Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities and a very popular summer outdoor activity. Rafting can be as simple as sitting on a tire tube just leisurely floating to kayaking or canoeing to extreme whitewater down a raging river. Whitewater rafting has different degrees of difficulty. The higher the degree the rougher the water. Whitewater rafting has different degrees of rough water from one degree to 5 degrees. Dealing with risk is often a part of the experience.
Every year while at Oklahoma State University college students would go to Miami Oklahoma and raft down the Arkansas River. It was just a long leisurely trip on just about anything that floats.
Rafting on certain sections of rivers is considered an extreme sport and can be very dangerous, while other sections are not so extreme or difficult. Rafting is also a competitive sport practiced around the world which culminates in a world rafting championship event between the participating nations. The International Rafting Federation, often referred to as the IRF, is the worldwide body which oversees all aspects of the sport. Kayaking also is popular and has been an active Olympic sport.
Rafting on some treacherous rivers is nothing new. The Grand Canyon was discovered by a team of rafters going through stage 5 whitewater on the Colorado River.
This activity as an adventure sport become popular since the 1950s, if not earlier, evolving from individuals paddling 10 feet (3.0 m) to 14 feet (4.3 m) rafts with double-bladed paddles or oars to multi-person rafts propelled by single-bladed paddles and steered by a person at the stern, or by the use of oars.
