There is a theory that we only truly know ourselves when we are confronted by imminent danger, for a group kayakers, they got to know themselves awfully well when they took on the ferocious Congo River’s Inga Rapids.
South African Kayaking icon Steve Fisher documented his insane expedition to conquer the Inga Rapids and recruited a team of the world’s best paddlers including Tyler Bradt of Missoula, Montana, Benny Marr of Ottawa, Canada, and Rush Sturges from Forks of Salmon, California. His documentary Congo – The Grand Inga Project is an emotional journey that depicts the fortitude and courage of those men. One team member even admitted he faced moments when he was not sure if he was going to go through with this challenge. It is almost a suicide run as the Inga Rapids have previously claimed casualties and it is considered the world’s most dangerous rapids with over 1.6 million cubic feet of water thundering down the rapids per second. It has also been considered unrunable for centuries.
This is a river like no other and these rapids were a big step more difficult than we’d anticipated,” says Fisher. “When the early explorers wrote that these rapids are unnavigable, and that any attempt on them would be pure insanity, they were dead right. We may have succeeded, but their statements are still accurate. In fact, we all agreed that if we attempted them again, we wouldn’t fancy our chances.” Check out the awesome clip below on the Inga Project.
