The River Doesn’t Care

The River Doesn’t Care

So, where was Eric Kophs? That question rattled around in my head for a few weeks in early July 2009.

I had started thinking about Eric Kophs not long after rowing up to the brink of a rapid called Needle’s Eye. I had floated and rowed this section of the Colorado River before, but always earlier or later in the season when the water was much lower. I’d never floated it at this time of the year, and more importantly, I’d never rowed this specific rapid with the season’s high water approaching. It was late May. Runoff would be peaking in just a few short weeks.

As we approached Needle’s Eye, I could hear it before I saw it.

Roaring.

Once the burly white water came into view I pulled the boat over. My buddy and I talked about strategy.

Right side?

Left side?

Portage and walk around it?

Nah.

We landed on: “Let’s scout it, wait for a few other boats to go by and see what they do.”  We were on a fishing trip, but I knew that we would not be wade fishing this time of the year. More likely, throwing big streamers at the banks and pocket water we could find. We left our waders in the truck, had on river sandals just in case we had to swim and had our PFDs cranked down.

We watched a few boats pass–they all took the same line and we followed suit. It wasn’t my finest rowing, but it was okay enough. We didn’t pin or flip the boat. We didn’t swim. We even caught a few average sized fish that day and safely hauled our boat into the takeout further down at Rancho Del Rio. From put-in to takeout we rowed roughly 10 river miles.

Two weeks later I first came across Eric Koph’s name after reading this headline and details in The Denver Post, the local newspaper I was freelance writing for at the time.

“Colleagues help search for missing Colorado angler…forty-two-year-old Eric Kophs…fell off a raft Saturday while on a fishing trip with a friend...the accident happened in a popular rafting area called Needle’s Eye…”

Needle’s Eye.

The preliminary details in that original story were light. A summary of the initial stories from a number of different media outlets about the incident included:

• Forty-two-year-old Eric Kophs fell off a raft Saturday while on a fishing trip with a friend.
• Authorities said the man was an experienced rafter and was familiar with the area.
• Adding to the challenges are high water and high winds that make it tough for rescuers to search by boat.
• The river was running about twice as high as it normally does this time of year.
• Kophs wasn’t wearing a life jacket.

When I read the initial details of the report I thought the outlook was thoroughly unfortunate and most likely grim.

I then heard from a buddy who knew more about the situation. In addition to not wearing a PFD, he was on a fly-fishing trip and wearing chest waders. When I heard about that last detail I thought to myself, “That means game over.”

News of the missing angler and search efforts continued over the next week.

After the water from seasonal runoff started to drop, I decided to go out and float a different section of the Colorado River. The water levels had been decreasing significantly and this section didn’t have any big rapids like Needle’s Eye or Yarmony Rapid.

As we put in, I remember thinking to myself, “So, where was Eric Kophs?”

The answer to that question was revealed the following day on June 29^th, 2009.

Part Two

Eric Kophs’ body was found just a few hundred feet upstream from where we put in on the Colorado River.

A local news article published shortly after his body was found summarized a few additional critical details about the accident:

• Kophs was at the oars of the boat and his fishing partner was in the front, while they seemed to safely negotiate the rapid, the partner reported to authorities.
• Moments later, the partner noticed Kophs was no longer on the raft.
• “How and why he fell out of the boat is a mystery,” said Grand County Sheriff Rod Johnson the night after the incident. 
• Kophs was wearing chest waders, but not a life jacket.
  

The working theory that Kophs’ left the raft as he was rowing while wearing his waders–and not wearing a personal flotation device (or PFD)–is a cautionary tale for river recreationists. He most likely drowned immediately and his body was carried roughly 8 river miles down to an island just above the put-in at Rancho Del Rio (and remained there during that early part of the summer fishing season).

I never knew Eric Kophs’, but still, the news hit hard and close to home. It was a sad story, but also an important reminder of the split-second consequences that can happen on the river.

And yet, it seems with every high-water season in Colorado another similar accident happens. The details are similar: 1. fly anglers 2) sometimes wearing fishing waders 3) not wearing PFDs 4) negotiating the river and rapids at the time when water levels are at, or approaching, peak levels.

