texas safari canoe race

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Updates to texas water safari tracker requirements.

March 19, 2024

Texas Water Safari Community,

Beginning this year (2024) Texas Water Safari competitors may use any handheld Garmin inReach ® device or a SPOT Generation 3, 4 or X device, in the boat.  

Both types of devices may be used for the race in 2024 and in 2025. The goal is to completely switch the Texas Water Safari to Garmin’s inReach ® technology for 2026. The inReach ® system will be tested and the two-year implementation plan in the TWS should allow for any issues with the Safari to be worked out.

In making the switch, Texas Water Safari racers will be afforded greater latitude in choosing their Garmin inReach ® devices. Choices range from the entry level inReach ® Messenger and inReach Mini 2, to the high-end Montana 700 series. As with the SPOT devices, racers may use a device they own or choose to rent one from an external vendor for the duration of the race. Garmin has a wide variety of subscription plans for inReach ® that can be found here: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/837461

NOTE: While the adoption of these Garmin devices allows tracking to be combined with a GPS device, regardless of what device you choose to use it must be able to be charged, or have a backup/external battery pack, in the boat.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] .

1. Board Member – Jerry Cochran

2. Board Member- Jay Daniel

3. Board Member- Bob Spain

4. President – Allen Spelce

5. Board Member- vacant

TWS Auxiliary Board Announcement

TWS Community,

           The Texas Water Safari (TWS) Board has created a five-person Auxiliary Board.  The Auxiliary Board is comprised of: David Kaiser, Melissa James, Brian Jones, Holly Orr and Chris Stevenson.  Many of you already know the paddlers and their history with the TWS.  All have been a part of the race and feel passionately about it. 

There are two basic reasons for the creation of the new Auxiliary Board:

•  First, over the years the complexity of hosting the race has become an increasingly challenging task for the current voluntary board and additional help to administer the race would be beneficial, and
•  The current board is seeking input from a new generation of paddlers needed to identify and address future growth and success of the race.

 The TWS Auxiliary Board will learn how the TWS and its sponsored races operate and will also provide input and ideas on how to improve the race and decisions that will affect the race. The term of each Auxiliary Board Member is for two years with reappointments at the discretion of the Texas Water Safari Board. The current TWS Board is excited to be working with new A uxiliary Board and what it holds for the future.

We are excited about the creation of the new Auxiliary Board and look forward to the upcoming 61 st Texas Water Safari, World’s Toughest Canoe Race.

TWS Board: 

• Board Member – Jerry Cochran
• Board Member- Jay Daniel
• Board Member- Bob Spain
• President – Allen Spelce
• Board Member- vacant

“They don’t call the Texas Water Safari The World’s Toughest Canoe Race’ for nothing. In addition to the length, the challenges include whitewater rapids, multiple portages, and the relentless, soul-sapping Texas heat. Competitors have four days and four hours to paddle from San Marcos, in the center of the state, to the shy little town of Seadrift on the Gulf Coast. There is no prize money for the winners; just Texas-size bragging rights for the finishers.” Larry Rice, in July 2009 Canoe & Kayak Magazine

The Texas Water Safari is actually comprised of several events including an information seminar, two short races (one of which can be considered as a preliminary race) and of course, the Safari itself – the 260 mile race to Seadrift from the headwaters of the San Marcos River. The Safari itself, billed as the "World's Toughest Boat Race", is an annual race via the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers, from Aquarena Springs in the college town of San Marcos, to the shrimping village of Seadrift on the Texas coastline, a total distance of 260 miles. The first official race was held in 1963, and is run annually on the second Saturday of June.

The primary requirement is a boat powered only by human muscle. Racers must take all equipment needed with them, receiving only water, ice and food along the way.

