Berg River Canoe Marathon icon Giel van Deventer missing

Berg River Canoe Marathon icon Giel van Deventer is still missing and is presumed to have drowned while taking part in a race on the Breede River on Saturday.

The 72-year-old paddling legend was paddling in a K2 with Lodewyk Rabie when they reportedly ran into trouble in a tree-block close to the race finish outside Swellendam.

Giel van Deventer has been presumed drowned

According to witnesses Van Deventer disappeared underwater having fallen out of the boat.

Race officials and police divers searched until dusk to try and locate him, without success. 

The search party returned on Sunday morning and searched throughout the day. 

However, the level of the already full Breede River had risen overnight making conditions for the search very difficult.

It is now presumed that Van Deventer has drowned. 

The search is ongoing though at the time of writing.

Shock as Berg River Canoe Marathon icon is missing

Giel Van Deventer held the record for most number of finishes in the tough Berg River Canoe Marathon, becoming the first person to earn fifty medals in 2021, and added another finish to his remarkable Berg CV in July this year.

Van Deventer was an avid paddler who took part in most of the major events on the national calendar and also played a vital role as a keen statistician.

“This tragedy has left a huge hole in Western Cape and South African canoeing,” said Canoeing South Africa president Kim Pople.

“Giel was a trailblazer, both on the Berg River Canoe Marathon and as a leading light in the masters paddling community.

“His contribution off the water as a diligent and thorough statistician who kept track of every single paddler’s results in major events like the Berg and the Fish was remarkable,” she added.

Pople paid tribute to the race safety team and police divers who worked in extremely trying conditions to locate the missing paddler.