For over 20 years, the Wet Planet Guide School has set the standard for rafting instruction in the Columbia Gorge. This season, we are excited to roll out an updated format that reflects the growing ambition of our students. Simply put: interest has shifted. More students are looking to row their own boats, safely run private trips with friends, and build the skills needed for multi-day adventures. Our new raft guide school is designed to meet that moment.
Why We Are Changing the Format
For two decades, our Guide School combined paddle captaining over multiple weekends with a culminating rowing trip on the Owyhee River. That structure served generations of private boaters and commercial rafting guides well. Today, we are seeing a clear evolution in our students’ goals:
- Increased interest in rowing and private boating
- A strong desire to learn multi-day expedition trip logistics and decision making
- Less focus on commercial paddle raft guiding and more on personal skill mastery
In response, rowing is now the primary focus of Guide School. Paddle skills remain important, but the emphasis has shifted toward building confidence on the oars, strong judgment, and the skills needed to take ownership of both day runs and multi-day river travel.
New Structure for the 8-day Raft Guide School
The first half of our standard Guide School will now take place over four consecutive days, creating a more immersive learning environment and allowing skills to build naturally from day to day. This new format also makes the course significantly more accessible for aspiring boaters traveling from outside the Columbia Gorge. By condensing instruction into a single four-day block, students from California, the Intermountain West, and beyond the Pacific Northwest can participate without committing to multiple weekends of extended travel.
The Owyhee multi-day rowing trip – the second half of this 8-day course – remains unchanged and continues to be the capstone experience of the course.
Participants may enroll in:
- The first 4-day instructional block on various rivers in the Gorge ONLY, or
- The standard full 8-day program, including the 4-day Owyhee trip.
This flexibility allows students to choose the level of commitment that fits their goals and schedule.
Rivers We Run
Throughout the four-day instruction block, we utilize our deep local knowledge of the White Salmon, Hood, and Klickitat Rivers. These rivers offer a wide range of flows, features, and teaching opportunities, allowing instructors to select runs based on current water levels and student ability. This flexibility keeps the course dynamic and tailored to each group while exposing students to multiple river styles.
Block 1: Four-Day Instructional Itinerary
Day 1 – Introduction to river features, terminology, and river running philosophy. We start from the ground up, ensuring everyone speaks the same language. Afternoon on the water focuses on rowing mechanics and identifying river features.
Day 2 – Refining stroke mechanics, ferry angles, eddy work, and rapid approaches. Emphasis on reading water proactively and making clean, confident moves.
Day 3 – Scouting, decision making, teamwork, with an introduction to throw bags, swimming, pins, and raft flips.
Day 4 – Putting it all together! More independence on this day. Individualized instruction to help continue growth.
The choice of river we run on each day will depend on water levels.
Block 2: Four Days on the Owyhee River
The Owyhee portion of the course remains a cornerstone of Wet Planet Guide School. This trip focuses on:
- Multi-day rowing in remote canyon environments
- Camp setup, food systems, and logistics
- Risk management and group leadership over several days
The four days on the Owyhee River are an immersive experience that mirrors real private boating and expedition-style trips.
Experience You Can Trust
Wet Planet is not new to this. With an impressive wealth of experience in rafting trips, teaching swiftwater rescue, and kayaking, our Guide School pulls that knowledge from, and is led by, our most experienced in-house Wet Planet instructors. These inspiring individuals have spent years teaching, guiding, and running complex trips across the world. This depth of experience shows in how we teach, how we manage risk, and how we support student progression. Instruction draws from decades of real world guiding, private boating, and multi-day expedition experience. Most importantly, they love sharing their passion for running rivers, knowledge, and experiences with everyone eager to learn!
The Instructors
Sydney Lynch
Sydney — better known on the river as “Squid” — has been guiding since 2017 and joined the Wet Planet team in 2021, quickly becoming a vital part of our core river crew. With extensive experience as both a paddle raft and rowing guide, Squid leads trips on the White Salmon, Hood, Wind, Klickitat, Tieton, Owyhee, and Main Salmon Rivers, along with time spent on iconic rivers like the Grand Canyon, Middle Fork, Salt, Rogue, Hells Canyon, John Day, and Animas. She now leads our rowing school and serves as a core trip leader on Owyhee and Main Salmon multi-day trips, while also guiding throughout the Columbia Gorge. As a frequently requested guide and the lead instructor for our Guide School over the past several years, Sydney is a constant source of inspiration for aspiring river guides. Her standout strength is her ability to connect with students — building confidence and strong fundamentals while keeping learning fun, supportive, and engaging. Guests and students alike leave the river grateful for their time with Squid, and we’re lucky to have her helping shape the next generation of river runners.