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Safari Sponsors

Sat, Jun 10

Meadows Center

2023 Texas Water Safari

World's Toughest Canoe Race

Time & Location

Jun 10, 2023, 9:00 AM – Jun 14, 2023, 2:00 PM

Meadows Center, 201 San Marcos Springs Dr, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA

About the event

TWS 2023, June 10-14

From the TWS website: “Legend has it that in 1962, Frank Brown and Bill “Big Willie” George decided to take their V-bottom boat, without a motor, from San Marcos to Corpus Christi. They accomplished their mission in about thirty days and decided that other people should have the opportunity to experience the same journey. So, in 1963 they set up the first Texas Water Safari.

Today the Safari is a long, tough, non-stop marathon canoe-racing adventure, traversing 260 miles of challenging rivers and bay. Many participants enter the race with no intention of winning, but with the goal of joining the elite group of finishers and earning the coveted Texas Water Safari finisher’s patch.” http://www.texaswatersafari.org/

Larry Rice, in July 2009 Canoe & Kayak Magazine: “They don’t call the Texas Water Safari The World’s Toughest Canoe Race’ for nothing. In addition to the length, the challenges include whitewater rapids, multiple portages, and the relentless, soul-sapping Texas heat. Competitors have four days and four hours to paddle from San Marcos, in the center of the state, to the shy little town of Seadrift on the Gulf Coast. There is no prize money for the winners; just Texas-size bragging rights for the finishers.”

Entry Fee $175 (through March 31), $200 (through May 5), $250 (through May 19) per paddler. No entry fee for team captains. Must be registered by May 7 to hold prelim finish for starting position in TWS.

In the event of a postponement, the race will be held on June 24th Check in will be Friday, June 23th.  Should a 2nd postponement be needed the race will be held on July 8th Check in will be Friday, July 7th

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Texas Water Safari

• 211 San Marcos Springs Drive, SAN MARCOS
• Dates : June 8, 2024
• Location : San Marcos River Park
• Time : June 8

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How to Witness the World’s Toughest Canoe Race in San Marcos, Texas

The Texas Water Safari, which starts in San Marcos, offers the challenge of padding 260 miles in under four days and four hours. San Marcos Convention and Visitor Bureau

In a state that brags about everything "bigger and better," it is only fitting that Texas hosts the self-proclaimed World’s Toughest Canoe Race. Officially called the Texas Water Safari, the annual 260-mile canoe race begins in Central Texas in the town of San Marcos. Each second Saturday of June participants launch their canoes into the headwaters of the San Marcos River in Spring Lake and travel down the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers hoping to finish in the Gulf Coast shrimping village of Seadrift a few days later.

Paddlers have 100 hours to navigate whitewater rapids, dams, varying water levels and multiple crossings. Racers must be physically and mentally strong to withstand the days of nonstop motion, physical fatigue, pitch-black nights and scorching hot days. Boats are only powered by human muscle. Riders must carry all food and equipment with them, receiving only water and ice along the way. Team size ranges from solo paddlers to a maximum of six. With team names like Blonde Chicks with Paddle Sticks, Saddle Up and Paddle *and* Whiskey Trip, teams must paddle nonstop both day and night to stay competitive. Winners do not win prize money, merely bragging rights to the world’s toughest canoe race. Simply finishing the race itself is considered a huge accomplishment, as nearly 40 percent of entrants drop out along the way.

Rio Vista Park is a popular spot for spectators, who can see the paddlers navigate whitewater and portage around the dam. San Marcos Convention and Visitor Bureau

This year the regatta of 150 boats will take off on Saturday, June 10, at 9 a.m. The Texas Water Safari kicks off at The Meadows Center , which can be a very exciting place to watch the start of the race. As the race snakes through San Marcos, several public access points, such as Veramendi Plaza , City Park and Rio Vista Park are full of spectators watching the canoes as they race by. The 14-acre Rio Vista Park with its overhanging trees, aquamarine water and bleached shoreline rocks is a picturesque place to watch the race. With the 10-foot drop at the Rio Vista Dam that shoots canoes through rough rapids, it is also the most exciting location in town to watch the race. Bring your swimsuit and cool off from the summer sun by sunbathing along the riverbanks or swimming in the water holes around the park once the boats have paddled through. Each access point is within walking distance of downtown, so once the racers leave town you have the rest of the afternoon to explore the vibrant downtown .

