Online Rowing School
"In my mind, confidence, grounded in knowledge, is a really critical element to success on the oars. Zach's whitewater rowing course is rich with content & hyper-focused on safety, for yourself and others. Upon completion, your understanding of river safety, knots, navigation, reading water and plenty more, will be vastly improved."
- Chad Jeffries
Course Curriculum
(Click "Preview" for free lessons)
- Class II Introduction and Welcome (0:39)
- Rowing Body Mechanics (4:00)
- Reading Water: Hydraulics 101 (7:44)
- Reading Water: Recognizing Hazards 101 (8:36)
- Reading Water: Shooting the V and Cutting the C (4:54)
- River Navigation: International Scale of River Difficulty
- River Navigation: Ferrying 101 (8:27)
- River Navigation: Catching Eddies (12:37)
- River Safety: River Signals and Communication (14:53)
- River Safety: Defensive Swimming (3:08)
- Class III Introduction and Welcome (0:51)
- Reading Water: Recognizing Hazards 201 (12:52)
- Reading Water: Hydraulics 201 (11:12)
- River Navigation: Oar Management 101 (5:19)
- River Navigation: Catching Eddies 201 (13:11)
- River Navigation: Pulling from Danger (9:40)
- River Navigation: Surfing Waves (8:21)
- River Navigation: Ferrying 201 (9:26)
- Knots and Rescue: The "Big Three" Knots (7:01)
- Knots and Rescue: Tying up Your Boat (7:11)
- Knots and Rescue: Personal Rescue Equipment (PRE) for Rafting (5:11)
- Knots and Rescue: Boat Based Anchors (11:23)
- Knots and Rescue: Land Based Anchors (10:40)
- Knots and Rescue: Throwbags 101 (9:42)
- Knots and Rescue: Boat Flipping 101 (8:38)
- River Safety: Scouting Rapids from Shore (4:55)
- Equipment: Basics of Raft Repair (18:33)
- Class IV Introduction and Welcome (0:50)
- Reading Water: Holes vs. Pourover Holes (5:35)
- River Navigation: Using River Features (15:19)
- River Navigation: Pushing Aggressive Moves (10:25)
- River Navigation: The Downstream Ferry (12:18)
- River Navigation: Oar Management 201 (4:15)
- River Navigation: Surfing Pourover Holes (11:11)
- River Safety: Boat Order and Spacing (14:42)
- River Safety: Big Picture Scene Safety (16:53)
- Knots and Rescue: Oar Boat Flipping 201 (12:16)
- Knots and Rescue: Throwbags 201 (8:34)
- Knots and Rescue: Advanced Knots (7:37)
- Knots and Rescue: Contents of a Safety/Pin/Wrap/Z-rig Kit (7:27)
- Knots and Rescue: Setting up 3:1 Mechanical Advantage (14:21)
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: How long do I have access to the course?
Answer: Indefinitely
Question: Can I rewatch the lessons in the course?
Answer: Yes
River Safety
We will discuss hazards you will encounter on the river, communication, swimming, and other river safety considerations.
Reading and Navigating Rapids
We will discuss how to "read" water, including recognizing currents and hazards. We will also cover how to navigate rapids, with techniques like catching eddies and ferrying.
Basic Rescue Techniques
We will provide you with the basics of whitewater rescue, including throw bags, anchors, personal protective and rescue equipment, and much more.
Brought to you by the professionals from Northwest Rafting Company
Northwest Rafting Company has been offering on-river rowing instruction for over 10 years. Our rowing school curriculum has helped thousands of people become confident boaters.
Meet the Team
Zach Collier
With decades of whitewater and teaching experience, Zach is a wealth of river knowledge. As the owner of Northwest Rafting Company, his life and career are centered around getting people outside. His passion for the river pours over into his teaching, imparting an overwhelming desire to get out on the water.
Nick Wright
Hailing from Maui, Hawaii, being on the water has always been a critical part of Nick's life. After discovering river guiding in college 8 years ago, Nick has developed a deep passion for running whitewater. He loves to share that passion with others through whitewater instruction.