[2] He, Jamie McEwan, Andy Bridge and Wick Walker were the first to explore the Mexican whitewater on the Santa Maria in 1985.
In 1998, McEwan and his brother Jamie, Roger Zbel and Doug Gordon were the kayaking members of an expedition to run the Tsangpo Gorge, considered the "Mount Everest" of rivers.
The expedition encountered unanticipated high water and ended in tragedy when teammate Doug Gordon capsized, missed his roll and died.
[5] His former students include a number of accomplished kayakers, such as World Cup champion Andy Bridge, Olympic gold metalist Joe Jacobi, adventurer John Weld, and University of California full professor of river science Gregory Pasternack.
For example, many whitewater reaches end in reservoirs, but rather than drifting through them, McEwan set a challenging pace for teenagers a third of his age to try to keep up with.