But alas, it wasn’t another Thrombi Festival, even though
the spirits definitely suggested otherwise, before, during and after the days paddle.
Unfortunately I was only there for the Saturday paddle 05/02/2011, and missed out on Friday evening and Saturday evening, and of course the Sunday Paddle.
The main attraction for the weekend was the Saturday paddle through the gorge to the waterfall, running the waterfall, and the paddle onwards to the foot bridge takeout- the onward paddle-A first for me, and a first for many others, even those who have run Thrombosis countless times. Most who have trekked out from the falls are aware that the name Thrombosis Gorge better describes the hectic takeout rather than the river. And knowing what a classic river run Thrombosis Gorge is, it accentuates this takeout description ten fold!
I kind of missed the waterfall takeout, there’s something magical about arduously heaving yourself and boat up, up and away from a slowly disappearing hiss of river, to a plateau of lush green rolling pastures plummeting dangerously into the white water below. I missed that feeling of accomplishment, where you can see everything you’ve done below you in that horseshoe, that feeling of, ‘I’ve done Thrombi!’
Never the less however, the onward paddle past the Falls, is actually almost equivalent of doing the ‘normal’ Thrombosis again! It’s that great! It’s continuous class 3 / 4 all the way to the foot bridge! So… one loss, one gain! Or two gains for those who hate the Walk up from the waterfall..
So… back to the Saturday paddle… There were 18 of us all together, a great turn out from all, some experienced paddlers such as Ross O’donohue, Graeme Anderson, Shaun Biggs, Andrew Pollock, Phillip Claasens, Luke Longridge, Adrian Vroom, Richard, Gerald to name but a few.. And a few newbie’s, sorry didn’t get your names…
Well there was Nino Cloete… still doing the same as last, throwing away his paddle, thinking that greatness is defined in hand rolling…. Well tried boet, you’re an inspiration for a Guinness record…
Highlights of the day… Nino breaking my Solo, and having to walk out sky high miles…
Rescuing the Damsel in distress (Jolene) over and over again, credit must go to her though for being the only female kayaker on the day!
Oh- and myself being tumbled in an unforeseen washing machine.
The comradery was brilliant!.. But not when no one even stopped to realize that I was the last one in line… after emptying my kayak I ended up in the last position and paddled a section of river below the falls by myself for over 1 km without anyone realizing…! I truly felt needed, I really did!
The takeout was brilliant, and the prehistoric agricultural Chinese landscape was a true marvel- sending me into orbit!
Back at camp was as good as it gets, thanks for the hot dogs( Provided by the local( sorry forget your names now).. Brothers and drinks! Fantastic!

I heard the next day Piere lost his kayak in the falls, apparently on the far left side. (Don’t run the left!)… Details needed guys…

Thanks Jolene Fisher for the amazing Pics…
If you would like to see more pictures from this day.. visit Jolenes site at.. https://picasaweb.google.com/jolenefisher/Thrombi46Feb2011#

Cheers.
Quint.

Grade 6H

Kayak Freestyle training has been really busy at the Highbury Preparatory School in Hillcrest. Kayaking has been introduced as part of the new P.E program for the summer. Grade 6 and 7′s have been thrilled at been introduced to such a radical/adventurous sport, right on their doorstep!!!!

Videos have been screened as part of the Visual Audio learning process, as well as practicle lessons within the Highbury School Pool. It’s really great being able to introduce and share my expertise and interests wholeheartedly with Highbury! The Kids love it, I love it, Life couldn’t be better! I really think that what this world needs… is more Kayaks!!

I hope that these P.E lessons have a lasting effect on the boys at Highbury, and hopefully make a difference in their lives and pursue the sport of kayaking! Kayaking in Durban is a fantastic place to start! Durban of all the places in the world is probably the safest, warmest, most central point on the planet for water activities- all year round! In the summer the Drakensburg overflows with water, making KZN a haven for an international kayaking hotspot, not to mention the almost sauna like conditions at the beach, with amazing waves! In the winter, when the mountains have dried, The oceans remain calm and give off a steady rythmical beat of waves, Winter Ocean kayaking in Durban is just the best! So if you live in Durban, be sure not to miss another opportunity, pick up a paddle, get in a kayak, and love it!

