Keeners round 4 with Max Rayner

Good morning ladies and gentlemen (or evening depending where you are). I'm Max Rayner, 17 years old and from the great country of New Zealand. This is my fourth (and last) time attending Keeners on the Ottawa river and there has been some major changes since my first time here five years ago.
The first change is that i'm not experiencing this as a 12 year old anymore, i'm a lot less scared of the river than I was five years ago (except for Phils hole) and I've definitely improved as a kayaker (with help from keeners). I have gone from being the most looked after and vulnerable kayaker to be looking out for the younger kids who struggle occasionally. At the end of this year I will be finishing High School and my childhood will soon to come to an end so I think that that coming back as a keener is a good way to finish it and end it on a high note.

Jeremy running a 'boof line' at Phils Hole.

A pleasant surprise for me was that my room mate, Mauricio from 2009 would be bunking with me in "the Love Shack". I guess it's a full circle and the beginning really is the end! This is also Mauricio's fourth time attending keeners and also his last time. It's also been great to see friends from ex-keener friends working at W.T, such as: Quinton Kennedy, Kalem Kennedy, Hannah Gaudet, Peter "Cat-scratch" Semehen, Jessica Drujiko and James "Nighthawk" Metcalfe.

A big change this year compared to other years is the water level. On my fist day here the water level was 10 1/4 that's around 10 feet higher than its ever been for me. This means I get to enjoy the bigger waves and rapids that definitely aren't there at 0 and 1 feet. The most noticeable difference is the Coliseum rapid that was at least three times bigger than I have ever been in it. The largest wave, Big Kahuna was around three meters tall and made for some very exciting and bouncy surfs. Right now the river has dropped hugely and it's now sitting at 4 3/4. This means that Corner Wave is in, most known for it's short lines and awesome spins. In my humble New Zealand opinion it think it's the best wave that's in at the moment. I`m looking forwards to next week because the Garberater wave is due to come in.

Until next time, cheers!

Max