 3 rapids along the
way, which are just perfect for us neophytes in the rafting game.
After the briefing, we
carried our rubber boat and brought it into the water. Our navigator then
positioned us in the raft. Henry and I
were placed at the boat’s front end—we were supposed to be the lead paddlers.
Two others, Jared and Mikai were seated after us, then the two women, Tintin
and Aya. Our navigator positioned himself at the boat’s rear. As we wallowed in
the shallow waters, Jimmy continued telling us many other things. He pointed
out the possibilities of flipping over and capsizing. 
The cruising wasn’t all
about clashing with whitewater. We also had our occasional breaks—"calms
before the storms"—that enabled us to gather our wits and laugh our scares
away. Everyone, I assumed, silently looked forward to those moments. During
those lulls, our navigator seized the occasion of briefing us about the next
kind of rapids that we’re going to be up against, asking us which path we
wanted to take, that is, the route of the “chicken” or the “hero”? 
Most of the fellows opted
for the “heroic” routes because of the excitement that went with them. At some point, I wanted to suggest that we
chicken out for a change but I always ended up keeping my thoughts to myself
for I didn’t want to be a killjoy. They
all wanted to be heroes, so heroes we will be, come hell or high water! With a sigh, I silently gave in to the
general sentiment, hoping we made the right choices.
In one of our breaks, the
navigator also gave us the chance to experience drifting. The swimmers among us
didn’t pass up on that moment. Jumping into the murky waters, they allowed
themselves to be carried away by the strong current, having the time of their
lives as they let the water take them downstream.
Aya then took out her
water-proof camera and started snapping at everybody—while drifting, of course.
Numerous snaps, shrieks, sculling and swimming later, we were soon getting the
hang of rafting. Jimmy called on the others and we started paddling our way
towards the final leg of our journey.
After nearly two and a half
hours, we finally reached the village of Lacson, our pull-out point, where our
jeepney was waiting for us. Still wet
and dripping but flushed with victory of conquering the river, I gathered my wits—or what’s left of it—and
joined my colleagues as we talked about our adventure and posed for posterity’s
sake. It was already lunch time when we finished snapping so we proceeded to
heed the call of our tummies.
Days passed. Still euphoric
over my triumph in the battle against the raging rapids, I learned later that
I’ve traversed nearly 8% of Davao River’s 160-kilometer stretch. Not bad for
someone whose life’s just began to get exciting and thrilling. For whatever
it’s worth, the ride on the wild side of the mighty river is one hell of an
adventure I’d probably cherish for a long time, something I’d carry with me to
the grave. After all, not everyone gets the chance to exact his “sweet
revenge”. Indeed, there can never be glory without guts.
To those who’ve tried
braving the treacherous rapids of Davao River, you must be sharing this
thought: that you’ve died and gone to heaven for nearly three unforgettable
hours and came back more alive, more confident, more inspired. And to those who
haven’t, here’s a bit of unsolicited advice: I think you’re missing an
important part of your journey in this world. Life’s so short, peeps, so why
not give it a try? Just make sure you’ve got the doc’s nod to do it.
So, what are you waiting
for? Go, paddle your boat and enjoy the raging rapids…now! (pics courtesy of
RiverOne Adventure & R.A. Caligdong)
Here's a short clip of my
whitewater rafting experience:
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