I am also a water animal! Since I remember I always wanted to see the great Orinoco, it was also my mother's dream (I still have a few points on the list). For 4 weeks living in Puerto Ordaz and seeing the river from my window, commuting in and around the city, back and forth I tried to approach it, but it was not easy at all.
Is very dangerous and you cannot just go and have a swim or a picnic by its banks, there are ghettos all around it, so rather no access. We had to enter a private club and buy a catamaran cruise, only then we could really see it up close and personal. Next time I hope to go fishing with my friend's family, just generally the ​Orinoco is very rapid and might not be the best place to just go for a casual boat trip.