Thursday, February 05, 2009

White Water Rafting @ Cagayan De Oro

Water is not our natural habitat. We are usually fonder of firm grounds. So when faced with water, there are those who shiver at the thought of spending hours under unpredictable conditions. After all, whitewater rafting offers just that - unpredictability. The waters, the rapids, the rocks and the occasional snakes will make a reasonable man to think twice before trying this activity.





Albeit all those hazards, our guide at Kagay assured us that safety is still their paramount concern so they taught us the basics of rafting like locking of feet, forward paddling, back paddling as well as what to do in case our boat flipped over. They told us that if we fell from the raft within 3 feet, a paddle will be used to reach us. If we fell within five to ten feet, a rope will be thrown to us. But if we fell beyond ten feet, they will just pray and wish us good luck!




Kiddin' aside all your fears and apprehension will disappear after conquering the first rapid. You just have to follow your guide when he shouts "Lock your feet, paddle as hard as you can, shut your mouth!" When we hit the first rapid, it was like time stood still then the wave of the cold water washed over our entire body and when the shaking stops, a shout of joy will fill the place. Yahoo!!! One down, thirteen more to go. Fear is replaced by anticipation.




White water rafting is Cagayan De Oro's main tourist draw. It is a stress reliever in a natural way. It is very enjoyable for the thrills and it is also a good way to relax. You cant do rafting alone, You need at least six people on each raft who needs to paddle in unison so it promotes team building. Plus, the three hour ride is not all rapids. In calmer spots, you could dip in cool waters or just enjoy the scenery. And more importantly, the stretches of calm can provide you with ample time to recharge and relax before you face another challenging rapids that awaits.



What have I learned? Sometimes, or rephrase that, oftentimes, fears are unreasonable. Once you have embraced that fear, you will find yourself laughing at the thought that you used to be crippled by the sound of rushing waves splashing on rocks, that you couldn't even imagine yourself to be in the middle of it. After all, I came out alive and with all my limbs intact. That is what white water rafting in a river can do for you - a clearer mindset revealing that in harsh times, let loose and paddle on.

Note: All photos taken by our guide, Cagayan De Oro's premiere white water rafting outfitter Kagay.



This is my contribution to My World. To view entries of other participants, please click here.

81 comments:

  1. wow... cool!!! i also want to experience that kind of fun... i want to feel the adrenalin rush..... waaahhh......

    ReplyDelete
  2. well i guess it was a succcess! mukha kayong masaya eh ^^ ang galing nyo! gusto ko din siya i try!

    ReplyDelete
  3. wow! astig na adventure to kuya oman. isa din to sa gusto kong matry sa CDO. sayang nga kasi nag-invite officemate kong taga-CDO nung december. kaso di ako nakasama kasi nga umattend ako ng ako ng school reunion namin. anyways, thanks for sharing the experience!

    ReplyDelete
  4. whoah! i tend to relieve the experience when I was reading your post! too bad i didnt have a copy of our pics to brag about it...hehehe

    ReplyDelete
  5. Masaya nga sya! mukha lang nakakatakot, but once you're there, mawawala din yung fear eh.

    sa Kagay din kami! i'll try the advance route next time. same river but more rapids. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. OMG, about falling beyond ten feet...lol. You make it looked like so easy but I am so light that I think I will be bounced off the boat in no time...lol.

    ReplyDelete
  7. reading your entry is like taking me right there. para tuloy ang sarap sarap pumunta dyan. lalo na ngayon na i feel like unwinding from work again. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. wow----that's a blast--must be hair raising---kakatakot ata---diko lam kung kaya ko yan.pero parang sarap subukan. napaka-adventurous nyo talaga---kasama ba dito si Dom?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Now that's what I call an adventure. Who's taking the shots when you were in the frame?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ooops, sowee, I didn't notice there is a note regarding my question above. My bad.

    ReplyDelete
  11. what a very nice and apt lesson for me to take to heart. Fear can always be dreadful but by accepting the fear, it allows our body to adopt and think clearly. Sabi nga sa 300 na movie:

    "it is not fear that grips him, only restlessness. A heightened sense of things."

    ReplyDelete
  12. parang ang sarap... kayanin kaya yan ng powers ko? hehehe... i want to try that too... someday...

    mustah na?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Eto na pala inaabangan ko. Wow, really such an adrenaline rush. Sarap subukan nyan. Isa yan sa mga must-do list ko ngayon.

