We just finished a trip down the Deep River, and it was so fun. I've lived here for almost 10 years and have never been anywhere near the river, and I'm also a little afraid of water (though I am a strong swimmer). I'll tell you the stuff I was worried about, and how it went!
We went tubing. It's easy and fun to do, great with kids, and it's SLOW. More like S...L...O..O...O..W.. Which is okay. The tubes are big, and the cooler tube is really a must, even if you don't have a cooler. The water is slow (but you could see where the high water marks are, and thinking about this river during a hurricane is terrifying).
Before going, I was concerned about:
Snakes, rapids that no one knew about, underwater things, storms, biting flies, did I mention snakes? Spider webs.
None of those things were an issue. This stretch of the river is really tame, and aside from the sort of treacherous climb down to the water in the beginning (it's manageable), it was extremely non threatening. I have one adventurous kid and one nervous one, and both had a great time. We saw a water snake for about 2 seconds. Zero bugs - I don't know why, but there were none. The bottom was pretty nice.
You may want to bring a small paddle - tubes are difficult to propel, and it really is a long trip, 3-5 hours. We made it out in 4. There isn't a lot of shade, so obviously sunscreen. If you have a comfortable life jacket that you wear, bring that - they have the orange kind that are so uncomfortable.
Really good time, and so easy. Go! Endor Paddle was a great host, he was extremely helpful getting everyone loaded up, didn't rush us, and made everything easy. read more