Water Words: “Living the Best Day Ever”

a Carolina Paddler Book Report

“Living the Best Day Ever”

by Hendri Coetzee

Published by Hendri Coetzee Trust  2013,   327 pages

Report by Zach Schiada

-I recently read “Living the Best Day Ever” by Hendri Coetzee. I came across this book as I was watching a National Geographic series entitled Edge of the Unknown with Jimmy Chin. In the episode, “Deadly Waters,” a team of professional whitewater kayakers go to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to explore some of the world’s most remote rivers. One of the three is taken by a crocodile and disappears, never to be seen again. The program, which covered the horrifying attack, left a lasting impression on my wife and me as we watched the actual footage of the aftermath of the attack. It didn’t show the attack on Coetzee itself, but did show his kayak upside down in the water and his companions swiftly paddling away from their friend since there was nothing they could do to help him.

My wife and I debated whether they made the right move in not engaging with the crocodile to help their friend, instead of just saving themselves. We came to the conclusion that there was nothing they could have done to help, a position other kayakers in the program had maintained. We speculated that this scenario was likely decided beforehand as a safety plan, should an attack occur.

Regardless, this article isn’t about the National Geographic program, but rather a report on Hendri Coetzee’s memoir, “Living the Best Day Ever.” Hendri was hired to take the two Americans on the expedition for the National Geographic program and he was the man taken by the crocodile on the Lukuga River.   In my research, I learned Hendri had just completed and emailed his memoir to a publisher about a week before his disappearance.

For more information on the conditions that made crocodiles on the Lukuga River especially dangerous as well as other background on Hendri Coetzee and his legacy, I’d recommend the Outside magazine article “Consumed” by Grayson Schaffer. It covers a great deal about his life and offers alternate points of view on his expeditions and how they should be categorized in terms of credit, including perspectives of those with whom he butted heads in his memoir. I would consider this a prerequisite if you have interest in reading Hendri’s memoir, “Living the Best Day Ever.”

What started out as a morbid curiosity in researching more on the crocodile attack ended up being a discovery of a great piece of literature, full of adventure and deep insight into a man searching for his purpose. Hendri Coetzee clearly was not just a hardcore Whitewater thrill seeker, but also a gifted writer. Despite the title appearing to be something like a Tony Robbins life-help manual, this memoir is a raw, honest account of an extreme athlete who is looking for a greater purpose in life. He explores faith, travel, and introspective philosophies to try to find his place.

His memoir begins with a bit of background on his early childhood, his years in the South African Army and the start of his whitewater guiding career. He meets a guide at a bar near the Zambezi River and they hit it off after challenging each other in chess and discussing the safety of paddling rivers at night. After a very short introduction, the man arranges a river-guide job with his employer for Hendri. This leads Hendri down a path of continuous adventures, challenging himself to more difficult and remote stretches of river within Africa. In researching some of his background, it was mentioned that Hendri was almost fired early on in his whitewater raft guide career because of a stunt he pulled on a class VI rapid called number 9. He instructed his clients to portage with the other guides, and then he ran the rapid. He survived and made it down the rapid without issue, but his boss and friend, Peter Meredith, warned him he would no longer have his guiding job if he ever tried anything like that again.

Hendri, after realizing his new talent and hunger for adventure, discovers what he believes to be his true calling in leading an expedition from source to sea of the Nile River. Unlike previous explorers who have done similar trips, he would tackle as many of the runnable rapids as possible. His claim to being the first paddler to make the journey was a source of controversy since others had made similar journeys long before him. He specifically mentions John Goddard, who made the trip in 1951, but skipped the whitewater sections. Hendri comments that one of Goddard’s crew returned later to attempt the feat but was eaten by a crocodile in the very first rapid. Goddard, in an interview for the Outside article, contests some of the details.  Bureaucratic red tape by the Ugandan authorities had kept him from completing any of the Murchison Falls rapids on his expedition. Also, there was not a clear consensus on the true source of the Nile, a matter never resolved in the book. Several times Hendri mentions critics would point to some obscure small creek that would be considered the “new true source of the Nile,” but he dismisses their importance given the target was constantly shifting. In the end, he feels proud of his accomplishment, but leaves it to the reader to decide how to categorize his expedition.