The historic downtown square is at the heart of the 62,000-person town. Locally owned shops, restaurants and bars line the square, giving visitors more than enough shopping, drinking and eating opportunities to fill the day.

Stop by one of San Marcos' Downtown eateries and watering holes for good food and cold beverages.

If you're looking for a local watering hole, you won't have to go far! Zelicks in Downtown San Marcos is great for hanging out with friends and soaking up the San Marcos vibe. For the best burger in town, stop by the Taproom Pub . This American-style pub has more than 100 beers, 42 of them on tap, and burgers that every Texas State college student swears by. Industry is another staple with classic comfort meals and fresh offerings. Sit back, relax, and raise a glass to those paddling their way to the coast.

If you are thinking less beer and burger and more quaint and cozy, the European-inspired Blue Dahlia Cafe a few doors down is your best bet. The bistro serves healthy meals with an emphasis on bread, sandwiches, soups and cheese.

Feeling inspired for a little outdoor adventure after watching the start of the big race? If so, load up with the season’s latest outdoor apparel and gear at Hays County Outfitters . To add a few vintage clothing pieces to your wardrobe, make sure you stop by Vagabond Vintage or Monkies Vintage. If you’re looking for a bit of local history while you’re in town, learn about our 36th president at the LBJ Museum of San Marcos . The museum focuses on the years President Johnson spent as a student at the local university and his role in the development of landmark education and civil rights legislation.

Stick around into the night and hit up almost any bar in town for live music. Cheatham Street Warehouse is a honky tonk featuring live country, blues, folk and soul bands. Other options include T he Porch or Jack’s Road House . As the music plays, think about the racers navigating their boats through the night, and you can raise a glass to them in comfort.

Written by Jennifer Simonson for RootsRated Media in partnership with San Marcos CVB.

Texas Water Safari

From the TWS website: "Legend has it that in 1962, Frank Brown and Bill "Big Willie" George decided to take their V-bottom boat, without a motor, from San Marcos to Corpus Christi. They accomplished their mission in…

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What Is ‘The World’s Toughest Canoe Race’ Like? Find Out at the Texas Water Safari

Gators, sunburn, and sleep deprivation, oh my! If you like canoeing and type II fun, the Texas Water Safari may be the right race for you.

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Every June, a few hundred slightly warped paddlers spread anti-chafing cream on their skin and tape tubes of ibuprofen to the inside walls of their canoes. They top off water bottles, slather on sunscreen, and shove down one last energy bar.

Then, just before 9 a.m., they slide their boats into a spring-fed lake in San Marcos, south of Austin, Texas, and prepare for the start of “ The World’s Toughest Canoe Race .”

Colloquially known as the “Safari,” the race started back in 1962, when Texans Frank Brown and Bill “Big Willie” George, paddled their 14-foot fishing boat from San Marcos to Corpus Christi. It took them 20 days and 8 hours, and as the legend goes, they hunted and fished (eating squirrels and bass) along the way.

The next year, the two men invited the public to join them in their misery. Anyone who took them up on the offer would have to bring whatever they needed for the entire trip; no one could hand them supplies along the way. 

Things have changed since then.

Running the Modern Day ‘Texas Water Safari’

The race still follows the cool, clear San Marcos River as it flows into the Guadalupe River and heads toward the Gulf of Mexico, getting muddier as it goes. The race today ends shy of Corpus Christi, Texas, in the town of Seadrift. Though, paddlers still have to slog across the bay to reach the finish line. And depending on how Mother Nature is feeling, those last 10 miles can take a few hours — or an entire day.

Teams get handoffs from support crews at checkpoints along the way. Those support teams can hand the athletes water and ice as well as food (since 2012, when a racer died of hyponatremia, a low concentration of sodium in the blood).

Racers wear GPS trackers so race organizers and fans can track their progress, and they can carry cellphones for emergencies. They also bring flares, snake bite kits, water pumps, headlamps, and other necessities.

