The Best Beatdowns Of My Life: By Conall Plunkett

The best beatdowns that I have had on the Ottawa River were on two separate rapids. My first beatdown was at Lower No Name at around 11 feet.  I was ready to run a good lap down the center of Lower No Name and then catch the eddy on the right to surf the Right Now Wave. I hit the fist few waves thinking that all was well until I saw Vampire, Vampire is a sticky hole at Lower levels, but at the time, I didn't know it was fine at 11 feet. I frantically paddle to the left side to avoid it when I hit a small hole that pushes me into an unnamed hole. I had surfed this hole before when I missed a ferry to Right Now Wave but it wasn't that bad, but this time was different. I feel the hole catch me and push me into a side surf, I fight as hard as I can to stay upright, but to no avail. I feel the water catch my side and violently flip me, I am still fighting, so I roll back up into the hole and continue surfing. I start thinking that I could pull my skirt and jump out of my boat, but I suddenly flip again and my paddle is torn from my hand. With no other option, I reach for my spray skirt and pull it off, violently ejecting me from the boat, thus ending my first good beatdown 30 seconds after I entered. My second time was just recently, we had run the middle section again, but this time we decided to run Garvin's Ledge. We ran a new line named Dragon's Fire, a 6 foot drop onto a hole, but you have to paddle a few inches away from a rock to make a soft landing. If you miss that line, you will land on a sharp rock. I was set up and ready to go when I feel the edge of the drop. I take a hard boof stroke a foot away from the right line and slam down onto the rock, I then feel fine thinking that the worst has past, but there was more yet to come. I feel myself get jetted into a very violent hole where I side surf until it flips me, it nearly lets me out but pulls me back in at the last second. I roll back up, but instantly get flipped, I try again, but I lose my paddle. I start trying to pull my spray skirt, but the water is pushing me away. I suddenly feel my head go above water ant take a deep breath, but I go back under quickly after. I finally get a hold of my skirt and pull it off 10 seconds after I got stuck thus ending my best beatdown, but there is still time for another.