Following his adventure on the Nile River, Hendri reflects on whether he had satisfied his goal for adventure and exploration. Clearly the answer was no, and this presents the recurring theme of his memoir, that he was always searching for some sort of fulfillment, yet never quite finding it. In his quest, he also completes a long walk along the coast from Mombasa, Kenya to Somanga, Tanzania. This trip was done entirely without shoes since Hendri did not own any.  It’s also done without any major planning, relying on whatever appears in his path, depending on Central African hospitality. This brings up another theme throughout the memoir of his African travels; despite the constant pestering for money by some locals, in all of the countries he visited people are genuinely good and are always giving more than they receive and are consistently hospitable to him. The same experience is found with the people of Africa in his other adventures including a solo paddle of the Murchison Falls rapids, an expedition down the Nile with a troubled youth and his travels throughout Congo both on and off the river. He expresses that the Congo may have bad statistics in terms of crime and death, but his personal experience is that the people are good, they are just dealt a bad hand.

Overall, I found the book very entertaining, especially when specific places are mentioned as landmarks. I found myself tracing Hendri’s footsteps and paddling excursions on the map once each new destination was reached. Coetzee has a way of writing that is very personal, but relatable. I started the book thinking that I would not identify with Hendri due to his being a professional kayaker that smokes and drinks excessively, descending rivers that I wouldn’t attempt even with the appropriate skill level. He starts out with a very cynical tone and comes across as a reckless partying frat type at the beginning, which I would have found more relatable in my youth, but not so much as an adult. However, as you read on, you realize there is a lot more depth to his character. Over the course of the book, you become more invested in his story and his writing is done in a way that you almost feel as if it is your own thoughts being expressed.

I must confess, however, that I am not a fan of some of the middle sections of the book. Hendri’s humor and the backdrop of some of the poorest countries on the planet keep stories action packed, but the off-the-river sections are generally more of the same type of adventures over and over. In a way, I could see this memoir being required reading in a college Anthropology class. His insight into the people of an area are much more than the stereotypical depictions that their crime statistics might conjure up. He does not shy away from the ugliness of a situation, but he writes in a nonjudgmental way and allows you to see the reality as it is rather than how someone interprets it.

To me, the most exciting parts were those where Hendri was paddling on class V rivers, often on a solo mission. While paddling alone is taboo and not recommended even in the milder conditions that we locally encounter, Coetzee was going solo in crocodile and hippo infested rivers, significantly increasing the danger. These risks, in addition to the presence of armed conflicts in the regions paddled, might have been an extreme hazard for the author, but they reward the reader with a treat of experiencing the intensity of such adventures from the comfort of the couch. Despite the rush I felt in reading about his experiences, there was more to be desired in terms of details on the rapids themselves. It was fun to get inside the head of a professional kayaker on what appears to be a certain-death solo mission. He is aware that each adventure may be his last, but at the same time, he pushes on and makes it through with no injuries. I can relate to his feelings of self-doubt before he descends upon each heavy rapid, a similar feeling I think we all have that slowly fades away as we realize we can handle what we are tackling.  It’s good to know it is a feeling felt by the pros as well.

For the larger missions, we get an inside look at group dynamics and what it is like to lead an epic river expedition. The drama of Hendri as a young adult leading an expedition, needing to take care of safety and decisions for others in his group is both relatable and some of the most entertaining in the memoir. He is aware on his shortcomings but doesn’t admit to them out loud. This leads to a chaotic group experience on issues of safety, space, and the pace they move down the river. While their example is more extreme, it is also relatable to our experiences in group paddling. How fast will we be going down river? Will we be playing in waves? Is it every man (or woman) for themselves or do we each have some sort of role to play within the group? Which river or channel are we going to paddle? We face similar decisions and concessions when paddling in groups. Coetzee’s group trip experience is what leads to his interest in paddling solo, but he is reflective enough to admit it wasn’t the fault of those on his expedition, but rather a failure of his leadership. Luckily, as the reader we get to see what he was thinking and see the result of his poor (at that time) interpersonal skills.

If you enjoy reading about exploration and a young man diving into his own philosophy, you will also enjoy this book. I certainly did for the most part. It was satisfying to see beyond what drew me to his story in the first place, his being eaten by a crocodile in Africa.

I should warn some of the language and subjects tackled, from a young man not always concerned with political correctness, may be a turn off to some readers. I would encourage the interested to look beyond what they may find offensive and enjoy one of the most honest accounts I’ve ever read about someone on a journey to find purpose and doing so while engaging in a sport that most of us enjoy. Again, I do not have a lot in common with Hendri Coetzee, but in reading his book there were times that I felt like his thoughts and insecurities were my own.  I assume most can relate to his experiences as I have. He accomplished a lot, and it is a shame that he left this Earth so soon.