“Yeah, I remember that accident back in 2009,” said Jack Bombardier in a recent interview. Bombardier is the owner and rafting guide at Confluence Casting headquartered down river from where Kophs’ body was found.

“I remember hearing the rower was wearing waders and didn’t have a PFD,” said Bombardier. “I knew that was not going to end well.”

Bombardier has put hundreds of float trips down the Colorado River over the past 20 years.

“People have the tendency to think that because they’ve floated a section of river during a specific time of year, that the river will be the same. The river is very rarely the same. Especially seasonally,” said Bombardier. “Floating a section at low levels during the end of the summer can be radically different from rowing the same section during peak run off.”

Let me be clear right from the start: I wasn’t an expert oarsman back in 2009, and I’m not one now. Quite the opposite actually. That said, I’ve spent plenty of time behind the oars of both rafts and drift boats across Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

I genuinely enjoy rowing, but if there’s one thing that time on the sticks has taught me, it’s a deep respect for moving water. I wouldn’t call it fear, but if I’m honest with myself, I don’t trust moving water.

That was then, this is now

2009 seems like a long time ago, but just last summer an accident occurred at a similar place on the Colorado River at almost the exact time of year.

The headline: “One man dead, another missing after rafting accident in Colorado River.”

The accident report is eerily similar.

On June 2, 2024, a 56-year-old man named Brent Boulter was pulled from the river where bystanders performed CPR. His fishing companion identified, as Thomas Russel, 61, was still missing after the raft capsized. The third angler in the party was pulled from the river safely. No one was wearing PFDs.

According to the accident report and details published in the American Whitewater Accident Database:

“The initial searches were done at Yarmony Rapid and downstream, where it was believed the raft capsized. According to preliminary reports, neither victim was wearing a life vest.”

If you’re not familiar with river classifications that vary during the year based on flows, rapid classes range from I to VI, with “I” being considered easy floats and “VI” extremely dangerous.

The section of river where this boat flipped was well known as a boat eater, especially at high flow. From the report:

“The Yarmony Rapid in the Upper Colorado River is considered Class II, but rises to a Class III rapid at 1,500 cfs and above. The river can flow as high as 5,000 cfs or more. During higher flows, a large hole forms above a boulder on the right side of the rapid. This hole can cause rafts to capsize.”

What first responders found at the accident site was grim.

“Once on scene, first responders said they learned a raft had capsized, and a bystander was performing CPR. The 56-year-old man, identified by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office as Brent Boulter from Aurora, was pronounced dead by EMS personnel. The Grand County Sheriff’s Office said they learned another man identified as Thomas Russel, 61, was still missing after the raft capsized. Preliminary reports were that neither subject was wearing a personnel flotation device (PFD). A third individual from this group was able to safely exit the river and has been accounted for.”

In the immediate aftermath, river recreationists were told to be on the lookout for a body.

“Anyone rafting in the area is encouraged to be vigilant and call or text 911 with any additional information or sightings.”

Russell’s body wasn’t found until a full year later, when the water levels on the Colorado dropped to abnormal lows.

Since 1972, the American Whitewater Accident Database has recorded over 1,600 fatalities and near-misses on rivers. According to their searchable database, there were a total of eight whitewater related deaths on Colorado rivers in 2024. The organization documented a total of 60 river fatalities across the United States during the same year.

Part Three

Spending time on the river can be one of life’s most rewarding experiences. Especially if it gives you access to fishing water not otherwise accessible. Clean and cold flowing water, deep canyons, winding cutbanks, oxbows and wild white-knuckle adventures shared with friends often lead to unforgettable memories. But while fishing rivers offers freedom, fun and opportunity, it also presents real risks. The good news? With the right mindset–grounded in knowledge, preparation and a healthy dose of education and common sense–those risks can be minimized, allowing you to enjoy the experience safely and confidently.

So, what can you do to safely navigate the high-water season if you’re boating or rafting? ‍

American Whiterwater is a national river conservation organization founded in 1954 and their mission is to protect and restore America’s whitewater rivers and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely.

