Adrian Tregoning

Dwars River – It’s Days like these, that is the reason I kayak!

It was a sunny Saturday morning and we were really amped. The Dwars River came with a serious reputation and I had inspected it first hand in summer (i.e. Ultra low) to see how it really looked and where the siphons were. For this mission I had decided to keep the group small. We couldn’t get four people but three would work and we’d just have to do things conservatively; which probably wasn’t a bad idea as we didn’t know exactly how it would look and what the levels would be. Abrie Swanepoel, Rowan Walpole and I made our way up past Paarl, past Wellington and up into the Bain’s Kloof Pass. We spoke excitedly about the day ahead and noted that we had almost the whole day ahead of us.

As we drove past the Wit River we couldn’t help but stop at the put in and then every now and then further along to peer down. It was low but seemed doable. As we drove past the take out we encountered a friend of ours, crazy man Charl van Rensburg and some poor victim that he had roped into joining him on another cruise down the Wit, on riverboards. Charl was very interested to hear that we were hitting the Dwars and said rather us than him. He had done it before but said the top section was rather heinous. It was indeed. Of course I hadn’t fully explained to Rowan and Abrie about the top section but I wanted some kayaking partners now didn’t I? But of course I made sure everyone had all the necessary rescue equipment and said we were under no obligation to paddle anything we didn’t feel up to running. I felt that both Rowan and Abrie would handle it anyway and would definitely be good at making decisions, a sometimes vital characteristic to possess when running more dangerous rivers. After talking to Charl, Rowan and Abrie were definitely feeling a lot more nervous!

The view from the road looking down to the big waterfall.

Walking in to the put in.

At 10:15 we arrived opposite the waterfall and had a look from the road. The flow looked very good and seemed perfect! Rowan and Abrie were having doubts about running the drop now but I just said let’s go and paddle the river and see when we get there. There is nothing quite like seeing rapids and drops in real life. Photos and video do no justice and you really have to stand next to it and judge for yourself. With that done we made our way to the golf club. Abrie walked into the bar and in his finest Afrikaans (he is Afrikaans anyway and Rowan was definitely not up to the task... His Afrikaans is about as good as my public speaking ability) and asked some big dude working at the bar if we could walk across the golf course to access the river. This wasn’t a problem, so we kitted up and began the long (ish) and hot walk to the little weir. We shot the weir and then immediately took out on river left to scout where the best possible place was to portage. It was 11:00 then. As I had scouted this river on my own I knew what went for what and I knew about the first rapid, which is a class 6+/7 and a definite portage.

The small weir in the background and in the foreground is the entrance to the Cheese Block. Swim at the weir at high levels and you best get out FAST, unless you wish to die.

The Cheese Block. An obvious portage. All that water is dropping into a big siphon. Now this was blocked up years ago when Corran Addison used to run this. Little did they know...

The Cheese Block. Now you can see the exit of the siphons. Nasty. Now look at the next picture when it was actually runnable...

Corran Addison running the Cheese Block in 1986 when the siphons were all blocked up, and they didn't know!!!!! Photo (and used with permission) by Graeme Addison.

The portage rapid is a big rock which looks like a block of cheese, let’s call it Cheese Block. Most of the water goes down into a big siphon and out at the bottom. Horrible stuff! It is interesting to note that this siphon used to be plugged up with stones/logs and Corran Addison and others ran this rapid several times. It was his first ever waterfall back in 1986 and in those days no one knew that this rapid was just one big plugged siphon... Graeme says Corran was only 17 at the time and as you can see, pushing things already. Check out his article HERE.

We manoeuvred around on the river left side and got down just below it. The very next rapid looked rather nasty too. It was runnable for sure and I’ve seen a photo or two of people running it, but at a much lower level. This was one of only two rapids on the upper section I had not scouted at a low level and judging by the surrounding rock it didn’t look like a good idea. There was a strainer at the top (which could have been avoided with a different route) and several potholes around the entry as well as on the sides. It looked exceedingly unpleasant and said I would not be running it. I also said I was keen for anybody else to run it but Rowan an Abrie weren’t keen on it either. One could come in on river left and hit the flow coming in from the right at ninety degrees. Make sure to brace, keep upright and bomb down and left. The rapid then makes another almost ninety degree turn to the right and then a small hole waits for you. That final hole would definitely thrash you if you didn’t positively punch it. Luckily there is a bit of a pool before it starts into the main stuff. At that level, it will take me a while to run that rapid. I just don’t like it one bit, maybe with less water, maybe with more. But the surrounding rock just looks like it hides a few nasty surprises.

