Costa Rica

The Costa Rica Pacuare rafting experience offers adventure like no other. National Geographic has recognized Costa Rica’s Pacuare River as one of the top 10 rivers for rafting in the world. Its rapids are classified up to Levels 3-4 (5 is highest) or moderate to difficult. They wind through remote, lush rainforests and emptying in the Caribbean. Its trips have a reputation for being eco-friendly on a carbon-neutral journey. White water rafting can be a high-adrenaline adventure, for experiencing the invincible powers of Mother Nature. Knowing the risks and safety tips are an important part to any of these outings.

As the Spa Acupuncturist for a cruise ship, I am excited to join the crew for a port day excursion, white water rafting the Almighty Pacuare. Travelling to foreign lands pushes me, beyond my comfort zone to take more risks. I relented to my sense of adventure and ignored my fears, anticipating this awesome way to see Costa Rica, on a raft through pristine canyons and rainforests. Our trip involved taking the Pacuare River on an 18-mile journey through levels 1-4 rapids on a 3.5 hour adventure.

Our Drive to Costa Rica Pacuare Rafting Adventure

On our drive there, the 20 crew members and I receive vivid safety instructions on the correct way to wear life jackets/helmets. Most importantly, I hang on to every word about what to do if hurled into the water or the raft capsizes. The 3 most important tips that probably saved my life are: 1) Feet upward on surface (avoid undercurrent) 2) Feet point downstream (protect head) and 3) If thrown under capsized raft, walk to edge in one direction with hands.

On arrival, the guides lead us to a colorful truck, brightly painted in red and yellow, with a green tarp overhead. Sitting in the back on long benches, it takes us down a steep, bumpy road to the riverbank. I notice the hump-necked Brahman bulls grazing in the fields. Also, there are sprinkled with purple Vervain flowers, while Blue Morpho Butterflies dance among us. In the back of my mind, worries about the rafting risks linger… However, I focus on the multi-lingual, nervous chatter from crew members and appreciate getting distracted by their excitement. Finally, after the bus and truck legs, we walk down a steep grade to reach our next phase of the journey on the raft.

A Raft Team of 7 among 3 Rafts
Costa Rica Pacuare Rafting Experience

Our large group divides into 3 rafts. I am happy with my team of 7, including a guide. It’s nice to have the personal trainer and massage therapist from the spa on my raft. As usual, I am the only American among our international crew. I’m 1 of 4 seated on the raft’s left side, while the other 3 with the guide are on the right. We each have a paddle, that we use according to the commands of the guide.

Setting off into the calm waters, the guide pridefully tells us that he grew up living near the Pacuare River. I sensed his genuine love and connection to the river, saying he’s been leading river rafting trips for 14 years. Initially, we practice following the guide’s orders: “2 forward, paddle backward and hold!” Besides following his orders, we all are responsible for our contribution to the balance, direction and velocity of our vessel. I feel the teamwork settling in, partially out of fun and adventure, but also out of determination to stay afloat.

Breathtaking scenery among rapids in a lush rainforest

The scenery is breathtaking. It’s almost sensory overload to take in the challenge of the rapids, as well as the exotic scenery along this tropical river through lush rainforest. We spot many birds along the way, such as toucans, blue cranes, snowy egrets, osprey and vultures; however we don’t notice any other wildlife. This jungle is home to jaguars, anteaters, iguanas, sloths, and monkeys.

The challenge that I most enjoy about rafting is the constant interchange and balance of being mental, physical and spiritual. All this is taken on with 3 disciplines: 1) teamwork, 2) focused-strenuous paddling and 3) surrender. The harmonious trinity guides us to stay in rapport with this unpredictable river. First, the inevitable teamwork. We listen to the guide and follow orders to stay in synch. Although this doesn’t always happen, as I accidentally SMACK paddles with the guys behind and ahead of me. Sometimes in heavy rapids, our guide gets almost militant, screaming that we all need to, “Paddle Harder!!”

Each time we make it though a treacherous feat of rapids, we simultaneously raise and touch each others’ paddles at the center of the raft in a ritual, cheering to celebrate our team’s accomplishment. It’s always nice to have serene interludes, where we can stretch our legs and take in the natural beauty in calm waters to recover from our last dramatic experiences with the rapids.