To get started, American Whitewater has a Safety Code and it probably makes sense to start with “The Big Four”:

• DRESS FOR THE SWIM: Always wear a life jacket/PFD.
• BOAT WITH A TEAM: Set safety (rescue backup) and help others.
• KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Research the river. Avoid high water, dams and trees.
• SOBER IS SAFER: Stay alert and think clearly.

Also, a fly-fishing tip:

• HIGH WATER? Ditch the waders.
  

When talking to Jack Bombardier about the Colorado River–or paddling a river in general–it is easy to notice that Jack has hands-on-experience. He has spent a lot of time on the water, rowing rafts, catarafts and drift boats, but he also has experience swimming in whitewater and being knocked out of a raft.

“I've personally experienced eight white water swims, and if I close my eyes I can remember each one of them in painful detail,” said Bombardier.

He also has experience performing CPR on people who have been unlucky on the Mighty Colorado–that kind of river experience.

“I always tell people ‘Yes, you love the river. I love the river,’” he said. “But you have to realize that the river doesn’t love us. The river is water, rock, debris and gravity. That’s it. A river doesn’t care about you at all.’”

I asked Jack to share his four thoughts for boaters who are fishing rivers during high water season when the river is approaching, peaking and coming down from its highest levels.

• “First off, don’t succumb to hubris. Have a baseline respect for every section of the river–every season of the year. Just because you’ve rowed a section before, don’t assume that you have it dialed in. I’ve had to learn this lesson the hard way myself.”
• “I love and respect this river, but harbor no illusions that it feels the same way about me. It doesn't matter to a river if a person is in it, on it, or under it.”
• “Be smart and be safe out there, and don’t become a sad statistic or cautionary tale. Counting on luck to see you through is a bad strategy, since good luck tends to run out at some point.”
• “Rivers don’t care about us,” concluded Bombardier. “Whether a human being has a good or bad experience on a river, it makes absolutely no difference to the river.”

If you plan to be on the river this year, and especially if you’re exploring new sections of water, think about those four golden rules outlined by American Whitewater. Read, study and learn from American Whitewater’s Safety Code.

In addition to reading and researching about boating safety, there are a number of swiftwater and safety classes you can take.

Veteran boater Tim Romano offers these tips:

• I’m of the opinion that river newcomers using boats should possess basic rescue and safety knowledge before venturing onto the water. The best way to gain this is through a swiftwater rescue class: Certified Swiftwater & Rope Rescue Courses.
• If a class isn’t immediately possible, proper rescue gear (throw bag, helmet, PFD and footwear) is mandatory, along with knowing how to use it.
• Learning basic hand signals and rescue terminology is also highly recommended. Start with American Whitewater’s recently revised Safety Code.
• Check out River Safety: Rowing Tips and Fishing From a Boat. If you’re a rookie on the oars, these are four critical tips to know before that maiden voyage.

The only way to really become an expert on the sticks is with lots of practice.

Notes and Sources:

Phone interviews with Jack Bombardier April 8, 2024, Monday April 7, 2025.

American Whitewater

“The Big Four” Whitewater Code

American Whitewater Accident Database: Accident Report 3140

American Whitewater Accident Database: Accident Report 118221

Sky-Hi News: Body of Missing Rafter Found

The Denver Post: Colleagues Help Search for Missing Colorado Angler

“The American Whitewater Accident Database catalogs over 1600 fatalities and close calls on whitewater rivers dating back to 1972. The project was initiated over 40 years ago, in 1975 when a fatality occurred due to foot entrapment at a slalom race. Charlie Walbridge was present for the race and described the risks of foot entrapment for the first time in a 1976 issue of the American Whitewater Journal. Charlie continued to collect reports and share lessons through the American Whitewater Journal. In 2001 American Whitewater Safety Chair Tim Kelly led an effort to develop the American Whitewater Safety Database and in 2017 the database was further refined with enhanced search functionality through a website interface. There are three good reasons for writing (or sending in) a whitewater accident report: it provides an opportunity to get the real story out, serves as a learning opportunity that can educate the paddling community and it facilitates dialogue with river managers and decision makers. American Whitewater depends on its members to forward the reports and information on accidents on the water. First-hand accounts are best, but information from a newspaper article or social media post often provides the initial information that ultimately leads to more in-depth review and follow up.”