The rapid directly below the Cheese Block. Hmmm, let's call it something seeing as though I went overboard in this article already. Er, ah, I know - The Gauntlet.

The Gauntlet. PLEASE NOTE the BAD strainers in the foreground!!! Any takers for when it's this high? Probably not me! :-)

Rowan with the 'don't put that snake into my boat' look as we climbed over the logs and down a steep rock face on the other side.

So we portaged on the left and luckily we had a human mountain goat amongst us. Abrie clambered down and found a spot where we could balance the boats. To get out of our little ‘cave’ and back onto the river we had to balance the boat on a rock and then very carefully put the spray deck on and seal launch into the water about two feet below. Luckily I went first and had Rowan and Abrie to help. The eddy to my right was feeding straight into the hole of that second rapid but it wasn’t too bad. Abrie went next, and then Rowan was left to his own devices. There were some tense balancing moments and I stroked to stay by him in case he slipped in. He would have gone into the hole for sure if that had happened! Luckily his balance held and we had completed part of our mission. Now it was time to start paddling some rapids.

Rowan in the 'cave' type area where we lowered the boats too. This portaging is hard work... hehehe.

Rowan balancing very, very carefully before putting in below The Gauntlet. I used my waterproof camera for this shot. All other photos in this article were taken with a Nikon D80 with a DX 18-135mm lens.

The first rapid basically starts and then bombs down for about 250m, with almost no break. So be warned. If you’re a beginner or a rough intermediate then don’t even think of coming to this river. I certainly wouldn’t. This river is steep and dangerous, and certain spots are very difficult to access, making rescue impossible. There are lots of strainers and several undercuts and the odd siphon. Keep your eyes peeled. If in doubt, come and walk this river in winter when it’s low. The guide book rates this top section as class 5, so you’ve been warned.

I carefully peered over some rocks and spotted a line for where we could go down. I dropped down and eddied out on the right. I knew there was a massive siphon just downstream and I definitely didn’t want to go anywhere near it. We didn’t go very far and then I said we should walk up front to check things out. The bush isn’t too bad and luckily there are no thorns so the going is relatively easy. We hugged the right bank and looked across to the left. While there are lines there, some are blocked by trees going right across the river. We got to where the siphon was and looked downstream. It looked pretty serious. Right below the siphon rock is a nasty slot. The water comes in from the left side of the rock and breaks ninety degrees in front of it. But here a lot of water drops into this narrow slot and it just doesn’t look like fun. We had a good look and discussed the few options that existed. When we got to the rapid the time was then already 12:25.

The rapid I call Toadwort now. The Fist Pourover is directly right (and horizontal) from the orange arrow and in between the rocks near the right. The Slot we were worried about going into is left of the green arrow and quite obvious. The line in is from the bottom left of the photo. Ugly stuff.

Toadwort with no water. Note the pothole indicated by the green arrow. Same as the above photo. Also note the slot to the left. VERY ugly little slot.

Toadwort with no water. Note the orange arrow on the left. Same rock as the picture two photos up. You don't want to swim here. A friend of Charl's swam here and almost drowned. When a grow man comes out in tears you know it's bad. I definitely would NOT want to swim anywhere on this river. Did I mention how Wihan Basson was almost sucked into a siphon on this river? He lost his paddle, his boat came out 5 minutes later and he clung onto a rock as the siphon tried to suck his feet in... The Dwars is nasty... :-)

Another look at the slot at the start of Toadwort. Looks easier in the photos I must say. Hahahaha. The siphon rock is the one I'm standing on and to the right.

The entry rapids to Toadwort. Note: a lot of water is coming in from the right side of the photo (river left) and not shown here. Hence the flow looks very low. But is blocked with trees.

A closer look at the bottom of Toadwort and the Fist Pourover now slightly more visible.

Trees blocking one route. Pity!

