Boy Scout Archives: Whitewater Merit Badge

Canoeing or kayaking through whitewater rapids can be a thrilling experience. Safe whitewater fun requires each participant to understand the the equipment and techniques and to have a firm respect for the power of nature’s waterways.

Whitewater Merit Badge Requirements

Do the following:

Review with your counselor the first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while working on the Whitewater merit badge, including hypothermia, heat reactions, dehydration, insect stings, blisters, bruises, cuts, and shoulder dislocation.
Identify the conditions that must exist before performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a person. Explain how such conditions are recognized.
Demonstrate proper technique for performing CPR using a training device approved by your counselor.

Do the following:

Review and compare BSA Safety Afloat and the American Whitewater safety guidelines and demonstrate your understanding of these principles by answering questions from your counselor.
Identify and explain the use and importance of safety equipment on moving water. Include in your explanation a discussion about throw ropes, whistles, and how to choose and properly fit PFDs (personal flotation devices) and helmets.

Before doing requirements 4 through 13, earn the Canoeing merit badge if you will be using a canoe to earn this merit badge. If you will be using a kayak, earn the Kayaking BSA Award.
Do ONE of the following:

If you are completing these requirements as a tandem canoeist, demonstrate basic canoe-handling skills by completing the Scout gate test within 160 seconds while paddling tandem with a buddy. Then demonstrate the following strokes: cross forward, cross draw, bow pry, Duffek, high brace, and low brace.
If you are completing these requirements as a solo canoeist, demonstrate basic solo canoe-handling skills by completing the Scout gate test within 160 seconds. Then demonstrate the following strokes: cross forward, cross draw, stern pry, Duffek, high brace, and low brace.
If you are using a kayak to complete these requirements, demonstrate basic kayakhandling skills by completing the Scout gate test within 160 seconds. Demonstrate the following strokes: Duffek, high brace, low brace, and sculling draw. Then do the following:

Move the kayak forward in a reasonably straight line for 10 yards.
Move the kayak sideways to the right and to the left.
Pivot 360 degrees to the right and left.
Stop the kayak.

Do the following:

Explain the importance of scouting before committing to running a rapid, and discuss good judgment when evaluating a stretch of river or a particular rapid.
Explain the terms downstream V, riffle, strainer, eddy, eddy line, pillow, ledge, bend, shallows, falls, low-head dam, current, rock, drop, horizon line, wave, standing wave, hydraulic, and sleeper.
Explain how to scout and read a river while ashore and while afloat, and discuss the importance of hazard recognition.
Demonstrate your ability to read the river where you are practicing and demonstrating your whitewater skills.

Explain the International Scale of River Difficulty and apply the scale to the stretch of river where you are practicing and demonstrating your whitewater skills. Identify the specific characteristics of the river that are factors in your classification according to the International Scale.
Explain the importance of communication during every whitewater outing. Explain and then demonstrate using the following river signals: “Run right,” “Run left,” “Run down the center,” “Stop,” “Are you OK?” and “Help!”
Do the following:

Explain the differences between flatwater and whitewater canoes. Identify the different materials used in modern whitewater canoe construction and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Describe the various types of kayaks and how they differ in design, materials, and purpose.
Identify the advantages and special uses for kayaks and decked canoes in moving water.
Discuss the construction, safety, and functional features of paddles used in whitewater activities.

Discuss the personal and group equipment necessary for a safe whitewater outing and how and why it is used. Explain how to pack and protect these items.
Wearing the proper personal flotation device (PFD) and being appropriately dressed for the weather and water conditions, perform the following skills in moving water in a properly equipped whitewater craft of your choice (tandem canoe, solo canoe, or solo kayak). If a tandem canoe is used, the skills must be demonstrated from both the bow and stern positions.

Launch and land.
Paddle forward in a straight line.
Backpaddle.
Sideslip, both sides.
Ferry upstream and downstream.
Eddy turn.
Peel out.

Explain and demonstrate:

Self-rescue and procedures when capsized in moving water, including a wet exit if necessary
Safe rescue of others in various whitewater situations using a throw rope
Portaging–when and how to do it
The whitewater buddy system using at least three persons and three craft

Discuss the use of inflatable rafts on moving water. In your discussion, explain the special safety precautions that should be taken when using an inflatable raft and the risks of “tubing” on moving water.
Participate in a whitewater trip using either a canoe or kayak on a Class I or Class II river. Help to prepare a written plan, specifying the route, schedule, equipment, safety precautions, and emergency procedures. Determine local rules and obtain permission from landowners and land managers in advance. Explain what steps you have taken to comply with BSA Safety Afloat and the American Whitewater safety guidelines. Execute the plan with others.

Merit Badge Check Off List

I’ve had several requests lately for a newer version of the merit badge check off list, updated with the newest badges. So I’ve redone the list as a Google spreadsheet. This will make it easier to keep updated.

Age Requirements for Merit Badges

A reader asks about how old a Scout should be to work on a merit badge. The Guide to Advancement provides some answers.

Whitewater Merit Badge for Boy Scouts

Boy Scouts can choose between a canoeing option and a kayaking option when they earn the Whitewater merit badge.

Boating/Canoeing Troop Program Feature for Boy Scouts

Boating/Canoeing Troop Program Feature for Boy Scouts: The focus of this program feature is on fitness, boating skills, and swimming skills.

BSA Methods – The Outdoors

One of the methods for Boy Scouts is “the outdoors”. Being outdoors presents Boy Scouts with challenges and adventures. Boys enjoy the independence of getting away from home and taking care of themselves.

Safe Swim Defense

Safe Swim Defense provides the steps which a BSA unit must take to safely participate in an activity which involves swimming.

BSA Swim Test

Pack your swimsuit on top. Those are always the instructions when packing for summer camp, because one of the first things we will have to do when we get there is the swim test. The BSA swim test is used to determine ability level so that participants can swim in an area which is appropriate […]

Sweet 16 of BSA Safety | Skill Level Limits

The most familiar application of skill level limits is the swim tests which are administered at summer camp. But there are other examples as well.

Kayaking BSA Award

One of the fun things Boy Scouts get to do at many summer camps is kayaking. When I am at Boy Scout camp, I always try to find some time to go kayaking on the lake. There is no merit badge specifically for kayaking like there is for canoeing or rowing on a lake, but […]