This activity as an adventure sport has become popular since the 1950s, if not earlier, evolving from individuals paddling 3 m to 4.3 m rafts with double-bladed paddles or oars to multi-person rafts propelled by single-bladed paddles and steered by a person at the stern, or by the use of oars.

Rafting on certain sections of rivers is considered an extreme sport and can be fatal, while other sections