Working as a white water rafting guide is a great summer seasonal job. There are tons of companies across the USA that are looking for guides every summer and you need very little experience to apply. In order to find out more about what it's like to be a rafting guide, I interviewed my friend David who spent a summer as a rafting guide in the western USA. To learn where to find a job as a rafting guide, how much money you can make, advice about the job, and more, keep on reading....
Photo credit: Ramon Buçard
Q: Can you give an overview of your experience as a rafting guide?
A: I was a rafting guide for one summer in Moab, Utah. I also worked on oar boats, which is slightly different than a paddle boat. Paddle rafts are all inflatable and tend to be 10-12 feet long. Everyone has a paddle and helmet and all that. Oar rigs are generally used for larger rivers and there is a frame that sits in the middle of it. Only the captain has oars, everyone else is just along for the ride. It’s fully a leisure experience. I prefer oar boats because I don’t have to worry about people who never paddled before ruining my lines.
Q: How did you find the job?
A: I found the job on CoolWorks and [needed] no experience [to apply].
Q: What are the requirements to be a rafting guide?
A: I’m going to be honest with you, there weren’t any. [You just had to be] 18. It’s one of those things where it’s preferred that you have your swift water rescue certification and your WFR (Wilderness First Responder)…. but those are very soft preferences. They will generally train you in [all of that].
Q: What was training like for a rafting guide?
A: At the beginning of the season we did some company training and a swift water rescue course. Basically we all went out as a company and swam some rapids and learned how to throw ‘throw-backs’. At the time I did not [have my Wilderness First Responder] but they did sponsor me on a wilderness advanced first aid. They paid for that.
Photo Credit: Miguel A Amutio
Q: Did they provide your gear? What type of gear should a guide buy for themselves?
A: All of the [necessary gear] was provided. I bought my own lifejacket because the type we used are great for guests and they will absolutely keep you floating through a rapid, but they suck to row in. Make sure you have your own life jacket and a good pair of shoes. NRS [outdoor gear] has good stuff, there is a reason they are everywhere, but I am not super brand loyal. You want sandals for sure, Chacos or Tevas, don’t [use sneakers].
Q: What was your work schedule like? How are trips assigned?
A: We didn’t really have a normal schedule because we would run [trips] all week. It wasn’t consistent. One thing I will put out there… Early in the season there are a lot of guides but there are not a lot of hours and there is kind of a filtering process. [You need to decide if] you want to be here. Are you willing to deal with getting one trip per week?
It’s not great but it is how it is. At least [it's that way] in the busier areas. I stuck it out because I really wanted to be there and would show up every morning even when I wasn’t scheduled. I ended up staying for the entire season but midway through the season we lost half of our guides.
Q: What does a day in life of a rafting guide on a day trip look like?
A: A lot of this is going to depend on the river you are running, the company you are [working for], and the type of trip you’re running.
Day trips are pretty cut and dry. In the morning we’d come in and find out if we had a trip or not. You could do a morning, an afternoon, or a full day. If we did [have a trip] we would rig up our boat, set it up in the trailer, and meet our clients. Then we would drive out to the put in. We had a daily section that we ran every day. We’d run through the safety talk then we’d get out on the water. We had two or four big rapids on the morning and the afternoon section. We had a cooler with all of our lunch stuff on it and all that. [During lunch] you find a nice beach, [set up] lunch for [your guests], and hang out.
Q: What does a day in life of a rafting guide on a multi-day trip look like?
A: We also ran overnight trips and that was a little different. There was a lot more driving, it was about an hour and a half to get to the put in. The boats we would be using were these oar rigs and would be anywhere between 16-20 feet long. They have that metal internal frame secured to the boat with plenty of storage. On the bigger trips we would have one gear boat. It’s big white water, it was slot canoeing and it’s nonstop.
We would start packing the night before, rigged with tents and all the accommodations we would need. We drive the boats out the night before, and one of us would sleep out on the boats so we didn’t have to deal with it in the morning. That was usually me. Being the youngest guide and the newest, I got to sleep out in the mosquitoes. I did it no questions asked [because] I didn’t have to wake up as early the next morning and clients would just meet me out there.
Day one was flat water. We would paddle, set up camp above the main white water sections, and prep our clients. The next day we’d pack everything up, set out, get to the top of the white water, and wait for the zodiac boat to meet us. We have zodiac boats that have a metal bottom and a massive motor so you can run up a class 4 rapid. They would play safety for us because it was class 4 and 5 white water in an area that you could not effectively evacuate from. If one of us tipped and spilled our clients, there was not a stopping point because it was just rapid [after] rapid. So, those were the boats that could get people.
That was a 3-day trip, almost 100 miles, some of the largest white water in North America. The main stretch of it is [around] 15 miles of class 4 and 5. It’s real fun.
Photo Credit: Jackalope West
Q: How much did you make as rafting guide?
A: For a half day trip, [which is] three hours of work not counting set up and take down, you made $50. For a full day, probably closer to 5 hours [of work], you made $75. That was not where the money was and we all knew it. Rafting guides do not make their money from their company, they make it from their clients in tips. Guests tip us and we make sure to share that with the van driver. Tips doubled, if not tripled, my paycheck. I had other unrelated expenses, but I think I ended up saving up $2,000 halfway though the season.
Q: How did you find seasonal housing?
