Wonderful wonderful whirlpools
On the main channel of the Ottawa just below the lunch site lies a truly magical place. As the rivers wide, deep, and powerful flows collide in Butchers Knife the turbulent forces create one of the many marvels of the Ottawa: massive whirlpools. These chaotic giants are capable of sucking a boat and person underwater in a mere instant. They are an incredible breathtaking phenomenon filled with dark magic. Here’s my take on how to have as much fun as possible in them.
A few quick rules for safety:
The whirlpools are a load of fun, they form from flows of around 10ft to 18ft at the top river right of butchers knife (named for the sharp rocks, be careful). At 18 the whirlpools are the strongest, but every level offers unpredictable and amazing (and potentially dangerous) beatdowns. It’s always a good idea to watch from the eddy and get a feel for what the pools will do before dropping in. A steep small diameter pool generally means a violent mystery move (so much fun!!!) and wider boil-y ones generally offer a longer, but gentler hold-down (great for stern squirts!). If after watching a few of the whirlpools you decide they’re too big for you, trying dropping into the wider pools downstream. Although the look scary they’re actually rather gentle, short and fun (think tea cup ride at Disney land)
NO SWIMMING! These whirlpools can suck a boat under with no problem, so your body doesn’t stand a very good chance on its own. Most boats have at least 50 gallons of volume to help you back to the surface, so never abandon your boat! It would be better to pass out than to pull your skirt. (Note: check your skirt to see if it will implode. Push strongly with both hands on the center of your deck, and if the skirt pops it’s too loose for the pools. Also consider using a beach ball or thruster for increased support)
1 PERSON AT A TIME
The whirlpools pull towards the center and are incredibly powerful. This means if you’re in the pools with another person, there’s absolutely no way to avoid hitting each other. As someone whose broken this rule I can attest that there is nothing fun about party surfing a whirlpool, no matter how cool it looks.
These whirlpools are my absolute favorite feature on any river anywhere, as long as you’re comfortable holding you’re breath and getting tossed around you’ll have an incredible time too
If you’ve surfed a couple and are looking to step up your game, trying rotating your body to the right and placing gentle sculling draws to spin the boat even faster, or give a gentle double pump as you’re dropping in to initiate a bow move
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