Capt’n Dan
Position: Raft Guide
Birthday: January 11, 1973
Hometown: Hoboken, NJ
About: If you’ve ever cheered, “Yay Rafting” then you probably know why Capt’n Dan prides himself in being the most fun raft guide. Danny Flores, better known as Capt’n Dan, is one of the most talked about guides at USNWC. Previously employed by the Nantahala Outdoor Center, Capt’n Dan loves his job because of the freedom of rafting and the shared experience with the guests. When asked why people call him Capt’n Dan, he referenced his superior guiding skills, “In order to be a Captain, you’ve got to have the ability to guide any river, anywhere in the world. That’s the mark of a true Captain.” With his dog, “Doo-doo” and his well-known quote, “Yay rafting,” Capt’n Dan is definitely a character. You can spot him because of his immaculate tan and when he was asked why he doesn’t have any tattoos, Dan simply replied, “Because tattoos on Dan are like tattoos on the Mona Lisa.”
Capt’n Dan is so awsome he has a great aditude and is quit funnng he makes rafting an unforgetable memory that will last forever he is also good with kids and he is just a fun guy
YaY!! Rafting (i even baught a shirt that says yay rafting!!!!!!!
Captain Dan created an AWESOME rafting experience for us that we won’t forget! He made it fun and we always felt safe. We had a great time riding the waves and being biscuits in gravy. He is the best rafting guide ever!
Yay Rafting!! I knew this was going to be a good time as soon as "The Captain" told us we were going with him! He cracks jokes the entire time, making it an unforgettable experience to say the very least. He was good with instructions, and obviously knew what he was talking about when it came to rafting. If you want to laugh to the point that your abs hurt, while rafting all the good lines, make sure Captain Dan is your man! He even recommended some good eats in the area!
Cpt. Dan was def the MAN!!!! He made that trip more than entertaining!!! Very responsible and in control of that raft.. Knows his water sports.. Very real and funny as all get out..
OUTSTANDING RATING FROM ME AND ALL MY FAMILY!!!!
There was another guide we ran into a few times in passing and the guy was quiet and just seemed like an unhappy camper.. I am SO GLAD I DID NOT HAVE THAT GUIDE!!!
DAN TRULY MADE THE TRIP A BLAST!!!! A TRIP WE WILL NEVER FORGET AND I WILL ACTUALLY ASK FOR HIM MY NEXT TRIP UP.
By the way he also told us about the season passes and how awesome the park is.. He has convinced me to get passes..
Thanks Cpt. Dan!!!!
Captain really rocks, he made he feel like an Oplympic medalist out there even though this was my first time ever rafting. He is not only skilled in rafting but has exceptional customer service skills and great sense of humor, he is a great assert to your organization.
Thanks.
We were lucky enough to have Capt.Dan be our guide, and let me tell you what a blast it was! I don’t remember much about the rapids because I was pretty much laughing the entire time. I will be requesting him from now on, and telling my friends to do the same.
Thanks Captain!
Dan gave us exactly what we asked for today! Not only was he great on the water, he was very entertaining and very knowledge. He made our experience worth every penny. Thanks Dan
Capn Dan was a hoot. Good jokes and good times. He was as entertaining out of the raft as he was in the raft. I’ll leave it at that Dan. Since it only happens once every 5 years your secret is safe. If you are looking for a wild ride – get a reservation with the Capn.
I had an amazing time yesterday! My friend and I have season passes and we will probably get kayaking lessons from none other than Capt’n Dan. To say the least – he was hilarious. He kept the trip fun and exciting and even took us down backwards! I’m definitely requesting him next time I go. Thanks Capt’n Dan!
Capt Dan is the man! He is a very funny man, entertaining and good sense of humor. We went about 1 1/2 yrs ago with work get together and I fell out of water. He is very quick, strong man. He pulled me out and my other co worker like in seconds, yay rafting! I recently went back this past weekend with my family and friends, 04-03-2011, and personally asked for him. I trust his skills, his quick thinking, judgement and definetely his sense of humor. My family and friends sure did had a great time inspite of the cold water. Now, they will have a great story to tell back home, Philippines,. "Yay rafting!"