Learning about the power of water from the Costa Rica Pacuare Rafting Experience

Before we get too comfortable, it’s time again to secure our feet under the raft seats and paddle with determination, as though our lives depend on it. It constantly amazes me how impossible and dangerous the forthcoming rapids look and yet, at times we smoothly glide over the rapids into a calm glaze of water downstream. I love when our guide says to stop paddling, and we all just let go, surrendering to the water’s chaos, gliding effortlessly over the abyss of ferocious, white waters and boulders…But, other times, I am uncontrollably thrust into the center of the raft by the tumultuous waters.

We have 2 episodes when crew are thrown out of our raft into moderate, level 3 rapids. However, the smooth waters close-by downstream save them, as they emerge laughing nervously, unscathed. In the other rafts, 2 others helplessly catapult into the waters, but immediately pop back up like corks with their life jackets. I nervously compare how no one got thrown out in my previous river rafting experiences.

Remember an ominous dream while rafting

While floating peacefully in a quiet stretch of water, suddenly a realization about a dream from last week alerts me into a chilling fear. In the dream, I jumped out of my car intentionally and watched it drive away, wrecking in a ditch. I secretly question this dark epiphany and symbology: what if this raft is the car and I am about to be thrown from the raft? My gut turned to an acidic cocktail of fear-induced hormones, drenching my brain with dread. However, once again, the intensity of nature and its beauty helps me to forget and bury this fear, that I rationalize only happening to others.

After 3 hours of navigating this tropical river, we conquer the most difficult passage through Level 4 rapids. Finally, I actually begin to feel some confidence as we approach the last segment of rapids ahead of us. I feel a premature sigh of relief and ego gratification, that we have successfully navigated through Level 4 waters in one of the most pristine settings in the world. Wow, and this was beyond my Bucket List, because it had all been so unimaginable.

As we approach our last segment, I prep myself to enjoy the experience without fear, and just be in the moment to fully experience the power of Mother Nature. Crossing over from the gentle glaze of smooth waters into the intensifying thrashing of boulders and relentless rapids, galvanizes us once again.

He screams with a tone that injects terror into my bloodstream: “Paddle harder, we need this to make this one!!!

We follow the shouted command to paddle, then paddle HARDER!! Then, I feel the terrifying, unique scream from our guide penetrate to my bones, as this command was more than just shouting over the thunderous rapids. He screams with a tone that injects terror into my bloodstream: “Paddle harder, we need this to make this one!!!” Looking ahead, I see this passionate water passage like a mythical chimera, with jaws about to swallow us into a watery abyss with boulders as organs and the rapids as blood, sweat and tears. Hopefully this beast will spit us out downstream into the other side of calm waters…

Suddenly, the unfathomable turn of events erupts like an underwater volcano!! The guide screams, “We’re going down,” as I am plunged mercilessly like a fly in a washing machine. Surrendering to the moments of a life-threatening experience, helplessly, I relive the question experienced in my car accident 20 years ago, “Is this it, am I going to die right here and now?!”

As I emerge superficially amidst the rushing waters choking my breath and sight, I tap into the instinctual mode of survival: I get eerily calm amidst the maelstrom and remember to do as advised: feet up and downstream. My sense of control suddenly crashes from a sudden impact by a boulder slamming into my right back and side. I fear not only broken bones but damage to my organs, as the impact reverberates into the core of my visceral existence. The pain eclipses my survival instincts for a few moments in order to just fear the injuries.

I am submerged in churning rapids beneath the raft…

Then, the even more unfathomable happens, my worst fear from the safety presentation 4 hours earlier. I take a moment to reflect, that what I feared most was indeed happening: I am submerged in churning rapids beneath the raft. Looking up, I had a strange flashback from 20 years ago in my car accident, while trapped upside down, looking up at creek water filling my car like a water bottle, fearing that I would drown in my car. The traumatic hybrid of memory and present moment sends me into a surreal, PTSD altered state-of-consciousness, until the survival mode of clarity takes over once again. A calm voice reminds me to do as the guide advised, walk your way out with your hands, staying in 1 direction. I hypnotically do this and feel a sigh of relief, as I emerge outside the raft gasping for air.

