RIO VISTA PARK
Rio Vista Whitewater Park - the heart of the San Marcos River – is filled with fascinating and inviting events daily, including Olympic trial qualifiers, whitewater kayaking instruction, police training in water rescue, tubing, swimming and much more.
The artificial Whitewater Park was completed in 2006, replacing the aged Rio Vista Dam. The waterway has Class III whitewater rapids.
Rio Vista is packed on weekends as residents and visitors refresh themselves in the crystal-clear waters of the San Marcos River.
H-E-B Warehouse Worker Jacob Jasek, 32, goes to Rio Vista daily to swim for 20 to 30 minutes and to catch turtles, which he later releases. Jasek has been doing this for four years.
“It’s almost magical,” Jasek said. “The water here … has almost restorative properties. It’s spring-fed, so it comes from deep, deep in the earth. …It’s almost religious. I feel fantastic on account of nature when I’m at Rio Vista.”
Edith Deleon, a 35 years-old with a doctorate in Material Sciences from Texas State University that works as a lab manager, started going to Rio Vista about 10 years ago when she was a student. Rio Vista is the first place she took her family when they were visiting from Mexico.
“This is my place to rest and to think and to enjoy the water,” Deleon said. “For me, this is like one of the most peaceful places in San Marcos. You can enjoy the water, [particularly] the sound of the water. It’s just very, very nice for your mind.”
Ryan Alvarez, a 24 yearold marketing major at Texas State University, goes to Rio Vista to jog, swim, sunbathe, kayak and paddleboard. Alvarez enjoys stopping off at Ivar’s River Pub, a river- front restaurant, for mimosas during kayaking trips.
“It’s weird, you can’t drink in the park, but you can drink and be standing in the river,” Alvarez said. “I was here one day, and me and my buddies had a case of beer. And this guy pulls up on an ATV. And he was like, ‘Hey, you guys can’t drink here. I am gonna give you a fine.’ Two guys standing on a rock in the river told us if we hopped in he couldn’t fine us. I asked the cop if it was true, and he was like ‘yeah.’ We literally just stepped over and took one step in the river. And we’re like, ‘OK, we’re in the river now,’ and he just left.”
Ben Kvanli, 48, runs the Olympic Outdoor center nonprofit. Kvanli was a competitor in the 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games in Canoe Slalom and was the Extreme Kayaking World Champion in 2001.
Kvanli goes to Rio Vista to train and keep his whitewater skills up. Kvanli’s Olympic roommate, Scott Shiply, designed Rio Vista.
“My roommate at the Olympics is an engineer now, and so that’s what he does is design parks, and, so you know, it looks like it was just a part of the Hill Country but was actually an old dam that has been turned into beautiful rapids,” Kvanli said. “Everybody loves this place, it’s just … a real pleasure to see so many different people getting enjoyment out of this place.”
Kvanli founded the Olympic Outdoor Center to train athletes and rehabilitate others that had experienced injuries and has helped many people qualify for the Olympics. In 2008, the southern qualifiers for the Olympic trials in Canoe Slalom were held at Rio Vista Park.
“The Olympic Team Trials qualifier took place here, so five different folks that qualified for the Olympics that year started their journey here,” Kvanli said. “It’s an ideal setting because the water is 72 degrees, so they could train in the wintertime. It’s just that incredible experience.”
Police, firefighters and EMS personnel from all over Texas train in swift water rescue at Rio Vista.
Austin Police Academy Sgt. Ashley Edwards, 40, supervised the cadet instructors during a recent training at Rio Vista. Edwards assisted with a water rescue in Lady Bird Lake several years ago. Edwards and another officer rescued two people who had driven into high water, pulling them out through the vehicle’s window.
“The cadets are going through swift water training because in Austin we have a high instance of flash flooding events,” Edwards said. “In order to prepare the cadets for safety of themselves and the community, we provide this training block. That way they have hands-on training with how to save people in a water rescue or save themselves if they get caught.”
Edwards said cadets learn how to move through the swift water that goes through the chute area, properly ditch their gear in the water, safely evacuate and use the throw ropes to save victims that are caught in the water.
“Rio Vista gives practical, hands-on experience with moving water,” Edwards said. “It’s a perfect location because we have a shallow water area, so cadets can learn some of the basic safeties with being in the water with patrol gear on.”
To learn more about Rio Vista Park and the activities and events held there, visit the Rio Vista Park website.
Richard Thomas III is a graduate student in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University.