Dan was awesome. Aside from being absolutely freaking hilarious, the guy is just legit. I’ve been rafting over ten times, and I have never had a more memorable guide. He made it super fun and exciting, with the added bonus of some comedy along the way. It was freezing when we went, and I don’t think anyone wanted the trip to end. Cool guy, amazing guide.
Dan’s the man. You go Capt’n Dan!
What a Great Ride! Capt’n Dan was an AWESOME guide! Thanks.
I had a FANTASTIC time-with Capt’n Dan! I can hardly wait to raft again with Capt’n Dan!!!
Captain Dan was best
hes funny, good guide, and very good at what he does. Made it enjoyable and all i can say is Yay Rafting
My rafting trip was the best ever!!! We shouted "Yay Rafting!" like 50 bizillion times. My boat was all girls and we screamed every little time we went down a rapid. He was f-u-n-n-y!!! He told us all these funny and corny jokes. I was rofl-ing (metaphorically speaking) No fell out of our boat either. Gabbie is going to take a Cabbie– this was his saying… on our raft atleast cause we had a girl Gabbie on our boat who was a bit frightened. lol. Capt. Dan is the best ever!!!!
I second everything that everyone said above. With Dan, you’ll get a great combination of safety, thrills, and laughs. Look for the really really tan guy.
What a great day! Capt’n Dan was awesome. He made our trip so much fun and I learned some advanced skills. Ask for him and you won’t regret it!
DAN! gah you are such an amazing raft guide! I told my WHOLE group we were lucky to have you! and they didn’t belive me til the end
it was so much fun! and you even referred me to be a raft guide! I will check that out! 
YAY RAFTINGGGGG! 
YAYYY RAFTING! Had an awesome day on the water, hope to be back. Whooo!
AWESOME!!! Dan provided complete instructions and then encouraged us and praised our efforts. He waited till we were comfortable in the 2-3 rapids before moving on to the best ones. I could have gone round another 10 times it was so much fun! Thanks Capt Dan!
What a day! Thanks, Capt’n Dan for treating the Wells Fargo ladies to a great ride down the river. YAY RAFTING!!!! Oh, I’ll be back…and I hope to ride again with Y-O-U!
Dan is the MAN! I loved rafting with this dude andit made my day! YAY RAFTING!!!
Today was a great experince!!! Captain Dan made it 1000 times better.. Even when we hadnt even started rafting he was hilarious.. Also his funny stories and jokes also made it bettter.. Capt. Dan is AWESOME!!
Captain Dan is the Man. Nick and Bloom are great but Captain Dan is awesome. I have rafted about 30 times on various rivers but never an experienced a ride like this one. We had a wonderful time – and Captain Dan is a great reason for buying a Season Pass!
This was the first time whitewater rafting for me, Capt Dan was our river guide. I had such a fun exhilarating experience. He kept us laughing the whole time. "Yay Rafting"!!!
Capt’n Dan is awesome. He follows his own first rule to always look good. Whenever I bring someone new to rafting I always talk about Capt’n because he is worth the breath. I have never had a bad experience with him and Im always calm when he is our guide. I know that it will 100% be an amazing experience with all the perks without the out of raft experience its the best. Love you Capt’n Dan
Capt’n Dan was a RIOT! So much fun to raft with him as our guide! YAY RAFTING! We loved the jokes and his "Cat Like Reflexes!" haha We loved his "Cheesecake too!" Definitely going to come back again because of this experience! And bring all my friends! Sooo GNARLY!!!
Kristen
I took my two elementary age daughters rafting on Sunday, with Capt. Dan as our guide. I raft a good bit and was not expecting a lot of thrills from "family rafting". Surprisingly, Dan navigated the river so adeptly that we all had a blast, enjoying lots of tricks and fun maneuvers that were still appropriate for the kids. My daughters paddled with gusto and really wanted to try the more challenging side of the river, and the little champs had a blast! I had heard a lot about Capt. Dan, but this was my first time with him as a guide. He is a ROCKSTAR!!!!!!!!!!!
