after the second world war many rubber rafts were available at military surplus sales - this trend continued after the korean war where the quality of rubber rafts was significantly increased and individuals could purchase them for an affordable price.

during the 1960s and 1970s the commercial coordination of white water rafting began - companies created tours down white water rivers with a variety of rapids and difficulty levels - each year more adventure seekers sought out this novel activity.

rivers are generally rated by an interntional scale of difficulty - the rating depends on the curvature of the river, the obstacles, the rapids, the drops and waves.