But it’s no leisurely paddle.

The race bakes participants in the hot sun, fries their brains with sleep deprivation, and spits them into rapids and saltwater chop. Paddlers haul their boats around dams and over floating mats of logs and brush (and the occasional dead farm animal). They slog through mud, encounter swarms of mosquitos, and pass the occasional alligator. The top finishers don’t stop — not to sleep, not to eat, not even to pee. At a certain point, hallucinations kick in.

In 2022, the race attracted 149 teams of between one and six paddlers each. Some paddled sleek, bullet-shaped racing craft; others used traditional aluminum canoes. Racers range from elite athletes to recreational paddlers out to test their mettle, and they come in all ages and skill levels.

One long-time competitor in his 80s always packs a bag of Swisher Sweets cigars to puff along the way. The six-man “Cowboys” team races every year with a rotating cast of paddlers. In 2019, an all-women’s team dubbed “the Night Witches” became the first all-female squad to finish in under 40 hours. They placed fourth overall.

I myself have started the race twice and finished once. In 2019, I teamed with two veteran female paddlers and finished in about 53 hours. The first 20 hours went well. Then things went south.

My appetite waned; my stomach churned. About 40 hours in, I began to hallucinate. In the dark, trees morphed into leering clowns and bushes became grinning cartoon characters. My butt hurt, my back hurt, and my mind hurt.

When we finished, I staggered out of the water, swore I’d never do the race again, crawled onto a cot, and passed out. I didn’t feel normal for an entire month. (Sleep deprivation will do that to you.) But despite the unpleasantries, the sense of accomplishment was priceless, even if the rash on my rear end stuck around for two more weeks.

Last year, with some of the hottest and driest conditions on race day, I went back for more. It didn’t go well. I got sick (and mentally weak) and dropped out at a place appropriately called Cheapside, after 36 horrendous hours. That year, half the field did not finish.

The rest of my team went on without me and finished in a long and brutal 77 hours.

All you get for surviving what’s billed as “the World’s Toughest Canoe Race” is a 5-inch patch decorated with what looks like an alligator and a devil. You also walk away with a fierce sunburn, cracked lips, blisters as big as pecans, and rashes in places humans should never get rashes.

But trust me when I tell you nothing feels as good as making it to the final buoy in Seadrift and slapping your hands on the wooden marker that signifies the Texas Water Safari finish.

Race Day: How to Register

This year, the Texas Water Safari is celebrating its 60th year. The race starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 10, 2023. Paddlers must finish the 260 miles within 100 hours for their finish to officially count. Other basic rules include you must register for one category — novice, standard, unlimited men/women (up to six paddlers), tandem, solo, masters, and more — and your team must have a captain (18 years or older) to follow along with support, and to track location. 

The deadline to register for the race is May 19. The entry fee is $200 per paddler through May 4, or $250 through May 19. If canoeing in hot weather and grueling conditions sounds like your jam, consider joining the Safari!

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Pam Le Blanc is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. After working as a staff writer at the Austin American-Statesman for 21 years, she went freelance in 2018. Today, Le Blanc writes about outdoor travel and adventure for an array of publications including Texas Monthly, Condé Nast Traveler, Texas Highways, the Nature Conservancy Magazine, and more. She’s an avid backpacker, scuba diver, camper, snow skier, water skier, swimmer, cyclist, and outdoor junkie. Le Blanc also travels with her campervan, Vincent VanGo. Follow along with her at www.pamleblancadventures.com.

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2023 Texas Water Safari

sat 10 jun (jun 10) 9:00 am wed 14 (jun 14) 1:00 pm 2023 Texas Water Safari

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Event details.