The Nipp Inn is an ideal place for anyone wanting to connect with Moto Cross / Enduro Biking. It’s more of a qauint drinking hole for locals it seems, as the signs suggested at the entrance, but none the less, we were warmly welcomed and they allowed our two accompanying dogs to be set free to run their legs.

A short wait, and we then met our kayaking mates for the day- Richard Domleo, Guy Collyer, Shaun Griffin, Brett Frost, Justin Abrams and Deon Bruss.

The pholela is an awesome run- Very continuous, about a grade 3-4 section. The waterfalls make it a grade 4. There is one Grade 5 rapid towards the end of the run as well, which can be easily portaged. Otherwise mostly Grade 3 rapids. Although if you were Nino, another grading system would be in place for sure! I would like to grade for the majority anyhow.. so there we have it.

The waterfalls are very easy to run, but be carefull at different levels however, as it ain’t too deep in certain areas as Dean found out when he had a re-doo of his kayak nose on the 2nd Waterfall, even though levels were optimal!

Highlights for the day- Nino shooting his first waterfall! A puffadder encounter! Nino wanting to paddle without a paddle for the whole trip, ‘God knows why’, especially when the bottom of the river is a preferred view!’Nino paddling straight for a retentitive hole looking lovingly into its depths, smiling, and then submitting, WILLINGLY to its wrath! 

Nino putting his paddle into a bush, and then floating on by with paddle hands…

Nino being wrapped around a rock, and Super man coming to the rescue…

Sorry Nino… your 1st time… had to make a it last!

Gerald breaking his paddle,

Dogs rolling in Human pooh.

Richard Freewheeling the 2nd waterfall!.. in a creek boat!

All in all, a great day!

Thanks Justin for the pics!

A sport that takes you places, everywhere coastal and inland country wide..

Love It!

Adventure Kayaking in KZN, Freestyle Kayaking in KZN, Creeking in KZN, Starts in Durban South Africa. Looking for Adventure in South Africa? Looking for adventure in KZN? Wanting to explore wild areas other than the commonplace attractions. Ever wondered how to get further than the public boundaries… Look no further, start kayaking, and it all happens automatically. Kayaking is a sport for the whole family, its a safe sport, and enjoyed on all levels! Start in your swimming pool, learn the basics, have fun doing it, then go out and explore!

adventure sports

Excellent training, I was made to feel welcome and comfortable, excellent training methods, made fun and easy. now I love kayaking!

Steve Fisher, a South African Canoe Marathon legend, went on to become, and still is, an inspiration for the sport of kayaking as a whole, along side South Africa’s ‘Corran Addison’, who started Riot Kayaks, now based in the USA. Together they, through pioneering experimentation and development, developed the sport, and were apart of the few core who developed freestyle kayaking to where it is today.

Freestyle kayaking directly and indirectly draws its disciplines from a variety of related and unrelated sports and activities. Canoeing and kayaking have the majority of influence, whereby basic techniques are used to propel oneself over water using a paddle and flotational device such as a canoe or rowing boat. These facets have developed and professionalized over the years into what we see today, canoe marathons, Oxford /Cambridge Rowing etc.

Gymnastics on the other hand can be seen as an obscure but very important relation to Freestyle Kayaking. Freestyle Kayaking involves a heap of flexibility, creativity, dexterity and precision in performing seemingly impossible, amazingly breathtaking aerial movements on the water such as loops, air Screws, cartwheels, helixes, blunts, tricky woos, phoenix monkeys’ to name but a few. An amazing notion to realize is that the risks involved are minimal, as water is always a wonderfully soft landing cushion!

The framework for learning these incredibly fulfilling, creative skills, lies within a learning environment where necessities such as fitness, discipline and commitment, all perceived as ‘hardships’, merely melt away and are no longer seen any more as barriers to developing, because the excitement of an ever changing environment catapults one into an adrenaline fuelled consciousness, leading to endless synchronization in decision making, fuelling an ever increasing confidence and a yearning for more and more fun!

The spinoffs from this amazingly radical creative art are endless…

Water is global, water is everywhere. Some of the best whitewater kayaking spots have yet to be discovered. The sport is new, and so too are the expeditions…