South Africa White Water
by Graeme Henebry

South Africa, known for its complex history, beautiful landscapes, wildlife and sporting achievements. It is however relatively unknown for its potential as a whitewater paddling destination, difficult to believe considering it has produced some of the great talents and innovators of the sport, in Steve Fisher, Corran Addison, Dale Jardine to name but a few...

How can this be? The kayaking community is small and scattered over this huge country, with most of these boaters involved in the rafting industry, popular among south africans as a recreational activity. Many of these guys work the season at home before heading north to work on the Zambezi, White Nile, or farther afield.

The popularity of marathon paddling is astounding, South Africa is home to some big races like the Dusi, attracting large corporate sponsorship, entry numbers and thousands of spectators. K1 is preferred over whitewater which is still viewed with indifference by many thus making it difficult for the sport to be taken seriously.

The pioneering South African mentalty is inherant in the local kayakers but they seem fascinated with venturing abroad to fulfill this calling. Don’t get me wrong now i’m not trying to take from the great achievements of guys like Tim Biggs kayaking all three major Amazonian tributaries to show but one example. But why not focus some of that energy on further exploring South Africas whitewater. There are literally hundreds of first descents still waiting for paddlers, with many concentrated in the Natal provence hidden in the Drakensberg mountains.

Celliers Kruger CEO of Fluid kayaks along with some friends undertook a kayaking odessey around South Africa one of the goals being to produce a guide to the whitewater treasures of his homeland. “A Guide to the Rivers of Southern Africa” is a useful tool for travellers wanting to experience some of the classic runs. It’s good locating put in, take out, sometimes a mission in itself out there. It will give paddlers a rough indicator of the difficulty of runs but ike most guidebooks should not be relied too heavily. It is not written with the intention of mothering paddlers and holding their hands, good paddling,scouting and portaging skills are a must.

The remote nature of rivers here means if you do get into trouble your on your own and you’ll have to make a plan. The character of the runs tends to be continuous and technical boulder grdens with a good mix of vertical drops thrown in for added spice. Similar to New Zealand the rivers tend to attract wood following big rains so expect the unexpected is the advice for paddlers.South Africa is crying out for regularly available and affordable heli access but unfortunately there are no Bruce Dando’s out here, the thriving corporate market means pilots have neither the time or inclination to fly kayakers. Maybe this will change in time opening a whole range of possibilites.

 

 

 

The paddling season season varies from east to west, for eastern regions the best time is from mid December until around the end of March, daily thunderstorms hgh in the mountains keep rivers toped up nicely, there are also a number of classsic rivers downstream from large dams that regulate flows, its worth checking with them before getting on however as unschedled releases do occur. In the west around Capetown the season from April through July.

Visiting Paddlers will have rely on local knowledge in order to get the most out of their missin. Natal where i spent most of my time is home to some awesome boaters like Ross O’Donoghue, Graeme Anderson, Jackie Fourie and Chris Lee all of whom will be happy to point you in the right direction and if they are free may join you for a blast down one of their home runs. In the Western Region consider speaking to Andrew Kellett from Gravity.

My season in South Africa gave me a taste for its hidden treasures, its a place i would love to return to with a crew of friends on a dedicated kayaking mission. I would just like to say a big thank you to Graeme Anderson for hooking me up witha Solo from Fluid kayaks while i was visiting, and also a big shout out to Chris for being a great wingman on and off the water.