Whitewater and rivers

Recirculation

Also: backwash

Recirculation is the backward-flowing current below a drop or hole that pulls boats and swimmers back to the drop.

It appears in the difficulty scale from WW IV (“higher drops with recirculation”). If you get caught in recirculation, try to get out to the side or dive deep, where the water flows downstream.

Sources and further reading

• Wikibooks: Kajak/Wildwasser (German)

Research as of 13 Nov 2026. We have marked manufacturer information as such.