Photo of the Week

6th May 2009

Rapid 11 Zambezi

The Sun Kosi in Nepal post monsoon, the Nile in Uganda or perhaps the Colorado all lay claim to the mightiest white water thrill but perhaps the most exhilarating of all is the fabled Zambezi. A day's trip in season takes in twenty monstrous grade four and five rapids with sinister names like 'the Overland Truck eater', 'Commercial Suicide' and 'Oblivion'. Putting aside the hype, it is actually a safe and staggeringly beautiful white-knuckle day in the gorge and unlikely to be forgotten. Rapid 11 is always remembered  not just as it is the first after lunch but more because it has a grade 5 drop into a deep hole boiling with foam and spume and then a huge upswell to negotiate before a serene section of water before No.12 -  'The Munch'. This photo involved scrambling back along the slippery rocks with a waterproof Pelicase and then capturing the action on a fast shutter speed. In case you are wondering how many remained aboard, the answer is only two, a complete absence of paddling and therefore momentum normally results in a thorough dunking.

The picture was taken on a Minolta Dynax 5  70-200 2.8 Sigma lens and Fuji Velvia 50 film