Capt Dan, was great as our rafting guide, he made our day fun and exciting, Capt Dan, Great Guide, Great Tan, Great Abs… yes great abs…
Yay Rafting, Yay Capt Dan.
The pee pee group…
one word for capt’n dan… epic. AWESOME rafting experience with him as our guide.
Catp’n Dan…I know one thing…"You better get to gettn’ down!" Not only did Capt’n Dan have us crackin up the entire trip, but he didn’t hesitate to take the first full raft of 8 down the class 4 adventure course! Six adults, two kids and we all begged for more. He showed us multiple Trix (like the the rabbit on the cereal box), introduced us to his friend the rock, gave us clean underwear, and even sacrificed himself for us. His skills and personality are unsurpassed. We didn’t mean to have so much fun…but we really meant to have so much fun! You know what time it is, 5…4…3…2…1…Crazy 8!!! Capt’n Dan…what an awesome trip
Captain Dan is awsome!! He is so funny and a great guide!! My family and I had a such a great time our first time rafting!! Thank you Captain Dan!!
We were on Captain Dan’s 1:45pm rafting adventure today…. all we have to say is– thanks! You are a true and pure spirit. Your passion for adventure and "outdoor sports" is closely rivaled by your passion to make sure your rafters are having a great time… One of a kind…
I LOVED RAFTING. YAY RAFTING! HE SAID ALOT OF JOKES AND MAKE MY SOUL CHUCKLE.
Had a great day today at the USNWC with Captain Dan as our guide. Full of light hearted humor and great at keeping us soaked, Dan gave our raft a fun day of rafting. We’ll be back!
Thanks to Capt Dan! He has such an Awesome passion for rafting and fun sense of humor, which made my first rafting experience incredible!
YAY Rafting! See you in a year Capt’n Dan!
You were awesome! Sweet beans!!
Capt’n Daaaaaannnn! YAAAAAAAAYYYYYY RAAAFFFTTTTIIIINNNGGGG! The rodeo rafting was sooooooooo much fun with you! Even though the first crash was the worst and you made us go back through it again, we don’t regret anything! You were the best and were so fun but also made us feel like nothing could go wrong and we were safe. We’re defenitly requesting you when we come back next year!
-Natalie (Yellow shirt) Alex, and Joey (:
We had a blast riding the waves with Captain Dan. We’re bringing friends on our next visit and of course we’re asking for Captain Dan. He’s part of the whole experience!
dan is the man! he showed me and my family a wonderful time today! we are definitely coming back and recommend that if you’re trying to raft for the first time, ask for captain dan! he is out of this world! fun, always laughing and joking and about his business! thx you for being a great guide today dan! if a tip was possible, he definitely would of got a $100 tip just for having a wonderful personality! go captain dan! {P.S. dan, let me know when you get the photos/videos of the raft landing on top of us (7/24/11) on the drop. this is dre (friend of guide – charlie wilson).
Yay! Rafting
Went whitewater rafting for the very first time on Saturday. We were lucky enough to get Cap’n Dan for a Family trip. Even my 7 year old son had a blast. Don’t let his laid back style fool you- the Cap’n is a MASTERFUL guide!
We had a safe, but exciting trip down the river.
Rock on Cap’n Dan!
Thanks for a memorable day Captain Dan even with the 7 inches of rain.
Ask for Captain Dan (and bring him some crackers and he will take good care of you) who likes his crackers especially with his chilli!
Great day, great rafting! Yay rafting!
CAP’T DAN~ YOU ARE AWESOME!! We had a great time on our 5:00,July 23rd rafting adventure!! We were the couple that had the 2 fearless girls from Arkansas with us ~ Anna Cate and Maddie!!In case that is not a memory refresher~ When our raft went from "6 to 4" the fun really began!! The girls will never forget the trip!Thank you and YAY RAFTING!!
Cap’t dan, Thank you so much for taking us out twice in the same day. We had so much fun! defiantly worth our 7 1/2 hr drive from Ohio
At first I were skeptical of having Capt. Dan as our guide as he looked like this weird California dude. But he turned out to be the coolest, funnest & funniest person. Our group picked up on his commands which allowed him to be more adventurous and daring on our ride. Our group was so impressed we scheduled another ride later that day. Capt. Dan rocked!!! Keep riding the waves my friend.