We all agreed that making the line just below the siphon rock was not going to be easy, it needed more water. From below there it looked possible to put in on the right and get into the main flow. Here it dropped through a mostly covered boulder garden, through some pushy water and into a big pourover that was shaped like a palm down fist on an extended arm, with water flowing down all over, even the arm. It looked pretty cool and wasn’t really a problem but the stuff just above it looked a little tricky. Immediately below this was another simple drop but with a bad undercut on the left. Easily avoidable if your line is fine on the first part... Then below the simple drop is a short pool and then something else. I knew that ‘something else’ was quite mean and the pool was short. The likelihood of loosing equipment was very high in case of a swim. Especially with only three of us. Rowan didn’t like the look of any of this and quite reasonably portaged everything. There was no need to be a hero and down he went with the video camera and throw bag to pick up any pieces. I looked at the top section but didn’t feel I could have a nice line. According to the doctor I was not even supposed to be paddling, let alone creeking. But I know where my limits are and even though I could have paddled this rapid I just didn’t feel right about it. The part where one drops into the main flow made me feel nervous and decided to give it a skip. My line would be from just downstream of the, let’s call it Fist Pourover and through the simple rapid and into the pool above the ‘something else’. In fact, let’s call that big rapid Something Else. Let's call the rapid above (and part of) the Fist Pourover, Toadwort, yes from the Gummi Bears! Hahaha. I have no idea if these rapids have been named. No one ever bothers to publish stuff like this and share the knowledge so I’ll just do it. Yes, I was definitely still in nappies when people first started running these rapids but no where can you find any solid information on rivers like these so here goes! Call them what you will I really couldn’t care less. My site, and even myself get a fair amount of criticism anyway so what’s a little more. Just remember, no one ever kicks a dead dog.

Right, back to the story. Abrie decided he would put in below the horrible slot and run the tricky part above the Fist Pourover and then the simple rapid to just above Something Else. He asked if I had a problem with this and I said no. Abrie was borrowing one of my boats and we all knew that a mistake could ruin the boat, or worse, Abrie. He looked confident and I felt good for his sake. It’s always a good idea to ask someone else if they mind running safety for you on a particular rapid. On a recent trip I told a mate of mine I was definitely not happy with him running a particular rapid and would not risk myself to save him because of the nature of the rapid. He was happy with my decision and ran it anyway, successfully, at least! I always think it’s better to be straight up and honest with someone. 10/15 (?) years or so back a chap climbed onto a high Buffalo River that shouldn’t have paddled that river, he never climbed off...

For safety sake I stood at the crux of the rapid with camera and throw bag at the ready. Rowan was further downstream with the video camera and throw bag too. We all signalled the go ahead and Abrie went down. He made the part which had made me worried very easily, then the tricky part he messed up, catching a bit of left edge and needing to brace badly. He dropped down sideways off the left side of the ‘arm’ of the Fist Pourover and went down a little. The pourover isn’t too bad on the side but he was lucky not to get taken into the meat. Because he had ended up on the left, he now had to make a very hurried ferry to miss the undercut on what I referred to as the ‘simple rapid’. He did this and completed it easily enough. Once he was down he came back up for the camera and I put in just below the Fist Pourover. Even though Abrie had managed the rapid I was still happy with my decision and I know that it will always be there for me, on another day. I was careful not to get pulled into the pourover and then down I went; easy stuff.

Abrie Swanepoel putting in below the slot at the top of Toadwort. I just love that name, and the Gummi Bear character, of course! Abrie was using my old Necky Blunt as he didn't have a creek boat at the time.

Abrie down Toadwort, going down the left side of the Fist Pourover and now starting to ferry to the right to miss an undercut rock.

Abrie finishing off the 'simple rapid' below Toadwort. At the top of the photo is the entry to Something Else.

Adrian Tregoning putting in just below the Fist Pourover and running the 'simple rapid'. Photos by Abrie Swanepoel.

So if you were thinking Toadwort was soft c**k stuff then have a look. Some decent gradient on him and many places to come a cropper. 

Looking back at Toadwort in summer, ultra low.

The next rapid was interesting, the one I now call Something Else. There is a large hole in the entry backed up by a rock obstructing the main current, although one would miss that, hopefully, and take the left channel. The right side has a strainer in it and who knows how big it is underwater. That strainer was definitely very off putting if you missed your line and we decided to once again play it safe as the rapid continues down and into a reasonable hole at the end that is totally boxed in. Rescue would have to be set up from downstream and this requires a hike around on the right to get down to water level where you cannot see what is happening upstream. Radios would be essential and luckily I’ve got some, just not on that particular trip. I think on another trip we’ll try some of the other rapids. It just depends on the water level, the group and how one feels on the given day. I have no regrets about our portaging. When we got back onto the water around the other side it was 14:10. As you can see it took pretty long to set up safety, scout and what not on the other rapids.

