The Adventures of Rafting

Two other people were doing the rafting trip that day, an Aussie guy named Rowan and a Kiwi girl named Vanessa. We chatted on the patio of Booze and Snooze for a few as we waited for our driver to come pick us up. Once Dom,our driver, arrived, he showed us to his car and we were off for the 2 hour drive to the rafting site along the Cetina River, the most water rich river in all of coastal Croatia. The drive to the river was a good chance for the three of us to get to know each other a little, and it was apparent from the start that we were going to get along great. Dom was also very nice, spoke very good English and was more than happy to stop along the way for us to take pictures, to tell us a little bit about the area, and make sure at least twice to tell us that rafting in Croatia you have a 50-50 chance of survival. We laughed at his obvious joke and carried on without paying much notice. Arriving at the start area, he told us that he would leave us there and would be waiting for us 10 kilometers down the river at the spot where the rafting trip ends. So happily, we changed into our boardies and swimmers, were given our safety gear, and walked our raft down to the river. In our raft were the three of us, a German family, and our captain, Ante. Ante thanked us for joining the rafting trip and let us know that he was now going to go over the safety instructions.
“OK, first off I am happy to let you know that we have a 50% survival rate on our rafting trips, so you can be rest assured that at least half of you will make it. To make sure you survive, it is very important that you follow these instructions… keep you feet under the safety rope at all times, when I say forward, you row forward, when I say back, you row back, and most important, try not to fall out of the raft. Ok, let’s get going.”
That was it! No paperwork, no waivers, no signing our names twelve time for death/serious injury, just row and don’t fall out. Amazing. For the first time I thought maybe they were serious about the 50-50 chance of survival. The first part of the trip was very mellow, involving only two small rapids over about a two kilometer stretch of crystal clear water surrounded by lush forest. The second stretch was equally beautiful, but a little more exciting, before another calm stretch where we jumped out of the raft for a brief swim in the pure mountain spring water. After one more rapid run, we were told we had to get off the raft and walk to just after the next rapid, because 9 people had died there the previous season and so only the captains were allowed to go over that section. There are usually nine people in the raft at a time (eight, plus the captain) which sounded more like zero chance of survival, but I chose not to say anything and happily walked around. Once on the other side we boarded the raft again, hit one more good rapid which led to a spot to cliff jump and then another calm stretch before reaching the end of the trip at an outdoor restaurant and bar area.



















Once on land, we found Dom’s car which he was apparently taking a nap in. He woke up as we opened the doors, apologized for sleeping and told us we could go whenever we were ready. We told him we would like to grab a beer before heading out and asked if he would like to join us. He declined, saying that he had already had a couple while he was waiting for us and would just sleep a few more minutes and come find us, but for us to take our time. He found us at our table shortly thereafter and we again offered him a beer. Again, he declined saying, “Thank you very much but I have a problem with alcohol.” I jokingly said, “That’s okay, we all have a problem.” But then we found out that he truly did have a problem. Apparently, he has had two DUI’s in the last few months and did not have a license. Laughing to myself, all I could think was, maybe that is not something that you should tell people that you are getting paid to transport. Rowan, Vanessa, and I just looked at each other, and without words knew that we were all thinking the same thing. Okay, so our driver has a problem with drinking, lost his license for two DUI’s, and just told us that he was napping in the car because he had had a couple beers while waiting for us. We were starting to understand where the 50-50 chance of survival comes in. We decided it would be in our best interest to quickly finish our beers and get back to town. Climbing in to the back seat of the car I noticed an open, quarter drunk, bottle of liquor wedged under the seat that was not there on the way up. I looked over at Vanessa and pointed it out, and again we shared a look that said everything. We were on the same page, but there was nothing we could do, we were already underway. If we thought the rafting was fun, let me tell you, the real adventure was about to begin. Driving back Dom was all over the road. From time to time I would catch him looking out the window at pretty girls walking by and swerve into the next lane, and even at one point ran a red light! I certainly was glad that Rowan and Vanessa were able to laugh it off and just look at it as part of the adventure, ‘cause some people could have easily lost it. About a half hour outside of Split we hit really bad traffic, which Dom told us would easily take an hour to get through. He suggested that we stop at a nearby beach and wait for traffic to die down. Happy to get off the road, we agreed. Funny thing is, by “stop at the beach” he meant stop at a BAR on the beach. He said we should order another drink while we waited. Rowan, Vanessa, and I each ordered a beer, and our alcoholic, licenseless driver ordered himself a bottle of wine. No joke. Again, we all just looked at each other with eyes that simply said, “What the fuck?! Is this for real?” After finishing our beers, and he finished his bottle of wine, it was back to the car and back on the road. As we walked to the car, the three of us fell back a little bit from Dom to discuss what we should do. We thought about trying to see if he would let one of us drive, but in the end decided we were pretty close to town and that we didn’t want to offend him. After another half hour of swerving and not obeying all traffic lights we had made it to town, just after sun down. Now for the best part… we were supposed to be dropped off near the hostel, but as we pulled in to town, Dom pulled in to the first available parking spot he could find. We asked him where we were, and he said he wasn’t sure, but he thought we were close to the center. He told us to follow the music coming from the beach club and then we would now where we were. Happy to have made it “close” to town alive, and frankly just happy to be out of the car, we said ok, thanked Dom for everything, and followed the music. To make matters worse, my sandal blew out about two minutes in to the walk and I had to walk barefoot the remaining 20 minutes back to the Old Town. Since I was heading back to Rani’s for a shower, I split off from Rowan and Vanessa but told them I would meet up with them at the bar later that night. After a quick shower I headed to Charlie’s Bar, to meet up with the crew and Rowan and Vanessa for a drink and to recount the day, and the adventures of rafting in Croatia.