Staying safe on White Water: Learning Rescue Skills on the River Teifi

17 hours ago

4 min read

by Idris Morris Beth yw dy siwrnai padlo-ceufad hyd yn hyn?

What's your kayaking journey so far?

Dwi wedi bod yn gwneud padlo-ceufad ers ychydig dros flwyddyn bellach. Yn yr amser yna dwi wedi llwyddo mynd o division 4 i division 2 yn fy nhymor cyntaf o rasio. Mi wnes i gwrs tebyg – ond ar ddŵr llonydd – yn gynharach yn y flwyddyn a mi wnes i ei fwynhau yn fawr.

I've been kayaking for just over a year now. In that time I've managed to go from division 4 to division 2 in my first season of racing. I did a similar course – but on flat water – earlier in the year and really enjoyed it.

Pam wnes di ddewis mynd ar y cwrs?

Why did you choose to go on the course?

Yn bennaf, mi wnes i ddewis mynd ar y cwrs er mwyn cael gwell syniad am ddiogelwch tra dwi’n padlo-ceufad. Rwan mod i’n division 2, mae’n debyg y byddai’n treulio llawer mwy o amser yn ymarfer a rasio ar afonydd mwy ffyrnig y flwyddyn nesaf. Felly, mi oedd o’n gwneud synnwyr i fi wneud y cwrs ar gyfer dŵr gwyn, fel y gallai fod yn ddiogel, neud hyd yn oed helpu, os oes rhywbeth yn mynd o’i le.

Mostly, I chose to go on the course in order to get a better idea of safety while I'm paddling. Now that I'm in division 2, I will probably spend a lot more time practicing and racing on more ferocious rivers next year. So it made sense for me to do the course for white water, so that I could paddle more safely, or even help, if something went wrong.

Beth oedd y deuddydd fel?

What were the two days like?

Ar ôl bod yn Llandysul yn yr haf, roedd bod ar yr afon yn mis Hydref yn brofiad hollol wahanol – wnaeth wneud y cwrs yn llawer mwy o sialens. Ac roedd o yn llawer i gymryd i fewn fod yn onest. Roedd Joey wedi llwyddo i gynnwys llawer o fanylion mewn amser byr. Roedd o wedi creu llawer o sefyllfaoedd ‘achub’ ble cawsom ni’r cyfle i brofi beth fyddai fel i geisio helpu mewn sefyllfa o argyfwng go-iawn. Ond roedd o’n egluro y systemau rhaff yn dda iawn, ac er fod o’n anodd ar y dechrau roedd pawb wedi deall erbyn y diwedd.

After being in Llandysul in the summer, being on the river in October was a completely different experience – it made the course much more of a challenge. And it was a lot to take in to be honest. Joey had managed to include a lot of detail in a short time. He had created a lot of 'rescue' situations where we had the opportunity to experience what it would be like to try to help in a real-life emergency situation. But he explained the rope systems very well, and although it was difficult at the beginning, everyone understood by the end.

Beth oedd y peth gorau / pwysicaf wnes di ddysgu?

What was the best/most important thing I learned?

Y peth mwyaf defnyddiol nes i ddysgu oedd sut i nofio mewn dwr gwyn mewn ffordd effeithiol a diogel/cyflym. Y peth mwyaf hwyl nes i ddysgu oedd sut i wneud gwahanol glymau rhaff, a sut i ddefnyddio rhaff a system pwli i symud cychod sydd wedi cael yn sownd yn yr afon neu wedi eu pinio ar gerrig.

The most useful thing I learned was how to swim in white water in an effective and safe/fast way. The most fun thing I learned was how to make different rope ties, and how to use a rope and pulley system to move boats that have gotten stuck in the river or pinned to stones.

Unrhyw neges i rhywun sy’n meddwl gwneud y cwrs?

Any message for someone thinking of taking the course?

Roedd Joey yn amazing. Yn y sefyllfaoedd achub, roedd o yn annog ni i geisio datrys y problemau ein hunain, ond wedyn hefyd yn trafod yr holl opsiynau posib er mwyn i ni ddeall yn well fod mwy nag un ffordd o ddatrys problem, a gwneud penderfyniadau gwell. Fyswn i 100% yn argymell unrhyw un i wneud y cwrs. Er fod o’n sialens, roedd o’n lot o hwyl a mi wnes i ddysgu gymaint a ddiogelwch nid jesd yn gorfforol ond hefyd yn seicolegol.

Joey was amazing. In the rescue situations, he encouraged us to try and solve the problems ourselves, but then also discussed all the possible options so that we could better understand that there is more than one way to solve a problem, and make better decisions. I would 100% recommend anyone to do the course. Although it was challenging, it was a lot of fun and I learned so much about safety not only physically but also psychologically.