As the investigation continues into the tragic drowning of Emily Jordan last April on the Kawarau river in New Zealand, there has been a good deal written about the event and the potential regulations being set in motion.

We recently had an article up on Face Level which was taken from a local NZ publication, but after lengthy conversation with a reputable source, I've decided to take it down.

While I am not at liberty to divulge much, as the investigation is ongoing, I do want to say that it certainly appears as though the company in question was following its documented and approved safety plan, and that the plan makes sense.

I do believe that this is newsworthy to the industry, and will continue to cover the story, as how things play out will have an effect on commercial riverboarding worldwide. But it appears that the story we had reprinted was erroneous and filled with misinformation, so it needed to come down.

My hope is that guides across the globe will join together in the sharing of knowledge and innovation to make the sport of riverboarding safer and more enjoyable as it grows. 

As a matter of correction, also, the statement that this was the "first commercial riverboarding death" is thought to be incorrect. I have received reports of possibly 3 others in the past 20 years or so, but we'll check up on that.

It's not my intent to be morbid - my hope is that it won't ever happen again. But the sport of riverboarding is at a very important time in its history, as it crosses the threshold from a niche, relatively unknown sport into a more mainstream one. An event such as this can do a lot to determine the future of commercial trips, events, and more, and as such we all need to make sure we do our part to find solutions to make our trips safer, our events safer, and our training of both guides and clients more thorough.

In the meantime, have fun and be safe!