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Rapids Ride Guide

WhereRaft Shop near Tal Tal Heights, on the east side of Koholint beside the river
Cost100 rupees per ride
ModesRapids Raid (collect floating items) and Rapids Race (timed run)
Race prizesPiece of Heart under 40 seconds, Secret Seashell under 35 seconds, Chamber Stone under 30 seconds
Other prizes nearby2 more Pieces of Heart and 1 more Secret Seashell around the river
Items neededRoc’s Feather and Hookshot; Shovel for the island Secret Seashell

The Rapids Ride is a pair of raft mini-games run by the Raft Shop owner. You pay 100 rupees to rent the raft, then pick the Rapids Raid, where you jump for floating pickups, or the Rapids Race, where the clock decides the prize: a Piece of Heart for finishing in under 40 seconds, a Secret Seashell in under 35 and a Chamber Stone in under 30. Only one prize is paid per run, so expect to ride several times. The river and the tunnel beside the shop also hide two more Pieces of Heart and a Secret Seashell, so a full visit is worth it.

Quick reference: everything at the Rapids Ride

#PrizeWhereHow to get it
1Piece of HeartCave beside the Raft ShopFollow the cave up, then Hookshot across the gap
2Piece of HeartSmall island at the far left of the riverRide to the left wall and Hookshot onto the island
3Piece of HeartRapids RaceFinish in under 40 seconds
4Secret SeashellRapids RaceFinish in under 35 seconds
5Secret SeashellIsland in the middle of the riverHookshot onto the island and dig with the Shovel
6Chamber StoneRapids RaceFinish in under 30 seconds
7ChestOwl statue islandSteer the raft there and open the chest

How to get the raft

Reach the Raft Shop

The Raft Shop is a small house near the Tal Tal Heights warp point on the eastern side of the island, beside the river. Bring the Roc’s Feather, because jumping is the core of both games, and the Hookshot for the extra Pieces of Heart and the island. The chapter that visits it is Southern Face Shrine and Face Shrine.

Link walking along the moat beside the river in Ukuku Prairie
Link on a grassy bank above the river with a pot and trees
Link slashing grass beside the wooden raft outside the Raft Shop

Pay for a ride

Talk to the owner and pay 100 rupees. The raft then waits outside the shop and you board it whenever you like. After the fee you choose between the Rapids Raid and the Rapids Race. Each ride costs another 100 rupees, so carry a few hundred before you start chasing times.

The Raft Shop owner asking whether Link wants a raft ride for 100 rupees
The owner asking which course Link will set out on
Link standing on the raft at the dock as the ride begins
The raft drifting down the river past the first channel

Rapids Raid: collect the pickups

In the Raid you float downstream and jump with the Roc’s Feather to grab what drifts past: rupees, bombs, arrows, Magic Powder and hearts. Dodge the vines and rocks along the way and swing for the pickups. The Hookshot also works on trees and vines to change direction or gain speed. The Raid itself pays no timed prize, so use it to learn the river before the Race.

The raft at the top of a small waterfall with a rupee floating ahead
Rupees floating among vines and bushes beside the raft
The raft steering between vines toward floating rupees
The raft heading for a row of rupees along a line of bushes

Rapids Race: how to finish and win

Run the clock

The Race uses the same river, but only the clock matters. Skip the pickups, keep the raft moving, jump obstacles instead of drifting around them, and use the Hookshot on trees and vines for speed where the current is slow. Learn the route in a Raid first so the jumps become automatic.

The raft setting off with the timer at 1.73 seconds
The raft reaching a waterfall at 9.68 seconds with the Hookshot out
Link firing the Hookshot at a vine to pull the raft along at 21.68 seconds
The raft speeding past a row of bushes at 29.68 seconds

Time targets

Guides agree on three targets: under 40 seconds for a Piece of Heart, under 35 seconds for a Secret Seashell and under 30 seconds for a Chamber Stone (one guide adds 100 rupees to the stone). You cannot win more than one prize in a single run, so you have to ride again for each reward. A sensible order is to take the Piece of Heart and the shell first with a time in the low to mid 30s, then push below 30 for the stone. One older guide describes a 45-second limit and a required Hookshot, which does not match the other sources, so treat 40, 35 and 30 as the thresholds.

The Raft Shop owner saying it is a new record after the race
Link holding up a Secret Seashell on the raft with its item box shown
The raft reaching the finish waterfall at 32.94 seconds
Link holding up a Piece of Heart on the raft with its item box shown

More prizes around the river

Cave Piece of Heart

Take the cave beside the Raft Shop, the one northeast of the area outside the Face Shrine. Follow it up and aim the Hookshot across the gap to reach the Piece of Heart.

Link entering the dark cave tunnel by the Raft Shop
Link beside a pool in the cave with a Piece of Heart on a far ledge
Link holding up the Piece of Heart in the cave with its item box shown

Far-left island

During a Raid, ride down to the far left of the river and keep to the western wall. A small island there holds a Piece of Heart, and the Hookshot gets you onto it. Do this on a Raid, not on a timed Race.

The raft passing a hedged island with a Piece of Heart on the left
Link at the steps of the western island with the Piece of Heart ahead
Link holding up a Piece of Heart on the island with its item box shown

Owl statue island

Another island, the one with an owl statue, has a treasure chest. Steer the raft there with the Hookshot if you are already on the river.

The raft passing an island with a treasure chest beside rupees
The raft nearing an island with an owl statue and a treasure chest
Link on the island beside the owl statue and the closed chest
Link holding up the reward from the island chest with its item box shown

The island Secret Seashell

A small island in the middle of the river hides a Secret Seashell. Use the Hookshot on the vines beside it, climb up and dig with the Shovel. A separate shell sits in a chest on a hidden island reached by a staircase inside the Face Shrine, so do not confuse the two. The route is covered in the Face Shrine chapter and the full count is in the Secret Seashells guide.

The raft approaching a small hedged island in the middle of the river
Link holding up a Secret Seashell on the river island with its item box shown
Link at the chest on the hidden island reached from the Face Shrine
Link holding up a Secret Seashell on the hidden island with its item box shown

Tips

  • You cannot win two prizes in one run, so ride again for each reward.
  • Collect the free prizes first (cave, far-left island and shell), then spend rupees on timed runs.
  • Run a Raid once or twice to learn the river before the clock matters.
  • The Chamber Stone is one of 14 used in Dampé’s builder; see the Dampé’s Shack guide. The three Pieces of Heart count toward the 32 listed in the Piece of Heart guide.

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