Class IV Whitewater Rafting on Ecuador’s Pastaza River (Raft Flip Included)

Описание: In February 2024, I went whitewater rafting on the Pastaza River in Puyo, Ecuador — a major tributary of the Amazon River.

This video shows the full experience from multiple perspectives:

• Foot­age captured by a safety kayaker working with the rafting company
• First-person footage from my chest-mounted GoPro

I was the lead paddler (front right, grey shirt) working with an international crew through long, continuous Class IV rapids with very few calm sections. The paddling was relentless and physically demanding.

Training in the gym translated directly to the river. Staying in position and transmitting force under instability felt like rowing while bouncing on a trampoline. Core control — especially anti-rotation stability — and composure mattered as much as strength and endurance.

At one point, a large wave flipped the raft. We were thrown into the rapids and had to swim across to the far bank while fighting current and waves. The guide recovered the raft and paddles, and we resumed the run — all included here.

For a clearer raw view of the flip itself, see my previous video captured by the paddler behind me.

About the river:
The Pastaza drains the eastern Andes and flows into the Amazon Basin. Near Puyo, steep elevation changes create fast, powerful whitewater at the edge of the Amazon Rainforest — beautiful, unforgiving, and demanding full attention.

This experience reinforced how preparation, composure, and teamwork matter when conditions stop being predictable.


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