Steve Merrow
Steve has been raft guiding both domestically and internationally since 2009, having gained a lot of experience both in rowing boats and guiding in paddle rafts. Steve joined the Wet Planet Team in 2022 as the Day Trip River Manager. With previous experience managing high-level teams of international guides, Steve brings a calm leadership style to our guide team and the overall guide school experience. As a professional raft guide, safety kayaker, trip leader, and manager on rivers around the world, from Alaska to Iceland, Chile and California, Steve brings a lot of perspective, tricks of the trade, and great experience to share.
Giani Benevento
A long-time Wet Planet guide, Giani’s distinguished whitewater career began in New York on the Upper Hudson Gorge in 1995, where he was the youngest licensed guide on the river for the following 3 years. Giani has an impressive river resume, guiding on rivers like the Gauley, New, Scandaga, and Lower Moose. He also rafts privately in his raft “Mr. Blue” and has descended over 40 different rivers. He commercially guides all of the rivers that Wet Planet offers (such as the White Salmon, Klickitat, Wind, Hood, Owyhee and Main Salmon Rivers) and has been a trip leader at Wet Planet since 2009. He is also a seasoned ACA swiftwater rescue instructor.
Todd Collins
Todd Collins is a longtime veteran of the commercial whitewater industry and one of the original visionaries behind Wet Planet Rafting and Kayaking (heck, he’s been guiding since 1990). An expert kayaker, raft guide, NOLS, and swiftwater rescue instructor, Todd brings decades of river guiding and teaching experience to every trip and course. His river résumé spans the globe, with extensive time on rivers throughout Costa Rica, including the Pacuare, Reventazón, Sucio, Balsa, Toro, Peñas Blancas, Sarapiquí, Pejibaye, and General, as well as iconic U.S. runs like the Grand Canyon, New, Gauley, Youghiogheny, Moose, Nantahala, Rogue, and many more. Beyond that, Todd has paddled both privately and commercially in countries including Nepal, New Zealand, Ecuador, Peru, Africa, and Canada. His deep knowledge of rivers, safety systems, and instruction—combined with a lifelong passion for whitewater—continues to shape Wet Planet’s culture and guide school, inspiring students and guides alike. Todd’s role as an instructor on our Guide School is truly special. He brings grounded leadership, real-world wisdom, and a deep respect for rivers that leave a lasting impact on every student.
Dave Rhodes
Dave joined the Wet Planet team in 2019, bringing with him a deep passion for rivers and a wealth of hands-on experience from guiding and traveling around the world (guiding commercially since 2019). Certified as a Wilderness First Responder and Swiftwater Rescue Technician, Dave is a familiar face on many of our multi-day river trips, where he shares his strengths in rowing, rigging, outdoor living, and camp cooking. His river experience includes the Middle Fork, Grand Canyon, Hells Canyon, Grand Ronde, John Day, Rogue, and Lewis, in addition to leading trips throughout the Columbia Gorge and beyond. Known for his positive energy, great stories, and can-do attitude, Dave brings warmth and encouragement to every trip. In Guide School, he offers practical, real-world insight paired with genuine enthusiasm—helping students build confidence, teamwork, and a strong foundation both on and off the river.
Boats & Equipment
Students do not need to bring their own boat. Wet Planet provides a fleet of professionally rigged rafts and oar setups suitable for day trips and multi-day travel. Students will gain experience rowing 13ft center-mount rafts, catarafts, and standard expedition-sized rafts.
If you do wish to bring your own boat, please call to discuss to make sure your raft is appropriate for the rivers we will be rafting.
Who Is This Guide School For?
This course is ideal for:
- Aspiring rowers who want to build a strong rowing foundation
- Private boaters looking to step into multi-day trips
- Anyone seeking a deeper understanding of river travel, safety, and leadership
No matter your end goal, this program is designed to build greater confidence, competence, and independence on the river.
A New Chapter, Built on Experience
We are super excited with this newly updated format of our core Guide School as we listened to what was being asked for, while remaining rooted in the experience that has defined Wet Planet Guide School for more than 20 years. As always, we are passionate about continuing to help students become thoughtful, knowledgeable, skilled, and capable river runners.
