Zambezi in Flood

***All Photos Copyright Rita Riewerts***

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After regrouping in SA we made the two day drive up through Botswana to Livingstone, Zambia, home of Victoria Falls and the infamous Zambezi River. We had no idea whether the river was going to be too high or not but word of flooding in the headwaters made us all a bit skeptical. Upon arriving we immediatley went on a 'booze cruise', which is a two story pontoon boat that takes tourists upriver from Vic Falls to see hippos and crocs. After a night of good humour and terrorizing tourists the boys chatted with Tony Barnett, a Zambezi Legend based out of Livingstone since 1995, about the possibility of running the river.

Turns out the river is near the height of its peak. It is 120 meters (not a typo) above the level they raft it at. It is an entirely different river and a raft would be suicidal at these levels. The spray from Vic falls rises above the lip for probably 500 meters. Since last doing it near these levels in the late 90's with Alex Nicks and a few others, Tonys decribed the rapids on pieces of paper and made the river sound doable. The holes were not as much of an issue as were the 4 meter high boils, terminal eddies and the 2 meter deep whirlpools. Swimming is not an option.

So the decision was made and Tyler, Rush and Lane put in. Tyler had done it twice at low levels and it would be Rush and Lane's first trip down the river. After stuffing our laps with rafting PFD's to avoid a skirt implosion we spent the entire day trembling and terrified. Completely disappearing in whirlpools and seams was common. Tyler nearly got washed into 7 and 9 because the eddyfence was absolutley massive. We just tried to stay in the main flow the whole time.

After making it down the river we were happy to be off. However, we felt this river needed needed to be documented and after discovering the lines we felt we could run in much more control. So the decision was made to come back the next day with a chopper and document the run at one of the highest flows ever run. Unfortunately, heavy thunderstorms rolled in as soon as the chopper came in the canyon. It added an extra element to the run. Ian, Lane, Tyler and Rush all made the trip and here are some photos from their trip.

Check them out...

Victoria Falls with the mist rising to an insane height in the air

The falls has been receding along this fault line which has produced this very unique geological formation

Ian and Rush entering number 4

Looking back up number 4

Ian and Rush in the seam between 10 foot boils. This is the entrance to number 5

Ian and Rush hanging on in number 6
Tyler in the runout of Rapid #6

Tyler in the lead with Lane airing out in one of the massive and irregular compression waves. Right below rapid #7.5

Rapid 8 and 9 is one rapid at this level. Here is Lane and Tyler halfway in between, trying to stay in the main flow. On the first day, Tyler barely made the eddy on the left side almost going in to #9 blind. On the second day Ian was caught in a massive whirlpool sucking him down and into the main flow and was forced to run #9 completley blind. The eddy is extremley hard to catch.

Tyler and Lane getting closer and closer to the crux of the run, number 9

Looking down into the biggest rapid either of them has ever run - number 9. The move is right between two building sized holes.

Tyler charging out the backside of number 9 with Lane still somewhere in the maw. Tyler, Lane and Ian were all pretty much sucked through the wave when they hit the irregular funky boil.

Tyler past the last rapid and on top of the world.

As for now we are preparing for our next mission which is to the Eastern Highlands of economically devastaed Zimbabwe. We will carry food and fuel for ten days in an attempt to paddle two rivers - the Gairesi and Pungwe. The Gairesi forms the border with Mozambique and the Pungwe is just south of the Gairesi. With elections coming on March 28th, the trip should be very interesting so keep checking back...