Whitewater Safety: Avoiding Carabiner Entrapment Hazards
It is vital to ensure that your gear, and the way you carry it, does not create additional or avoidable hazards on the river. I personally know several guides who have had very close calls involving unlocked carabiners. Non-locking carabiners are extremely dangerous if they are not carried inside a pocket or within a gear bag. While locking carabiners are a better choice, you must remember to actually lock them if they are exposed. I prefer self-locking carabiners as they remove the potential of forgetting to lock them, though even these require care to ensure they do not accidentally unlock due to your body's motion.
One of my friends became clipped into an unlocked carabiner when he flipped at Grumpy's Ledge. He was able to unclip himself just before running out of air. Another friend had a near-fatal close call at Godzilla and Humongous on the Upper Ocoee Olympic Course. Fortunately, a nearby guide recognized the seriousness of the situation and intervened. I captured video of this second incident, which has since become a standard teaching aid in the swiftwater rescue circuit.
Additionally, guide belts clipped to the outside of rafts or worn loosely around your waist are significant entrapment hazards. A guide belt on the outside of a raft can easily snag a commercial guest or another boater during a swim. Civil liability is a concern, but the damage an avoidable accident does to your conscience is far worse.
