White Water Rafting River Grades

White Water Rafting
River Grades

White water rafting rivers have their own grades. To better understand the grades of the rivers, the bigger the number, the higher or more difficult the river is.

Grade I
Easy

Fast water with ripples or waves all dangers are obvious, negligible risk to swimmers, easy self-rescue.

Grade II
Novice

Straightforward rapids with regular waves easy to medium drop-offs (chutes, ledges, falls) eddies and shear zones are easily negotiated best passage evident without scouting.

Grade III
Intermediate

Rapids with moderate, irregular waves, breakers, rollers and back eddies. Scouting in advance is advised for inexperienced parties.

Grade IV
Advanced

High, irregular waves, breakers, powerful back eddies, whirlpools and sharp bends. Powerful but predictable rapids requiring precise handling in difficult water.

Grade V
Expert

Extremely long and/or violent rapids, often containing large, unavoidable obstacles, holes, steep banks, and turbulent water very fast currents with powerful whirlpools and boiling back eddies rescue is often difficult for experts. Advance scouting may be difficult.

Grade VI
Extreme

Upper limit of present-day skills and equipment and only for teams of experts, taking all safety precautions
unexplored or uncharted rapids where navigation may be very difficult to impossible. Luck often considered an important part of a successful negotiation.

Also note that rivers are normally graded by the white water rafting outfitter from their experience of conducting white water trips. They are not graded by a governing body and how rivers are graded would differ between countries or even between places.