John has been an Ocoee River guide since 1981. After college he traveled around the world working as a raft guide but eventually ended back on the Ocoee.
“The Ocoee is a great river to raft on. I’ve worked more challenging rivers but they’re also more dangerous. The Ocoee is the perfect balance of adventure, excitement and safety.” says John.
John has trained guides in New Zealand, West Virginia and here on the Ocoee. All of Raft One’s guides go through John’s guide training and swiftwater rescue courses.
“I train our guides to handle class V whitewater so when they’re faced with the easier challenges of a class IV river, like the Ocoee, they can focus on entertaining instead of worrying about the technical aspects of running the river.”