Befuddled, attempting to reconnect with the oxygen chamber above the thrashing rapids, I experience yet another obstacle. Along with a sigh of relief outside the raft, I forget another lesson of the rapids, don’t let feet drop. However, as I let my mental guard down, as well as my feet and legs, I absentmindedly attempt to tread water. (I am imagining that this trauma must be over, hoping to have fulfilled this treacherous rite-of-passage.)

Then, suddenly, I am sucked down underwater because my legs tap into the powerful surge of undercurrent

Then, suddenly, I am sucked down underwater because my legs tap into the powerful surge of undercurrent. (I didn’t realize this was the problem till figuring it out later.) I helplessly panic and struggle underwater in a futile frenzy… Then suddenly, the chimerical rapids spit me out of the beast into the calm waters, that flow peacefully adjacent to the climactic drama. It’s so life affirming for this final sudden event to be calm instead of traumatic. Ahhh, this River Rite of Passage is truly over…I am reborn and ejected out of the birth canal…

Shocked and dazed, I tread the comparatively calm waters… I begin foreseeing the rescue from our guide in the raft with one of the crew members. Not seeing the others, I scream from my heart of existence. ( earing that everyone else had drowned) “Where is everyone else?” The guide tells me the others were picked up by other rafts. Then, I feel annoyed by how calm he is, while the others look so comfortably relocated to other rafts. It appears as though they had been waiting awhile, while I struggled in the rapids. Reflecting back on this deluged escapade, I had no recollection of anyone else. It felt like only me and 3 elements of nature existed (without fire): air, water and earth (boulders). Water and boulders were my “dragon” to slay with air as my breath of transcendence.

Getting through the Rite-of-Passage

Finally, the 3 rafts pull over at the shoreline to assess our physical conditions. There is a lot of bumps, bruises and swollen joints. However, the 3 of us on the left side of the raft suffered the most trauma. Evidently, when they pulled the guy in front of me from the water, his face was blue. The crewmember behind me complains of excruciating pain in the same places as me on the right ribcage and back. In hindsight, I speculated that the 3 of us sitting on the left side’s fulcrum, with the right side flipping over us and submerging us under the raft, so we got more opportunity to slam dance with boulders and kiss the underbelly of the raft.

This is where I will make the remainder of the long story short. I took a day off work, but minimized my pain, so as not to be medically disembarked from the ship. My urine samples turned out clean, so there was no internal damage to my kidney or bladder. If I did fracture my ribs, there is nothing that can be done with conventional medicine, anyway. I did acupuncture on myself 3 – 4 times/week for a month. It took 6 – 8 weeks, before I could fully stretch and feel virtually pain-free.

Overall lessons…Costa Rica Pacuare Rafting

In retrospect, it was my choice to go white water rafting in Costa Rica on the Pacuare River. Also, the outcome was my responsibility. I humbly reap an invaluable lesson, that as important my human life is to me…to the mighty river, I am but a mere sprig floating through her lifeforce. It is my responsibility to be aware of the river’s impersonal powers. It can drown me with no thought or feeling for my humble life. However, if we respect and honor the invincible power of Mother Nature, we can be in awe of it, and make responsible choices regarding both its powers and our own limitations. I will not go white water rafting again. But I am infinitely grateful for my life-changing lessons from the Pacuare River. Amen.

Afternote: 6 months have passed since this river rafting event. I’ve had a variety of responses from other people, that are mostly polarized. Many have mentioned that they know a person that drowned river rafting. Others laugh at my caution and claim to have rafted level 4 or 5 waters, enjoying the thrill and adrenaline-rush from it all. My suggestion is that if anyone is planning to raft Level 4 or 5 rapids, honestly ask yourself: Are the risks involved with capsizing or being thrown from the raft into level 4 or 5 rapids/boulders worth the benefit of possibly having the best adventure of your life? At the very least, KNOW the survival tips for how to save yourself if necessary.