The Safety Break: Recent Episodes
Jack Ditty, MD
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.
Paddlers join forces to help save their neighbors trapped by the rising floodwaters of the Swannanoa River.
A solo paddler encounters a hidden strainer in the spring runoff of the Beartooth Mountains of Montana.
Charlie Walbridge describes his career of river safety education, his work with the AW Accident Database, and recent conservation efforts involving Big Sandy Creek.
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 his early days of cutting edge paddling.
A close call in an undercut rock on the Russell Fork Gorge, plus some history of the race and the annual river rendezvous.
A conversation with one of the legendary Green Race safety crew. Cover photo by Todd McGinnis.
A paddler confronts a shoulder injury deep in the Canadian wilderness. All about shoulder dislocations and how to fix them.
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 close look at the resuscitation of a drowning victim on the Jalacingo, and essential CPR education.
A close look at the successful resuscitation of a drowning victim on the Jalacingo, and essential CPR education.
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.
A paddler clings for his life to a watery perch while his group desperately tries to reach him in the Ecuadorian jungle.
Welcome to The Safety Break, the whitewater rescue podcast. Full episodes coming soon...