Details of Hendri's tragic death have been confirmed and the paddling community comes together to honour him.

Reports from multiple sources confirm expedition kayaker Hendri Coetzee was attacked and killed by a crocodile on Tuesday morning while paddling the Lukuga River in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Here is a tribute to Hendri posted on www.fluidkayaks.com.

Hendri walked into my office a couple of years ago, asking for sponsorship. By that time we knew about each other for a while already, but haven't met yet. My answer was an obvious yes, his reputation for running the hardest stuff was already growing. Since then a close relationship grew between two paddlers who discussed everything except paddling.  Our connection through paddling was too obvious, there was no need to talk about it. Instead our talks were about life. Hendri was a keen observer of life's nuances and how people react to it. He tried to make sense of it all, and managed to do it in a way that few people are privileged to do. He completed a degree in psychology, part time, in-between his expeditions. To him the degree was never a big deal, the theory was merely another tool to observe life.

To read the rest of the article please go to www.fluidkayaks.com. Articles on the tragedy have also been posted at www.google.com and www.blog.firstascent.com.