Lower Corrib River
Brief Description
The Lower Corrib is anything below the Salmon Weir. It is practically always runnable but generally higher flows make it more fun although it is very short, only about 400m with no major obstacles besides the pillars of the bridges. With big wave trains downriver freestyle can be a lot of fun, macho moves and kickflips are the name of the game.
Access
Access to all features besides the Salmon Weir is ascertained by travelling down the shit chute. The Shit Chute flows almost beside the NUIG kayak club shed in fisheries field and joins the Corrib just below the river wide gangway of fish gates. It didn’t get its name for nothing. DO NOT CAPSIZE HERE, IT IS NASTY.
Salmon Weir
A large Horseshoe shaped series of weir gates (16 in total) with the ability to release a huge volume of water down the short artificial Lower Corrib. On certain gate configurations different features form. However this can be a pretty rare occurrence.
14 Gate Wave: A medium sized wave with eddy access, requires a paddler to surf across a large form pile in order to get to the green steep part. Has been surfed very rarely, one of the reasons for this may be the extremely retentive fast hole with forms right behind the green part of the wave. Gives a good kicking everytime.
5/6 Gate Wave: What can only be called a massive wave forms at this configuration. It is a ridiculously steep and fast wave. It can be unpredictable and leads to many the hilarious wipeouts. Some big tricks have been thrown on this feature but generally people who paddle it are of the opinion that you need to be a world class wave boater to truly take advantage of this monster. You need to tow on to surf this wave, no easy feat, paddlers often feel whiplash and heavy strain on their body after a session here.
Warning: Directly downstream about 100 metres there are nasty nets and steel frameworks through two (of three) river right arches of the Salmon Weir Bridge. Downstream again there is a river wide strainer gangway with no clear path through whether swimming or in a kayak. Kayaking here is a very dangerous exploit. As well as that fishermen who pay for licences will often report trespassing to prevent you entering this part of the Lower Corrib. All in all it is advised to not surf this feature unless you have a large skill level and are with a paddler who knows the feature well.
Hygeia Wave
The first eddy on river right to break into on the way downriver after coming out of the shit chute, just above O'Briens Bridge. On high water the Hygia wave start to work (best between 12 and 14 gates on the Salmon Weir, flow dependent, at its best on a mid to low tide) this wave is a fast surging green wave, where you must use a long oldschool playboat to stay on (prozone, forplay, slice etc) Spins and blunts are possible. it is a tricky wave, it take some time to get uset to. When you get washed off the back of the wave you must paddle really hard to catch the eddy. There is a tree overhanging the water which marks the end of the eddy. Be careful not to get stuck in the tree.
O'Briens Wave
Located just below Hygeia wave just after the river right arch of O'Briens bridge. Needs very high flows to work preferrably 16 gates on the upstream Salmon Weir to be open. It also works best when the tide is in. This is a wave purely suited to old skool long boats. Super sports and Jives go great, a prozone being the shortest to surf it (not very well). again its a surging green wave. From the river right eddy you must time your entry onto the wave as you must surf a feeder wave which leads onto the main wave, when the main wave surges towards you. Once you have surfed on, a long ride ensues, with paddle spins and shudder rudders the name of the game. Spins are possible, with blunts being very rare. Once flushed off the back of the wave, you must hurry into the river right eddy behind the bridge or you will be washed downstream.
Top Hole Rapids
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