The second part of the entry to Something Else. Note the strainer. It must be backed up by something far larger. Getting worked in a hole with a strainer, done that before, not fun. Hence I walked. And this was NOT here when I scouted it at a low level although some people say it's always been there. Maybe the old one left and this is new. Who knows? Who cares? :-)

The rapid I call Something Else. Quite a stiff rapid and more ugly things to watch out for. Can you spot them? Look at the nature of the surrounding rock.

Something Else with no water. Note: no strainer. Note how deep those channels are too. Brrrr...!!!!

Rowan Walpole having a look at Something Else. I wonder what he was thinking. The hole behind him is boxed in and the final move. A fast and tricky looking rapid for sure.

A look at Something Else from the bottom up, with Toadwort in the background. With a few more people for safety sake we'll do this one. At least we now know what the next rapid looks like too as we could just see a horizon line. Again, looks easier on the photos! Hehehe.

Corran Addison running Something Else in 1986. Photo (and used with permission) by Graeme Addison. And we portaged in 2008. Shame on us. Next time! :-)  [Although it looks much lower here... *cough*]

The horizon line for the next rapid, Hesitation Rapid. Hmmmm, the Dwars is really lekker. Some steep stuff.

Abrie Swanepoel (left) and Rowan Wapole (right) having a blast!

The exit from Something Else on the left and Hesitation rapid in the background, barely visible.

The final hole on Something Else. Not a lekker place to get beaten I would imagine!

Same picture of Something Else with almost no water. Quite a difference!

The next rapid I had not been able to scout and during my solo hike I was forced to climb up a crazily steep slope (without any ropes and that I did not enjoy!), so I had not seen this rapid. Thinking back to the climb I was prepared to run this rapid or find a creative way to portage it. On the left is a tight spot where you can climb out. Watch out for higher flows when the water would flow a lot faster. It has a one, possibly two boat eddy so don’t overcrowd or you will be running the left side blind, and that could be very nasty. A swim here could mean swimming over the big waterfall just downstream.

The three of us stood on the left and looked at the rapid. I had read about the plugged siphon drop but I didn’t know that Corran was referring to the very first drop (the Cheese Block) which we portaged. So now, with this knowledge in my mind, I wondered if this was it. There is a rock in the middle with a sloped drop on the left that is a bit jagged and rocky and then a chute on the right side. The rock in the middle is a siphon. That is plain to see. Loads of water is pumping out of the bottom of the rock and at the level we had you can clearly see that. What I had also read on Corran’s site is that the siphon was plugged in the 80’s. I wondered now if this was the drop in question and I was very hesitant about running it. Rowan and Abrie looked as sceptical as me. We took some drift wood and let it pass above the siphon rock a few times. Nothing happened. So surely it would have sucked the wood down if it was a problem, right? Right!

Hesitation Rapid. The rock in the background is the siphon. See the water coming out from the bottom? The lines on river left need more water as you will hit a lot of rock at this level.

There was little doubt that I would be the probe on this one and so up I went. My plan was to enter from right to left and boof with a left stroke to get away from the little crease in the chute. My entry was slightly to the right as the lip was sloping and I couldn’t quite see where I was going. I decided to quickly lift up my right paddle blade to avoid contact with the rock and dropped down. The ride down was bloody awesome actually and I hit something soft halfway down. Almost like a step halfway down. The landing was ultra soft and I went down nicely. Beautiful! With that, it was the other guys turn. They still didn’t look convinced but Abrie was ready as ever. His line was straighter than mine and down he went into the crease, luckily emerging upright. Right, now Rowan was next. He looked very nervous at the top but then ran a similar line to Abrie’s and really styled it. Check out the photos! Bonus! Because we had almost portaged this rapid, we decided to call it Hesitation Rapid. A fitting name, I think.

Adrian Tregoning running Hesitation Rapid. Not my original intended line but worked out nicely anyway. Photos by Abrie Swanepoel. (edited by me) The big siphon is on the right of the photo but is not a problem at all.

Abrie Swanepoel on Hesitation Rapid.

Rowan Walpole on Hesitation Drop.

