"The 17th of May 2003 was a warm and sunny day. The river, however, was a different story – the ice had melted only 2 weeks earlier and the water was still freezing cold. More than 40 paddlers were taking part in the traditional paddling event, the Jongu Flash, and had just reached the last rapids of the course – the Aitto Rapids. There were other paddlers there, as well. Jorma was one of them." "The bow of the waterlogged canoe hit a stone on the bottom. Make flew from the back of the canoe on to Jorma and Jorma's

knees squeezed into the front part of the canoe. The powerful current threw the canoe on to its side and it circled the rock. The mass of water turned the skin of the canoe inside out." "Jorma’s rescue took 40 minutes. The temperature of the water was 8 degrees Celsius, or 46 Fahrenheit. Jorma was suffering badly from hypothermia. Resuscitation procedures began immediately on the shore. 15 minutes after resuscitation, Jorma’s body temperature was still only 32 degrees Celsius, or 89 Fahrenheit. He had been to the limits of known endurance."

This unique documentary video presents the events that led to a near-fatal body entrapment. It reports the agonizing moments as the rescue operation unfolded. It also includes the dialogue of Jorma, who was rescued, and Juha, who rescued him, three months after the accident, as they met by the river and recounted those dramatic moments. Juha Hiltunen and Jukka Heikkinen were awarded life-saving medals for their act of bravery on the River Jongu.

"The waterlogged canoe headed for quiet waters and the situation appeared to be under control..."

Customer feedback

" ...it makes you think... I can now be that much wiser and respect the awesome power of the rapids, without getting my clothes wet, losing my breath or breaking my canoe... "

"The professional touch is obvious. A rewarding viewing experience also in that regard. "

“… the unforeseen accident and the difficulty in communicating by the roaring rapids makes a deep impact.” (review in Meloja, the leading paddler magazine in Finland)