Danger on the Deschutes: River users urged to enjoy with care

“Even through the Old Mill, the water is moving. For an inexperienced swimmer, a really easy thing to underestimate is the power of moving water,” said Boyd.

The power of the water and the danger it creates have been underscored in recent months after two deaths at the Bend Whitewater Park, a three-channel feature with an advanced level surf wave near the Colorado Avenue Bridge.

The two who died — Ben Murphy, 17, a surfer whose foot was caught beneath the standing wave on April 30, and Joe Torkelson, 56, a floater who died July 22, a day after he was pulled unconscious from the river — were the first fatalities since the whitewater park opened in 2015.

Don Horton, executive director of the Bend Park & Recreation District, said in an email Wednesday that the deaths are tragic, but unrelated.

“In the first case, a young person was surfing and doing what he thought right and got caught on a gate,” Horton said. “The fatality last week was completely unrelated. This case was a floater who went over the safety boom into an area reserved for expert boaters. We do not know if he was in trouble before the rapid or upriver of it.”

While Horton said many questions remain unanswered in Torkelson’s case, the park district cautions anyone entering the river without proper equipment or experience. River users should take particular caution if they enter the middle channel, Horton said.

Safety was at the core of a joint statement Wednesday from authorities in Bend, who urged the public to take appropriate precautions, such as wearing personal flotation devices, and to understand personal limits on the busy stretch of river.

“No one wants to see another tragedy on the Deschutes this summer,” said Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz.

Last year, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, an estimated 267,000 people floated, boated or paddled the stretch from Riverbend Park to Drake Park, said Visit Bend, the local tourism agency.

It’s a stretch of river that rarely prompts calls for a rescue, but still demands respect, Horton said.

“We have had seasons when there have been no calls,” he said. “River safety applies everywhere not just the whitewater park. Unfortunately people have drowned in areas where the river is flat and calm.”

Safety is a message that can’t be stressed enough, said Kelli Wittman of Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe, a river outfitter and key player in Bend’s water recreation community. The outfitter, located near the whitewater park, offers classes and guided tours in addition to safety talks with anyone who purchases from their retail store.

“They expect this very, very safe environment, and it is a wild river,” Wittman said. “There’s a lack of education sometimes. It’s not Disneyland.”

Wittman said the classes and safety talks often force people to think about things they wouldn’t normally consider — things like proper shoes to protect oneself from the lava rocks on the bed of the river and how to recover from flipping a inner tube or kayak — which can be live-saving.

Wittman said she often sees people scout the rapids from the Colorado Avenue pedestrian bridge, which is one of the smartest things people can do prior to floating the river.

The stretch of river where many people float and paddle today used to be off-limits, said Kelly Cannon-Miller, executive director of the Deschutes Historical Museum. Riverbend Park to Drake Park flows through what used to an industrial area that included two of the world’s largest sawmills. The river there — now the Old Mill District — used to be considered off-limits for recreation.

“Floating the river as we know it is something that has changed since the 1990s,” said Cannon-Miller.

Horton and the parks department said that while they cannot ensure people’s safety when they recreate on the Deschutes, they can try to educate people to reduce inherent risks. He encourages floaters, boaters and boarders to use common sense. While Horton and the parks department conduct frequent safety inspections and education campaigns, it’s ultimately up to the public to recreate safely.

“The death last week was unfortunate and should remind all of us about the importance of following safety rules,” Horton said.