Kayking Vaal-Below Parys 26 January 2008

After 2 rainy weeks the kayaking group (Delène, Gert, Helgard and I) thought it was a good idea to paddle threw a few fast moving rapids on the Vaal. Gert is the "scout" among the kayakers, so he insisted on the rapids below Parys. The water in the river was above 100cumec

The trip started of with a few long but slow rapids. Just after the hanging bridge the real action started with the Big Daddy rapid. With a name like "Big Daddy and the sound of the water I decided to get out and carry my kayak. The force of the water was to strong, screaming and shouting I went down the rapid, I even went with my back down the river, it was a scary experience.

When the river spited, Helgard took the stream to right and Gert, Delène and I kept to left. We were unlucky because water hyacinths stop us from paddling, and we had to make our way through the 30m of of the alien invader plant. Water hyacinths sounds like a little "problem", but it was hard work, because one has to push one threw the hyacinths floating on top of the water, fit the current pushing below. The hyacinths are capable of choking the river that it looks like a grassland, see the Wikipedia page anyway…
The 1st 3 rapids after the hyacinths are called "Gapping Jaws" they are relatively easy to paddle threw. After the Gaping Jaws there is a pool and a drop, because of the high water there are huge waves.

After all the excitement we caught up with Helgard who was lying in the sun and drinking beer. (The stream that he took was definitely shorter and easier.)
After we met up with Helgard Delène and myself organized the cars while Gert and Helgard paddle further down the river.

In the process Helgard saw his camera and cell phone floating in water inside his watertight bag....we are minus one camera at this stage.

Gert and Helgard encountered two more rapids of note. At the last rapid called "Gatsien" (roughly translated it means see you arse). Helgard and Gert got stuck on the rocks just before the rapid. While being stuck Helgard retrieved a paddle form from the river, the next moment the stream caught the back of his boat and from there on he was only a passenger. He went backwards through the greatest rapid ever (ok apart from Visgat rapid that nearly killed all of us). With a lot of struggling Gert worked himself loose from the rocks but did not manage to fasten his splash skirt. Fortunately Gert made it through the rapid but his kayak was flooded. The kayak was filled with water to the top, very funny.

More photos here