    ReplyDelete
  14. oh wow! whitewater-rafting in mindanao! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Glad to see everyone is safe and a satisfied face on everyone

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've never been in CDO, pero pag pumuta ako dapat mag wwrafting din, mukahang enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  17. How adventurous. I don't know if I can do that too kasi baka mahulog ako sa river eh nalurkey ang beauty ng lola mo hahaha. Ang saya nyo kakainggit.

    ReplyDelete
  18. That's kind of the way I felt the first time I skied a black diamond run. Once you get into the run and realize you are in fact not actually about to die, it's just a matter of getting through the next turn, and the next, and then you're back into terrain that you're used to. What a rush!

    ReplyDelete
  19. It looks like sooo much fun, but it would also be sooo scary too!!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. That looks like a fun time ... if also not a little dangerous. We don't have any rapids or water falls in Florida. It's too flat!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Enjoy talaga! Gusto ko ulit ulitin. Ang ganda ng tubig, nung nandun kme brown sya kse kakaulan lang.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you for a very interesting post. Thank you also for visiting my site.

    ReplyDelete
  23. How fabulous!! Thank you so much for taking us along for the ride! So exciting! I have gone canoeing, but not white water rafting. Your photos are great and really capture the excitement! Thank you and have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Looks like you had a great time! I've always wanted to go white water rafting, but have never had (or made) the opportunity. Maybe someday....

    ReplyDelete
  25. how exciting! i hope i'd have enough guts to do this when i get to cdo. please post contact details of kagay so i can call them before i leave. thanks in advance!

    ReplyDelete
  26. The photos are wonderful. That looks like so much fun. If I could swim this would be something I'd be willing to try.
    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  27. dying to try that adventure... one thing that i am looking forward everytime i went here in cdo.

    ReplyDelete
  28. That looks like a fantastic adventure and a wonderful lesson!

    ReplyDelete
  29. wow..ang saya naman nito parang gusto ko ding i try..
    hmm...kaso parang natatakot ako..hehe

    ReplyDelete
  30. While white water rafting is available in my district, I have never tried it, a bit too scaredy I think!
    But it does look like a real adventurous thing to do, and very team spirit building. Great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  31. ive done white water rafting there in CAgayan and it was waaaaaaaaaaay awesome! I like your action photos more though. We were too busy paddling and trying to not get our boat overturned by the waves that nobody dared to take pictures hahahaha! Perhaps, we'll be lucky to get more action pics next time. Try our city's (Davao) white water rafting too:)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Whoa! Everyone is obviously having fun but this kind of fun is definitely not for me :) Great, memorable pictures though

    ReplyDelete
  33. Seems dangerous, but im sure you enjoyed it.

    Cool!

    Im sure your insurance company loves you. lol!

    Have a Happy (and hopefully safe) weekend attorney!

    ReplyDelete
  34. LS: Looks like a fun ride, I hope you didn't take your good camera on the trip. That is what I was most afraid of when even canoeing.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Hello Attorney, I can see the smile in all your faces. Looks like a very fun and brave thing to do. It really looks dangerous and I must admit that I may not do it but who knows, if push comes to shove, I may just throw all my cautions to the wind.

    ReplyDelete
  36. This is tremendously fun! I've tried it once near here ... and although I almost had an accident, it was exciting.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Puede ba d'yan ang hindi marunong lumangoy?

    ReplyDelete
  38. Looks fun but scary. I like your white water rafting philosophy. Paddle on!

    ReplyDelete
  39. LOL, for a moment there I thought you were taking photographs WHILE white water rafting. I was thinking, "Man, this guy is crazy!!". Looks kinda fun, always wanted to try it =)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thank you for stopping by ALLHORSESTUFF blog!
    OH WOW~ Water....Yes, I am one of those with a healthy fear/respect for the water. You probably will never see me in one of those rafts...I have accomplished that concuring on the "Rouge River" In Grants Pass, Oregon.
    You can tell, my choice way of traveling experiences & covering distances these days-off the solid ground-will be upon horseback!
    KK
    P.S.
    I like what the leader said...
    "Keep your mouth shut"!!
    )))Ha(((

    ReplyDelete
  41. waw! parang enjoy na enjoy talaga kayo ah! that was so grooool!

    ReplyDelete
  42. These are awesome photos for MyWorld! I would love to go rafting one day!

    ReplyDelete
  43. What a contrast to Africa, lol!!!
    Thanks for taking us for the ride!

