Botswana with Dan BC – by Kelly Brennan

August 18, 2017

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The Makgadikgadi Epic was a thrilling mix of weird and ‘wow’ moments, making new friends, leaping from fantastic flying beasts, and even scoring a very special confession from Mr Dan BC!

For bigway players it was an exciting opportunity to do what we love in a totally foreign environment, but with the familiar guidance of our Perris/P3 guru who would help us through the unfamiliar territory of the Casa 235 and the C-130 Aircraft.

The Good…

The team from the Parachute Association of Botswana and the Johannesburg Skydiving Club had worked with the Botswana Tourism Commission to build a village in the middle of nowhere. (The Makgadikgadi Pans are in the north-east of Botswana, and it’s a mouthful to pronounce. Best effort is Mak-CAH-de-CAH-de, but with phlegm-like sounds for each ‘cah’!) Rows and rows of tents were erected containing comfortable beds, linen and blankets to ward off the chill on those 6-degree nights. There were mobile toilet and shower blocks. A meals tent was set up beside the massive salt lake, where we received three incredible buffet meals each day. The catering team prepared thousands of solid, delicious meals for 300 people, including jumpers and support staff.

Game spotting was a special treat on the 15-minute shuttle rides to the airfield. Thousands of pink flamingos lived in the pans, with hundreds of wildebeest strolling past them. We saw a fleeting glimpse of ostriches, but no sign of the four rhinos recently released into the area. Just as well, really. The wildlife briefing had been highly entertaining, but not very practical. “If you are chased by a rhino, climb a tree,” said Steve the Safety Officer, looking out towards the very treeless plains. “If you are chased by a lion, crawl under a fence,” he added, motioning towards the electric fence.

The days were warm and pleasant, with light breezes. There was a terrific mix of nationalities, with the 2 Botswana regular jumpers welcoming dozens of South Africans, 5 Aussies, a handful of Zimbabweans, along with Swiss, Japanese, German, Namibian and US skydivers. Many of the internationals were there to soak up the wisdom of Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld and Taya Weiss, the two fantastic coaches. We received great little goodie bags with T-shirts, hats and neck scuffs. Plus, we had paramedics on site and eager members of the public applauding our landings and asking for selfies with us.

One of our biggest fans was the President of Botswana, a pilot and aviation enthusiast who wanted the event to be an annual tourism success. He came to meet us at the airfield and he let us play in his Botswana Defence planes.

Of course, those planes were a huge drawcard for the event, and they were totally wonderful to jump from. The crews on the CASA 235 and the C-130 were amazing, working well with Dan to overcome some early spotting issues and enjoying the chance to see so many skydivers in action.

The landscape was spectacular from above! When those big cargo doors opened on the planes, they revealed a striking patchwork of pink and purple evaporation ponds, lakes, salt pans and bushy plains.

The Bad…

Things happen at a different pace in Africa. This was something we already knew and expected, but it was still disappointing to pay for a 4-day boogie when it wasn’t ready to start until after 2pm on the first day. It costs a few grand to get there and many flying hours, so it was hard to justify all that for a 3.5-day event, even if the event itself was great value for money. ($US500 pp for 5 nights camping, shuttle transfers, 13 jumps from giant ramp planes, 3 meals a day.)

The DZ itself was about 700 metres from the main camping area, and it didn’t have a drinking water supply. (There was also a distinct lack of water at the airfield, where some of the waits were quite long in full gear and warm sunshine.) We soon learned to acquire extra bottles of water at breakfast and lunch to get us through the day.

The boogie wasn’t promoted widely enough or early enough, so there were only about 60 or so skydivers there. The infrastructure and aircraft could have supported three times as many people. When the oxygen system refused to work, we were given a 13K (AGL) exit height due to the DZ elevation of 3.5K. This made it hard for bigger bigways.

The talk of a 50-way African record proved to be a bit ambitious, even though there was some great skill-building happening. The biggest completed formation was an 18-way. There was also a 28 way, which had the first person break off, just a nano-second before the last two docked on. Bugger!

The Ugly …

Let me stress that the beauty of this event far outweighed the ugly. But it’s important to know what you might expect so that you buy the right insurance, you pack the right stuff and you don’t get too many nasty surprises.

Milly and I had nasty surprises with matching hard -pull malfunctions, one load after the other. I managed to lose my pilot chute and free bag, last seen floating over the flamingo lake and unable to be found by the retrieval crew. Milly got all her bits back OK, thanks to the free bag flying straight at one of the other jumpers who had no option but to catch it.

Another skydiver landed in the lake on a sunset load and found herself with a big clean-up challenge to try to get rid of all the salt.

The landings were faster in the warm conditions at a DZ with high elevation and a hard dirt landing area. It’s covered with fine white/grey dust, which doesn’t soften the impact but does penetrate every bit of rig, jumpsuit and human that makes contact during the arrival. I upsized for the trip and landed fine on every jump, including the mal. After the mal, I borrowed a rig with the same size canopy that I normally jump. I still landed OK, but it got the heart rate going!

Unfortunately, there was one more ‘ugly’ challenge to contend with: The DZ did not have a bar! Nights one and two were spent watching and envying those who had driven up from South Africa with their own supplies. I pleaded with two guys who had a car, and they drove off the DZ for 150km+ in a fruitless search for drinks. Eventually, on night 3, we received word of a take-away alcohol stall at the public party area beside the DZ. It was beer-only for that night. Finally, for the last two nights, the stall also sold some red wine. (Anybody who knows me, would know the relief I felt!)

The Confession…

Thankfully, we were all well ‘refreshed’ on the final night, and the caterers excelled themselves with a Botswana-themed feast and fancy table settings. This was the night to let loose. (Regardless of 6am departure plans.)

Remember how I talked about Dan BC’s guidance and training tips for the C-130? This man is an absolute skydiving expert from so many events around the world, so air crews and skydivers alike were soaking up every word of sage advice on the first day. He coached us how to avoid a shoulder dislocation, and how to get cracking again after hitting the C-130 exit blast.

Well, on that crazy last night it emerged that he too was a C-130 virgin before this event! He confessed that he was so keen to come, he let them believe he was a Herc expert. They didn’t ask so he didn’t offer that information. Then he set about gathering all the answers he needed from his friends.

Naturally, there was a penalty for Dan to pay. It involved drinking and wearing a lot of beer, then a few pushups, and even the removal of his beer-sodden T-shirt! (Yep. Another ‘wow’ moment.)

To go or not to go?

If you’re able to look past a few necessities – like oxygen, drinking water and a bar – then this boogie is a ‘must do’ experience. Tie it in with an African holiday before or after the boogie, and you will have one of those very special adventures to make memories that you’ll treasure for life!

We often advise people to travel to boogies and training events to build bigway skills. The best destination for full-on learning is a trip to California for a P3 event. You can’t beat P3 for discipline, organisation, and DZ efficiency!

This boogie in Botswana is a totally different experience. You’ll still get some great P3 expertise from Dan BC – even if it isn’t ALL from first-hand knowledge – plus you’ll be surrounded by bigway friends, old and new. You’ll be able to roll with every beautiful and bizarre moment. There’ll be selfies and laughs and mind-blowing sights to see. There’ll be frustrations and fun. You’ll enjoy incredible aircraft and amazing wildlife. You’ll inhale more dust than you ever thought possible.