REAL LIFE ADVENTURES
OF THE UNDERWATER STUNTMAN
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REAL LIFE ADVENTURES OF THE UNDERWATER STUNTMAN |
Volunteer guide for "L'Aqua-fête" de Chambly, April 26/27 1997
Disponible en Français
I have been scuba diving actively for the past nine years and involved in some of the events surrounding the sport. One of them is called "L'Aqua-Fête", and is held every last weekend of April in Chambly, where divers, thrillseekers and the public at large is invited to don a wet suit, dive in frigid waters and shoot the rapids, without a boat, using fins, mask and snorkel, from the base of the falls to the historic Fort.
For many of these years now, being a rescue diver, I have volunteered my services as guide for the novice thrillseekers who wish to experience the event. Some of them have never used a snorkel before, but nevertheless want the thrill of their life. For $60, they are able to rent the gear and jump in as many times as their energy will let them, with the help of experienced guides and safety people.
First challenge is to don the suit. The tight fitting garment made of 5 mm thick neoprene ensures the retention of body heat from the moment that water has entered it and taken on the human body's temperature. It's already quite a task for most people, especially a rental suit that is not custom fit.
Next step is facing the water. Two swimming pools are set up near the "beginners' entrance" downstream. First is a lecture on what to expect. The water will be cold (42F or 6C), but unbelievable as it may sound, your suit will soon feel quite comfortable. What is most important ? How to use a snorkel. You will be travelling down whitewater inches above a solid rock bottom, in a horizontal position that you must keep, if you wish to avoid serious injury your knees. Head is kept low, mask on, breathing through the snorkel using your mouth. Most people aren't used to that. You use your fins to guide yourself left and right, your general direction will be north, i.e. downstream. The fact is, you have little choice in the matter. On the expert run, which involves diving through the dreaded Gueule du Loup, the roughest piece of whitewater on the course, your exercise will undoubtedly lead your snorkel underwater, granted, only for a few seconds. It should be purged, preferably without removing it. A hard blow of air will do the trick, but this should be mastered in the pool first. Most people react correctly when faced with impending whitewater by taking a deep breath. It is used to clear the snorkel. A bit of swimming is involved in exiting the water. You are encouraged to swim past the fort, turn left, and once out of the current, swim towards the stairways. There will be safety people nearby throughout the course, they will be asking if you are OK, by a specific sign which is simply one hand over the head. Participants are asked to show the OK sign in the same manner. Waving to the relatives and passers by could be interpreted as a sign of trouble and no chances will be taken. We offer no training on how to display panic, believing everyone is born with the skill should the need arise.
After the briefing, everyone gets into the pool. The water, courtesy of the Chambly fire department, is actually colder than the river itself. It's a place to get used to the suit, experience its buoyancy and finally learn how exactly purging the snorkel is done ! Then it's a short walk across the street to the beginners' entrance, where experienced guides await to give you roughly the same briefing, but this time, in real life. The lucky ones get private coaching from the Underwater Stuntman himself ! The other ones, well, they're just as lucky, The Aqua Fête G.O.'s are a swell bunch ! The survivors may wish to do it again from the beginners' entrance, or go for the expert run, and have a run into La Gueule du Loup. There are volunteers there too who will gladly accompany the less experienced. A large truck will wheel the participants back to the starting point, as many times as they want, until the 4:30PM closing time. Handing out hot chocolate, coffee or soup to the participants was a very welcome gesture from the FQAS (Fédération Québecoise des Activités Subaquatiques). People don't carry cash in a wet suit, nor do they think of the importance of drinking fluids throughout an active day.
Some 2500 people were registered as participants at the event in 1997, cheered on by several thousand spectators. The incredibly nice weather helped. It was the first time in about 7 years that the weather cooperated to this extent. In 1975, some 100 divers plunged into the rapids the first time the event was organized, believed to be masochists, daredevils or nutcases by the public.
See ya there !
© 1997, 2007 Alain Pepin
The Underwater Stuntman
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