    ReplyDelete
  44. I love water but I'm not sure I could white water raft, perhaps when i was younger.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hi Norman! Glad to see that you survived and feel happy!!! ;)
    Great shots!
    Blogtrotter has entered Rajasthan! Enjoy and have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Oh lawstude, I went white water rafting in Australia some time back and was scared stiff!! I was MORE frightened AFTER the first rapid and prayed it would be over soon. We had to drop out of the raft and practice floating downstream feet first just in case we fell out when we hit the rapids... I'm glad you enjoyed it but I will NEVER go again!! :)

    I like looking at your pictures though. :)

    ReplyDelete
  47. I have always wanted to try this but never had the guts! Your pictures are really great.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Nice shots :) Now - this is the kind of thing I dig ! Sama ako dyan !!

    ReplyDelete
  49. I was just about to ask if all you did was to just run around the shore taking photos before I read who took them! Anyway, looks like alot of fun.

    ReplyDelete
  50. WHOOOA. What a ride. I hope i can do that someday!

    ReplyDelete
  51. hala. hihimatayin cguro ako pag sumali ako d2. hahaha

    btw
    pachange url naman po http://lifeisfullofbeaches.com thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  52. I like this part: "But if we fell beyond ten feet, they will just pray and wish us good luck!" Hehe!

    Although I haven't tried white water rafting, this is something I'm willing to do. Wait, did you mention something about "occasional snakes" ? On land or on the water itself?

    Great post by the way; looking forward to reading more travel articles from you in the future!

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  53. "It is a stress reliever in a natural way."

    Not to mention the adrinaline rush because of the excitement. If you don't mind, how much does it cost for the ride. : )

    ReplyDelete
  54. I enjoyed seeing your photos! It's a great series, really beautiful and full of action. How did you manage to do the paddling and taking photos at the same time?
    You describe your raft tour very vividly!

    ReplyDelete
  55. wow! an enjoyable and educative experience!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Thanks for visiting my blog & have fun exploring new adventures like this.

    ReplyDelete
  57. mukhang enjoy . kaya lang nakakatakot.
    Congrats! nakaabot kayo sa finish line a at mukha naman kayong sanay na sanay. Galing

    ReplyDelete
  58. You're braver than me! Great shots. thanks for visiting my blog earlier.

    ReplyDelete
  59. di ko kaya ang powers nyo,extreme ang sports na yan...panalo!

    ReplyDelete
  60. I don't think I'd ever do that, but you and your friends look like you had a good time.

    ReplyDelete
  61. You got some fabulous shots of your white water rafting trip. Looks like a great time for every one. I enjoyed this post so much.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Hello guys, thank you for all your comments.

    for those who are asking about the rates and the guides, you may contact Dan Camino of Kagay at 0917 712 2323 or (088) 856 3972.

    we have taken the beginners course only for 1,200 per person but prices vary based on your package and preference.

    ReplyDelete
  63. whoa
    fun pix indeed
    pwede ba mga pamngkin ko dyan
    ages 5 and 3?
    hehe

    ReplyDelete
  64. whoa! i can feel the adrenaline rush in the photos. galing din ng kumukuha ah.

    nga pala, parang dala mo ang point and shoot camera mo sa raft? tama ba? hehehe...

    ReplyDelete
  65. Wonderful post. I've always enjoyed rafting. You should also one day try rafting the Chico if you find yourself in Tuguegarao or Kalinga. Wonderful river as well. :-)

    Jenn

    ReplyDelete
  66. A fun adventure and great post! I have been white water rafting a few times years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Like you I faced my fears and went wild white water rafting once in NZ... and funnily enough that once has always been enough...no desire to repeat the experience

    ReplyDelete
  68. fun, brings back memories! The water looks clear. twas brown water rafting on a rainy day.

    ReplyDelete
  69. I guess that is is not easy to take photos when one is in the rapids. You are very skilfull.

    Regards

    ReplyDelete
  70. Ang saya! Will try this in my lifetime...

    ReplyDelete
  71. yeah!!!its very fantastic, horrible and very funny experience we did it once wd my klasmets n MOSCAT..hahah.char lang.we all wanna try it again,,,next2x year!!!

    ReplyDelete
  72. is it safe to do rafting in november? gift ko sana sa kaibigan ko, eh baka malakas na ang pressure ng tubig, kakatakot nman sa accidents. any suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
  73. Water rafting is not that really dangerous sport. there are certain levels that you can go through. if your first time you can have level 1 and 2 or if your the type of person who loves adrenalin pumping experience, the river can offer you level 3 to 5 rapids ^_^.

    ReplyDelete