Captain Dan, is the man! If you want an adventure at the WWC, request Dan because he made this rafting experience so adventurous, at our request of course, while also being our personal comedian. We had such a great time with Captain Dan, we went back a second time as we could not get enough.
I will be back to see you soon, thank you Captain Dan- YOU are the best.
April
Cap’t Dan was the funniest and funnest guide. Our group picked up on his commands which allowed him to be more adventurous w/ us on the rapids. Our group that was put together was so impressed by him that we reschedule another ride later that day.
WAY TO GO CAP’T DAN. RIDE ON!!!!
Capt’n Dan is awesome. Once again he made our trip down the USNWC river an epic adventure. Everyone had a great time.
Dan – the comedy bit i told you about is 8 day Rafting Trip by Jeanne Robertson. Check it out.
CONFIDENCE – the feeling you have before you fully understand the situation. (Upper Gauley, Sweets Falls, Sept ’11)
Capt’n Dan is awesome. He made our trip down the USNWC river an epic adventure. Everyone had a great time with laughter, adventure, and and awesome experience to remember forever. Great teambuilding! Thanks Dan, you rock!
Rafting with Capt’n Dan was a great experience! We had a good time with him and the ‘geriatric’ team.
Thanks, Dan!
First Time Rafting and Capt Dan made it enjoyable experience, and helped ease the fear of the first time.
Thank you Dan
Jessica
Captain Dan was the best raft guide EVVA!!!! LOL! I would recommend anyone experience this adventure and make sure you request him as your guide. He made the trip fun and engaged our raft and made us laugh the entire time.
From the moment I saw Capt. Dan, I could tell he was truly doing what he loves. He made the rafting experience one I will never forget and would highly recommend him. You are one of a kind Capt. Dan
Our rafting experience with Capt.Dan was FANTASTIC! He took our "geriatric raft" and created an awesome experience for all…despite differing skill levels. Your "geriatric ladies" are coming back again Capt. Dan!
Captain Dan~~Is the Man on the water!!
Our family was just @ your facility this weekend….we had an awesome time!! I was a bit skeptical after our group was assigned to Cpt. Dan as our guide…..I had a case of the nerves as a "first time rafter", and saw this Hippie looking dude….needless to say he was the Best!! He made my first whitewater rafting experience AWESOME!
Kudos to Capt. Dan,,,,,from his skill and the great ease he exhibited he made it an experience to "CELEBRATE"! He obviously loves what he is doing,,and great @ it! Cpt. Dan’ you rock!!! MANY THANKS
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Our rafting experience with Captain Dan was awesome!! He MADE our trip! He taught us all how to work together so we could have a great ride. His experience and love for what he does is obvious. Dan is also truly one of the funniest people I have ever met!!!! We were laughing every minute of our trip!! We loved having Dan as our guide and you will have the time of your life if you request him!
Thanks Dan!!
Yay rafting!!
Capt Dan…. HOT SAUCE ON YOUR BISCUIT! Thanks for an awesome adventure.. and for pushing me out of the raft.. you are by far the best guide… there is no competition
I went whitewater rafting for the first time and I was terrified! But Captain Dan made the ride so much fun!!!
There is no other guide like you Dan!!!
Yay Rafting!!!!!
Sarah
I went whitewater rafting for the first time this past weekend.. Iwas terrified… and the water was freezing. But Cap’n Dan Made the whole trip amazing. At the end, we were soaked, freezing, and my hands and feet were numb… but we were laughing and had the biggest smiles on our faces. Thank you, Captain Dan!
YAYYYY RAFTINGGGG
Amanda
I went to the USNWC for the first time and Capt. Dan was UNBELIEVABLE!!! I have rafted in Nantahala but although the rapids were wicked there, our guide was not Capt. Dan and I have never had so much fun rafting in my LIFE!!!
Capt. Dan gave us fun, excitement, safety, and most importantly, laughs….LOTS of laughs. Capt. Dan’s rafting trips should be specially named "Comedy Rafting". He is the BEST!!!!!!!! We LOVE Capt. Dan!!!
Dara