Texas Water Safari (aka, “The World’s Toughest Canoe Race”) Saturday, June 10, 2023, 9 a.m. (race start) – Wednesday, June 14, 2023,

Texas Water Safari (aka, “The World’s Toughest Canoe Race”)

Saturday, June 10, 2023, 9 a.m. (race start) – Wednesday, June 14, 2023, 1:00 p.m. (deadline to finish)

Race Course:

Legend has it that in 1962, Frank Brown and Bill “Big Willie” George decided to take their V-bottom boat, without a motor, from San Marcos to Corpus Christi. They accomplished their mission in about thirty days and decided that other people should have the opportunity to experience the same journey. So, in 1963 they set up the first Texas Water Safari.

Today the Safari is a long, tough, non-stop marathon canoe-racing adventure, traversing 260 miles of challenging rivers and bay. Many participants enter the race with no intention of winning, but with the goal of joining the elite group of finishers and earning the coveted Texas Water Safari finisher’s patch.

Entrants must have all provisions, equipment, and items of repair in their possession at the start of the race. Nothing may be purchased by, or delivered to, a team during the race except water and/or ice. Each team must have a team captain (18 years old, or older) whose responsibility it is to follow the team by vehicle (car, truck, or bicycle) to keep track of their location and condition and to give them water and/or ice. During the Safari, teams may not receive any assistance of any kind, except verbal. Teams must be prepared to travel day and night, nonstop, to be competitive but teams who occasionally stop for sleep have been able to reach mandatory checkpoint cutoff times and cross the finish line by the 100 hour deadline.

Are you tough? Are you looking for a race that tests your limits? This is the race that could change your life and your ideas about who you are and what you are capable of achieving!

Texas Water Safari Registration Deadline (online registration only)

More at the TWS website .

Entry Fee $175 (through March 31), $200 (through May 5), $250 (through May 19) per paddler. No entry fee for team captains. Must be registered by May 7 to hold prelim finish for starting position in TWS.

(Top event image is intended to illustrate only. Yes, it’s from another race .)

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10 (Saturday) 9:00 am - 14 (Wednesday) 1:00 pm (GMT-05:00)

The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment

201 San Marcos Springs Drive, San Marcos

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Texas Water Safari, ‘The World’s Toughest Canoe Race’

The Texas Hill Country is a land of rivers and springs. The well-fed waterways of these majestic lands are what attract thousands of tourists to the area every year… and coerce many to stay for good.

Water is synonymous with recreation in the Hill Country. While many float lazily in tubes with ice chests, other may stand-up paddle board or go out in a canoe or kayak. But for those seeking a test of will from the waters, there is one Hill Country event that brings even the strongest to their breaking point: The Texas Water Safari.

“The World’s Toughest Canoe Race”

Photo: Flickr/Elizabeth Garcia

The Texas Water Safari kicked off the second Saturday June at the headwaters of the San Marcos River. The event has been nicknamed “The World’s Toughest Canoe Race” for good measure.

The full length of the course is 260 miles of river-madness. While starting at a relatively mild stretch of water in San Marcos, the race ends at the Gulf of Mexico in a small town named Seadrift. Competitors have 100 hours to complete the course and must bring all of their food, gear and other survival tools with them. The only aid competitors receive is water and ice at select stops along the route.

Paddle Only

Other stipulations about the race are that competitors must paddle only. That means use of motors or mechanical propulsion of any kind is strictly prohibited. Competitors must also complete several safety courses and shorter qualifying races to secure their entry into the event. The race coordinators require these qualifying rounds to “weed out the weaklings.”

Is that a Gator or My Imagination?

Photo: Flickr/jerome

What makes the race so tough? Past and present competitors report a variety of obstacles ranging from the oppressive Texas heat, gnarly rapids, dangerous wildlife, illness, injury, and several long portions of the course where boats may have to be carried or hauled. Many longer races exist, but the gritty Texas combination of heat, wildlife and sleep deprivation cause forty percent of the entrants to drop out every year. Many contestants report having hallucinations near the end of the course.

Think you’re tough enough to give it a try? Next year’s Texas Water Safari is only 11 months away…

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• Faculty Experts

For TXST students and alums, the Texas Water Safari canoe race provides a worthy challenge and a welcoming community

Inside TXST

Matt Joyce | June 6, 2023

The serenity of Spring Lake will get its annual jolt of competitive churn on June 10 when more than 300 racers in 155 canoes line up in the spring-fed waters for the start of the Texas Water Safari , “the world’s toughest canoe race.”

Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse is scheduled to fire the starting pistol for the race at 9 a.m., launching the boats on a 260-mile course to the coastal town of Seadrift. The racers will paddle down the San Marcos River to the Guadalupe River and then down to the coast, where they’ll cross San Antonio Bay to reach the finish line.

Along the way, the paddlers will navigate challenges ranging from rapids to logjams, muddy portages, stifling heat, sleep deprivation, bay headwinds, and the occasional alligator or snake. If they don’t complete the race in 100 hours or less (meaning rest is an afterthought), they don’t earn the coveted finisher’s patch.

Sounds like fun, right?

“I just feel like I can’t not do it again,” said Kaari Gerber, a TXST graduate student in mathematics. Gerber raced her first Water Safari last year but her two-woman team didn’t quite finish. About 15 miles from Seadrift, they got lost in maze of logjams in the darkness of night near the Guadalupe’s confluence with the bay.

“The experience consumed me, and I would have dreams about it, and it just very much felt like I have to try it again,” said Gerber, a San Marcos native. This year, she has a new partner for her two-woman team, which is called “Witches of the 666” (a nod to San Marcos’ 78666 zip code).

Texas State’s Meadows Center for Water and the Environment is the caretaker of Spring Lake, where springs discharge around 100 million gallons per day to form the headwaters of the San Marcos River. Water Safari participants must clean their boats to ensure they don’t risk introducing invasive species such as zebra mussels, said Miranda Wait, deputy director of Spring Lake Education.

Wait, who will complete her wildlife ecology master’s degree in August, serves as the Spring Lake site coordinator for the race. She helps manage the event registration on Friday before the race and the logistics of race day. But when the canoes take off, Wait hits the road as team captain for her fiancé’s four-man race team dubbed “Fuzzy Nuggets.”

Each canoe team is required to have at least one captain, who is tasked with driving to the race’s 10 checkpoints to meet the team and refill their ice, water, and food. This is Wait’s sixth race to serve as a captain.

“I have to be at each checkpoint, and then there’s some spots in-between that I can go if it seems like they need a little bit more water or whatever,” Wait said. “I’m like their cheerleader. I’ll bring up my megaphone and make sure they’re drinking enough water and that kind of stuff.”

This year marks the 60th edition of the Texas Water Safari. Despite its grueling nature — participants talk of hallucinations when the sleep deprivation sets in — the race seems to hook people, drawing them back repeatedly to test their physical and mental mettle.

Mike Smith graduated from then-Southwest Texas State in 1986 and now teaches theater at Miller Middle School in San Marcos. He is racing with a two-man team in his 16th Water Safari this year. He’s completed the race 11 of the 16 times, including once in a solo canoe.

“I know what it takes to get it done,” Smith said. “It really becomes nothing more than a mental game at a certain point. In my opinion, most people can finish the race if they can get over the mental barriers. You’ve got to have enough physicality to get in the boat and paddle, but to convince yourself to keep doing it for 260 miles takes a little more upstairs.”

Smith said the competition of the race is motivating, but it’s the community that keeps him coming back. “During the race, I curse myself all the time — why the hell am I doing this?” he said. “But after the race, I feel so much satisfaction knowing I’ve completed it and we’re sitting around and telling stories. I enjoy the community so much. That’s where all the fun is.”

Gerber hopes to be among the finishers swapping tales at the finish line this year. Her team has been training about every other weekend since January, paddling different sections of the course to practice. Last year’s near-finish bolstered her confidence and imparted important lessons about equipment and navigation.

“I know it’s doable, I know my body and my mind can handle it,” she said. “My partner and I have put in a lot of miles, and so we’re just going to trust our training and make smart decisions, do dangerous things safely. At the end of the day, paddling on a river with one of your good friends brings a lot of peace and positive feelings.”

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