There was one more small rapid, and then what we had came for, the big waterfall. Well, it’s not that big, but the biggest drop on the river. It was probably about 10m high but the vertical part is only about 8 as the entry is a sloping lip. We eddied out on the right, above the lip. It looked very lekker from the top and I was once again set to be the probe. Rowan would man the video this time, and Abrie and still camera. I decided for extra style I would boof this one too. The landing looked aerated enough and the Solo has enough rocker to prevent ones back from breaking. I had landed a five metre totally flat, and sitting dead upright, in the beginning of the year and although my neck tweaked a little I was fine. Having confidence in your equipment is vital.

I climbed back into my boat alone and felt a little nervous. I paddled out from the eddy to where they could see. They indicated they were ready and so I paddled off. It’s such a detached, calm feeling when you climb into the main current and commit. Nothing you do now can stop you and you’re committed to making your move or to paying a possible price. I’m definitely way more nervous just looking at a drop than when I actually paddle into. My initial plan was to boof off a left stroke to turn the bow to the right a little, as this was towards the exit of where all the water flowed. As I punched the little hole it turned my boat a little to the right and I already had my paddle in on the left. A left draw stroke would not work as it was too shallow so I immediately set up for a right boof, knowing it would work just as well anyway. I corrected once on the right with a short stroke and then boofed strongly. The bottom of the drop became visible and I knew I had boofed very hard, perhaps too hard. To further cushion my spine I leant forward in anticipation for the landing and then I hit. My body compressed pretty hard and my face hit either the cockpit rim or the paddle. I think it was the paddle. It hit me on my upper lip, just below the nose. For a second or two I was slightly dazed and remember hearing the roar of the water and realised that I had came away beautifully, still upright and hardly going under. The biggest boof I have done so far and man did it feel good!!! YEAH!!! I’ll never forget that one.  Although people boof way bigger drops, there have also been folk who have been paralysed running 3m drops. I don’t recommend it unless you have ample experience, skill and confidence in your equipment. The pain in my lip soon went away and I was stoked not to see any blood. The water in the Dwars is highly polluted and you wouldn’t want to be cut on this river. Just upstream it runs through a township.

Adrian Tregoning about the run the big waterfall on the Dwars. This shot shows the entry nicely. Watch out for that hole where I am now. I believe someone already ran this drop upside down... Photo by Abrie Swanepoel. Oh, and while I'm on a big roll let me name this one too. In the name of Corran Addison we'll call it Addison's Drop as this was his first big waterfall back in the day when he was charging when most people were still playing chess!

Adrian Tregoning boofing Addison's Drop beautifully (if I do say so myself...) Photos by Abrie Swanepoel. (editing by me)

Abrie lowered the camera to me on a rope and I made my way to river left to set up for photos. I had to climb up a vertical part with one hand on the Pelican case and trying to avoid thorns at the same time. I’m not very keen on heights (although I don’t mind kayaking waterfalls) so I hope you guys can appreciate the effort for the photos! For example, I would never jump the height that I had just boofed. Probably not even into a pool. I feel safer in my boat, pretty weird I know. Anyway, Abrie was next and I waited in position. Rowan signalled that he was coming so I looked through the lens and waited, and waited and waited. My eye started burning and I wondered what the devil was going on. Eventually he appeared but as I depressed the shutter the auto focus jumped out and then in again and I only got him as he was about to enter the water. Damn it! His line was far right, very close to the rocks and he really plugged in, going deep and resurfacing further downstream in a massive stern stall. Nice one Abrie.

Abrie Swanepoel plugging Addison's Drop. Sorry I missed most of the run! I'll blame Rowan for this one (see text!) hehehe.

Abrie the human mountain goat on the left and Rowan and the right. You're up Rowan!

Addison's Drop is all it's glory. Beautiful!

Addison's Drop in summer with no water.

Next up was Rowan, who was the least experienced paddler and he was secretly hoping we wouldn’t survive the drop so he wouldn’t have to run it himself. Abrie, the human mountain goat, climbed (and I mean climb!) back up the river right side and got into position to take video. This time I used manual focus to avoid the same mistake. Abrie signalled Rowan was coming and I took aim. I didn’t wait long at all and he busted out much further left than Abrie but still on a good line, taking it just less than vertical. Everyone was ultra stoked! It was good times indeed. Rowan says he found God in the eddy above the waterfall... We briefly looked at the next rapid from the top and decided to gun it down the middle. It was a great rapid and a good way to end the day. When we stopped on river right to get out the time was 16:10. For a while we tried to find a route up the gulley but the going was too slippery at this concrete wall which someone had built. Water was flowing down making life difficult. It was decided we would paddle down a bit further and then walk out, where, in theory, it would be easier anyway.

