Swimming in a river
Also: whitewater swimming, defensive and aggressive swimming
When swimming in a river, first lie on your back with your feet downstream, then swim actively on your front to an eddy or the bank.
- 1defensive: on your back, feet first
- 2aggressive: on your front, crawl to the eddy
The defensive back position protects against rocks: feet at the surface, bottom up, so obstacles are cushioned with your feet. As soon as it calms down or a target is within reach, you turn over and crawl hard at an angle to the current (aggressive swimming).
Warning: never stand up in the current while the water is deeper than your knees. Your foot can get trapped between rocks and the current then pushes your body under water.
Sources and further reading
Research as of 13 Nov 2026. We have marked manufacturer information as such.