Maricopa County Sheriff’s officials say two people have drowned in the Salt River this year, including a recent Arizona State University grad who died on Memorial Day.
The river is a popular spot for recreation — especially tubing. And while drownings in the desert may seem counter-intuitive, Berenice Pelayo said they can happen, but are preventable.
Pelayo is an Arizona native and says she lives pretty close to the Salt River. The recent deaths there prompted her to post on her TikTok about how to stay safe on the river. She joined The Show to talk more.
Full conversation
MARK BRODIE: Berenice, do you have a sense of, first off, how many times you’ve actually been to the Salt River?
BERENICE PELAYO: I can’t even count how many times I’ve been to the river. Typically, I actually paddleboard, but I’ve also been tubing as well.
MARK BRODIE: OK. And how often do you see where somebody is maybe having trouble with the river, maybe underestimating it, having some kind of trouble where they’re in the water?
BERENICE PELAYO: I’d say nine out of 10 times. When I visit, there’s always, you know, newbies on the river. You can tell it’s their first time tubing, and they don’t know when the currents are coming up, they can catch you by surprise. And so, unfortunately, I’ve seen quite a few people flip over. Some think it’s fun, other people start freaking out. So, yeah, I’ve seen a little bit of both.
MARK BRODIE: Why do you think it is that people struggle or maybe don’t really understand what it is that they’re getting into here?
BERENICE PELAYO: Well, yeah, definitely. The river is marketed as a lazy river, something that’s very relaxing and fun, and it definitely can be. But there’s parts where the current really does pick up, and I don’t think people are aware of how fast the current can take you and how strong it can be.
Even if on the surface it looks like it’s a light current, it can really push your tubes off to the side, and there’s exposed branches and trees that can definitely be dangerous and catch on to your tube or your clothes.
MARK BRODIE: So, you think in some cases at least people think they’re like getting into a tube in a lazy river like at a hotel or something when this is an actual river.
BERENICE PELAYO: Definitely, I do think that there’s that misunderstanding.
MARK BRODIE: So, what kinds of things in your opinion maybe should people know and maybe can they do to make sure that they stay safe while they’re doing this? Because it is after all supposed to be fun.
BERENICE PELAYO: Yes, it definitely can be fun, while just keeping a few things in mind. For example, we talked about the current being pretty strong. Knowing that the river can be shallow in some parts, it can be 3 to 4 feet, but in other parts it can easily be around 6 feet. So, knowing that it’s a little deeper on some parts is very important.
Also, I see people wearing flip-flops or Crocs when they’re tubing, and those will slip right off with the current if you fall off. So, having water shoes with straps is a great way to keep yourself a little bit safer, a little bit more protected.
And also keeping all of your personal items attached to your tube or your paddleboard, whatever you’re on, because if you flip over and your items go flying, people’s first reaction is to try to get their speaker, their phone, their keys, or their food bag or cooler. But if it’s attached, it’ll just make it a lot better and give you that time to react and worry about yourself first.
MARK BRODIE: I would imagine also that being a capable swimmer would be helpful in a situation like that.
BERENICE PELAYO: Definitely, yeah. That’s a huge one. A lot of people that don’t know how to swim or aren’t the strongest swimmers, again, underestimate the river, and so they don’t go in with a life vest, and I would personally say that’s a big no-no to go on the river not knowing how to swim without a life vest. I would suggest it for of course everybody, but especially those that don’t know how to swim.
MARK BRODIE: So, this is something that you have talked about on social media before, right? Like you’ve put tips sort of on TikTok for how to stay safe on the river. What prompted you to do that?
BERENICE PELAYO: Yeah, I had thought about doing that before and sharing some of my tips, but what prompted me to share that recently was after hearing the college graduate that went to the river and, unfortunately, drowned during his visit.
It just was so sad to hear that somebody so young and who had just completed a big milestone in his life, that that happened to him tragically. And then after I posted that, I learned that there was another incident during Memorial Day weekend, which is so unfortunate to hear.
MARK BRODIE: What kinds of feedback have you gotten on that video?
BERENICE PELAYO: I’ve gotten mixed feedback. A lot of people were grateful to hear some extra tips to be prepared going to the Salt River. Other people also shared their own stories. I was actually taken aback with how many stories people were open to sharing of their own incidents at the river, whether they saw somebody else having an accident or themselves, and decided never to return.
There’s also some feedback about how I didn’t address drinking on the river, which is something I followed up with later. I just didn’t want to make any assumptions about the case that prompted me to create that video. I just wanted to share some general advice for new visitors.
MARK BRODIE: What do you like about going on the Salt River? You’ve mentioned you do more paddleboarding than tubing, but what do you like about doing it?
BERENICE PELAYO: Yeah, I love going out on the river. It’s just such a nice environment to be in. People are very friendly, and it’s nice to get away from the day-to-day life and escape and to be in nature, put my phone down and just enjoy the water and the views. It’s an amazing trail to be on, whether you’re paddleboarding or you’re tubing, and maybe even catching a sight of the wild horses. That’s pretty nice.
MARK BRODIE: Have you ever had situations where you’ve been in situations that made you feel a little unsafe or made you a little nervous?
BERENICE PELAYO: Yeah, not to myself, but I did have a moment that I was scared for somebody else. I was on my paddleboard, and pretty soon after getting on, there was a place where the current is just pushing you against the other side of the river pretty quickly.
And I got closer to the opposite side of the river, and I could see that there was a man struggling. He was under some branches, so it was kind of hard to see him. I didn’t see him until I got really close. And then I noticed he was also carrying his child. He had flipped off either a paddleboard or a tube, and the current had taken it. So, he was just holding on to branches and paddling to keep himself afloat. And that was pretty scary, and thankfully his family and friends were able to help him out and grab the child from him.
MARK BRODIE: Berenice Pelayo, thank you so much for taking the time to chat. I appreciate it.
BERENICE PELAYO: Thank you so much, Mark.
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