Updated · By Whitewater Columbus, an independent guide
Cutbait is the biggest rapid on the Columbus, GA whitewater course. It sits near the 13th Street Bridge, where the Eagle & Phenix dam once stood. At base flow it is shallow and rocky; around 4,500 cfs a hole forms, near 9,000 cfs the hole is at its most powerful, and at about 13,000 cfs it becomes a huge wave. American Whitewater rates it Class IV; the outfitter markets it as Class V.
Ask anyone who has rafted Columbus about their trip and the first word out of their mouth is usually "Cutbait."
Where is Cutbait?
Cutbait sits about 1.6 miles down the course, near the 13th Street Bridge, where the Eagle & Phenix dam held back the river for more than a century. When the dam was breached, the natural drop underneath was exposed, creating a powerful hydraulic in the middle of a city. See it on the rapid map.
How Cutbait changes with the water
| Flow | Dam units | What Cutbait does |
|---|---|---|
| ~900 cfs | 1 | Shallow and rocky; flips are risky, so low-water trips treat it carefully |
| ~4,500 cfs | 2 | A hole starts to develop |
| ~9,000 cfs | 3 | The hole is at its most retentive: Cutbait's meanest level |
| ~13,000 cfs | 4 | The hole washes into a huge, fast wave that is easier to punch |
Is Cutbait Class IV or Class V?
American Whitewater rates it Class IV; the outfitter markets it as a massive Class V and one of the largest rapids on the East Coast. Ratings shift with flow, and at its biggest it is a serious rapid either way.
How to run it
On a Challenge or Carnage trip, your guide will call for hard forward paddling as you drop in. Keep paddling until you hear "stop," keep your feet tucked under the tubes, and hold your paddle's T-grip. If you swim, float on your back with feet up and pointed downstream and look for your guide.
Watch it from shore
The RiverWalk and the Alabama bank are great spots to watch rafts disappear into Cutbait, especially on afternoon releases.