A: In Moab, it’s hard to find a place to live. [My employer] did not pay for housing. I showed up and there was a bulletin board of other guides that were also looking for housing. I ended up renting out a bedroom at one point, there was another spare bedroom a jeep guide was renting out, and there was an RV in the back that someone else was living in. When I [moved into] the RV I had water hooked up and space to myself. I lucked out real hard, and I was paying $300 a month.
Q: Is there a better location to be a rafting guide in the USA?
A: It depends on what you want. I like the desert, it's home to me. So no, I don’t think there is a better place to be a rafting guide than that stretch of the Colorado river. It’s some of the most beautiful river I’ve ever seen. The snake river [in Wyoming] is also beautiful.
I would also say, if you are someone who is not a big fan of high consequence rapids, the Colorado river is probably not for you. If you are looking to just splash around and have a good time, there is a lot of good East Coast rivers where your shuttles are on the river and you’re out there for two hours instead of four. The Nantahala Outdoor Center has a lot of good stuff. There’s a ton of rafting companies [and plenty of location options].
Q: When is the rafting season?
A: Summer. So, usually March/April through September. It depends on the water, the temperature, the snow melt, [and the state/location]. You can tell if it’s going to be good on the river because of the snowpack. [If it’s a] good snowpack year, that may be a summer you want to spend on the river. A lot of melt coming off makes it a lot of fun.
Photo Credit: Dave Dollar
Q: What are the biggest misconceptions about being a rafting guide?
A: [People don't realize that] it’s a lot of just talking to people, being funny, and telling jokes. [You need to] know things about the area or at the very least convince your guests that you know things about the area. It is a customer service job first and foremost, which is a little different than a lot of outdoor industry positions are.
There is also so much more pre and post work [than expected]. Part of that was because we were running oar boats. You spend as much time setting up your boat and doing all of the stuff to [set up your trips] as you do on the water. You have to make sure your frame is tightened, that everything is sitting the way you want… everyone kind of customizes how they run it. [For example] I had my own set of cam straps for my boat. If I was switching my boat to someone who was running an afternoon trip, I would take my cam straps and they would put their’s on because they would rig it differently.
Q: What were the biggest pros and cons of the job?
A: It’s a really relaxed environment for the most part. Of course, depends on your company and where you’re working. But, river rats are not known to be the most high maintenance people. We are here to have a good time and go with the flow.
That said, the culture can lead heavily toward drinking. Usually it’s pretty well balanced but if you’re someone who is either sober or just really sensitive to that kind of thing, it may not be the best. I knew guides that were sober, but there is a culture of drinking. It’s avoidable but be aware of it.
Q: Any advice to someone thinking about becoming a rafting guide?
A: Just do it. Just apply, it’s not that hard. Just be aware that, as much as risk is mitigated, when you are the captain of the boat you are still very much responsible for people's lives. Water is dangerous and there is no way around it. Respect it and you’ll be fine.
Q: How physically demanding is being rafting guide?
A: Oar boats can be kind of physically demanding but if you are someone who has leg, hip, or lower body [issues] they are great because you don’t have to use any of that if you don’t want to. Suffice to say, my upper body was in some of the best shape it has ever been after working that season because you are just rowing nonstop. If that is not your speed, paddle rafting might be because you are getting everyone else to do the work for you. It's not that hard.
Photo Credit: Fidouss Ross
Q: Would you do it again?
A: Oh absolutely. I check the snowpack every winter.
Q: What should someone add to their resume to get a job as a rafting guide?
A: Highlight people skills. Most of what you are doing on the boat is not actually technical. There’s a lot of flat water, so you’re rowing a bit, but mostly you’re just talking. You are talking all day long, everyday. You tell the same jokes, you get the same laughs, you do the same spiel… but you have to be able to read your group. Sometimes you get a group of people that are very stoic and they just want to hang out. You have to be able to read that and [know when] to take a step back.
Other than that, if you’ve got any kind of first aid training, even CPR [put that on your resume]. Also, if you have ever boated or been on water, stick that on there.
Q: Is there anything else that potential rafting guides should know before taking the job?
A: Shop around for companies. Part of the reason I had such a good experience was because of who I worked for. It is very rare that there is only one company working in an area [you want to work in].
The company I worked for was run by someone [who] took care of us. I remember one day the wind was kicking up, the water was low, and it was just going to be a miserable day because we would have to row nonstop. We all showed up and [my boss said], “No, we aren’t running today.” He went out and told the clients we aren’t doing it. He went to bat for us.
There were other companies that were more corporate and did not go to bat for their guides, pay as consistently, and their cultures were really different. The culture at the place where I worked, very much was like an old school guide shop; they were small, tight knit, a little dirty… and that worked for us. We could trust each other. Everyone around you is supporting you, even between companies. We would run into other companies on the river and if one of them flipped… yeah I am gonna eddy out and start chucking ropes, that's just how this works. But there were certain companies that wouldn’t do that and I did not have respect for them.
Pick your company, make sure the culture is a good fit for you, and they are taking care of you. As much as there is a reality of you just got to deal with [certain things], don’t take crap that you don’t have to. Come into it with some self respect and don’t let a company make you cut corners, do things that are unsafe, or just pay you badly.
Conclusion
Being a rafting guide is a great way to spend your summer on the river while making a good chunk of change. Thank you so much to David for sitting down with me and going over the ins and outs of the job. Hopefully his experience will help you figure out how to get a job as a rafting guide and if it's the right seasonal job for you. Have you been a rafting guide? Do you have more questions about the job? Please let me know in the comments below!
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