Rowan Walpole running Addison's Drop further away from the wall than Abrie, shew! Lekker.

Rowan Walpole after running the waterfall. It says it all in the hand gesturing to some part of his anatomy. Good times. And everyone had great lines on this one!

Addison's Drop and the rapid just below it. What a lekker river!

The next rapid we ran without scouting to head further down to try and walk out as we had run out of time and most people never paddle past this point anyway because of strainers downstream.

The next rapid we couldn’t really scout so we guessed on what to do. It was obvious that we had to hit a left through a crease on the lip of a boulder and Abrie happened to be first down. I went down immediately after him, hitting the boulder and then getting a little tail action! The hole was more powerful that first estimated. Rowan came through and because of my line had cleverly avoiding doing the same thing. One or two more tiny rapids and we started our long climb up. Abrie, our resident mountain goat, took off and made good progress. Rowan made decent progress and I managed to keep up but then fell off a little. I was tired. We had shared out some slim slabs which I had brought with, as well as some other stuff which Rowan and Abrie had packed just before we had started what we first thought was our walk out. We drank all of our water then as well. Eventually Rowan helped me through a very tricky and slippery section. It was pretty tough going. There are three reasons why people don’t paddle the Dwars very often. The first is, it’s very polluted. Although none of us had any upset stomachs afterwards so that was a good thing. Secondly the section is short. Believe it or not, the top section is only 1km. And the bottom section is probably a further 4km of class 3 and 4 with many, many strainers. The trees are a big problem. Then thirdly the top section of the Dwars is very intimidating and more difficult I’m told by three different very reliable sources than the more popular Wit River – which is 7.5km of class 3/4/5. This year I don’t have any shoulder issues and I’m sure within the next 4 months I will have forgotten about my shoulder and it will (hopefully!) have full range again. Then I’ll hit the Wit a couple of times and hopefully get some decent weather to capture it on video and photos. The chances of sunny skies on the Wit are slim though.

Rowan and Abrie look up at possible routes to carry on hiking out. This is about halfway. And this railway line is no longer in use. Such a shame. But that's our awesome government and Spoornet! Idiots! We wouldn't have a quarter of the trucks on our roads if our rail system was up to scratch.

Rowan Walpole (left) and Adrian Tregoning (right) - as Braam puts it - 'wondering which train to take'. Photo by Abrie Swanepoel.

Rowan Walpole (left) and Abrie Swanepoel (right) after a long hike out, and a long day in general.

Adrian Tregoning tired after a long day, and probably not enough water to drink! Photo by Rowan Walpole.

Adrian Tregoning after the Dwars - happy man. Photo by Rowan Walpole.

After a long hike up, we finally got to the top, the time then was 17:30. So from the time we left the car, until the time we got back to the road, we had ‘paddled’ only 1 kilometre of river in 6 and a half hours. Not bad. That beats my Kaaimans River record. But creeking often does involve a lot of hiking, climbing, bush bashing, scouting and what not. Good times for sure!

Abrie (left) and Rowan (right) having some drinks!

The car and our prized kayaks.

Rowan Walpole.

Abrie Swanepoel. Great day guys! Thank you.

Abrie managed to thumb a lift on about the second car. The drivers were drinking from an open bottle of whisky and more concerned about Abrie wetting their seats!!! Typical South Africa! What a place. Actually, what a day! Abrie fetched his car and we loaded up. At the first bar we pulled in and quenched our thirst on something alcoholic. After two drinks we were feeling better than ever and headed home. Back at my house I had a lekker braai (South African word for BBQ) and then after that headed out until 02:00 for another mission which I won’t get into but it was well worth it. It had been a fantastic day. 4 October 2008. I won’t forget it in a hurry. And only because of Abrie and Rowan, thanks guys!!!! It was awesome. Can’t wait to hit it again.

Video by Adrian Tregoning and hosted on Playak.tv! :-)

Photography by: Adrian Tregoning. A big thanks to Graeme Addison (father of Corran in case you didn't know) for the use of two of his photos! Graeme started commerical rafting in South Africa and helped design the 'Croc'. Check out his site HERE.

Words by: Adrian Tregoning.

Next article: I’ll jump the ‘que’ and throw in another surf kayak session before I do possibly do a Palmiet River article and then the 2008 SA Road Trip articles. There will be 9 articles in that series. Thanks for supporting and reading my articles!