{"data":{"id":"us-wa/rcw-79a.60.430","jurisdiction":"us-wa","citation":"RCW 79A.60.430","heading":"Vessels carrying passengers for hire on whitewater rivers—Safety requirements.","body":"(1) While carrying passengers for hire on whitewater rivers in this state, the licensed whitewater river outfitter shall comply with the following requirements at the beginning of every trip:\n(a) If using inflatable vessels, use only vessels with three or more separate air chambers;\n(b) Ensure that all passengers are wearing a securely fastened United States coast guard-approved type V personal flotation device of the proper size, and that all guides are wearing a securely fastened United States coast guard-approved type III or type V personal flotation device;\n(c) Ensure that a spare United States coast guard-approved type III or type V personal flotation device in good repair is accessible to all vessels on each trip;\n(d) Ensure that each vessel has on it a bagged throwable line with a floating line and bag;\n(e) Ensure that each vessel has accessible an adequate first aid kit;\n(f) Ensure that each vessel has a spare propelling device;\n(g) Ensure that a repair kit and air pump are accessible to inflatable vessel;\n(h) Ensure that equipment to prevent and treat hypothermia is accessible to all vessels on a trip; and\n(i) Ensure that each vessel is operated by a guide who has complied with the requirements of subsection (2) of this section.\n(2) No person may act as a guide unless the individual is at least eighteen years of age and has:\n(a) Successfully completed a lifesaving training course meeting standards adopted by the commission;\n(b) Completed a program of guide training on whitewater rivers, conducted by a guide instructor, which program must run for a minimum of fifty hours on a whitewater river and must include at least the following elements:\n(i) Equipment preparation and boat rigging;\n(ii) Reading river characteristics including currents, eddies, rapids, and hazards;\n(iii) Methods of scouting and running rapids;\n(iv) River rescue techniques, including emergency procedures and equipment recovery; and\n(v) Communications with clients, including paddling and safety instruction; and\n(c) Completed at least one trip on an entire section of whitewater river before carrying passengers for hire in a vessel on any such section of whitewater river.\n(3) A guide instructor must have traveled at least one thousand five hundred river miles, seven hundred fifty of which must have been while acting as a guide.\n(4) Any person conducting guide training on whitewater rivers shall, upon request of a guide trainee, issue proof of completion to the guide completing the required training program.","path":["Title 79A","Chapter 79A.60"],"source_url":"https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=79A.60.430","current_through":"July 15, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-06T03:07:34Z","sha256":"aaea999abfee2f9b3a4c1449018dbc69eb5251be214249caeefbe90a65baffe6","source_id":"us-wa","stale":false,"prev":"us-wa/rcw-79a.60.420","next":"us-wa/rcw-79a.60.440"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}