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Two local extreme kayakers on an expedition in remote Congo watched in horror Tuesday as a crocodile snatched their South African guide from his kayak, apparently killing him. Chris Korbulic, of Rogue River, and Ben Stookesberry, of Mt. Shasta, Calif., were paddling Congo's Lukuga River as part of an Eddie Bauer-sponsored expedition into the source of the White Nile that was being led by guide Hendrik Coetzee, Eddie Bauer officials said Thursday. The pair paddled to safety after Coetzee was pulled from his kayak on the remote whitewater river fraught with danger from crocodiles and hippos. Coetzee's body had not been recovered as of Thursday. Chris Korbulic's parents, Paul and Mary Korbulic of Rogue River, said they were vacationing in Costa Rica when they got an e-mail from their son saying he was safe, but had no details of the attack. "You just can't even think how terrible that is," Mary Korbulic said of the crocodile attack. They had been following the expedition through blog postings, and a tracking device activated every few days, and were becoming concerned that there were no new postings when they got the e-mail from their son. "All of us with loved ones engaged in extreme risk as a lifestyle and vocation live in dread of getting bad news, but at the same time we are wildly proud of our sons for their courage and determination to be explorers in a time when most people think terrestrial, social, and environmental exploration is over," they said in an e-mail. "We didn't know Hendri, but will miss his presence on earth and in the life of our son." Korbulic is a former Oregon State University student who, along with Stookesberry, has traveled the globe to make extreme kayak trips that often included the first recorded descents of waterfalls or first recorded passages through remote river stretches. Stookesberry and Korbulic could not be reached for comment Thursday. The pair were part of an Eddie Bauer-sponsored "First Ascent" team in what the clothing and gear company called the first whitewater kayaking expedition from the headwaters of the White Nile and Congo rivers. The mission for the Africa kayak expedition was to run and document the unexplored whitewater of the region, while focusing on the people and clean water crisis in Central Africa, according to Eddie Bauer. The team included two other West Coast kayakers who left after completing the first leg of the trip in November. Stookesberry and Korbulic have kayaked together previously in the Himalayas, Brazil, Pakistan, Mexico and throughout North America. Some of their exploits have been turned into kayak DVDs produced by Stookesberry's production company in Mt. Shasta. An acclaimed outdoorsman who often tested himself against nature, Coetzee was writing a blog called The Great White Explorer that chronicled the expedition. Coetzee wrote about the thrill of taking to uncharted waters, including stretches that might soon disappear due to planned dams. One day ended in a storm: "As hard, warm drops trashed at our little selves and a pair of goats, we stood precariously on an unknown slope deep in the heart of Africa, for once my mind and heart agreed, I would never live a better day," wrote Coetzee, who was known as Hendri. A friend, Celliers Kruger, who owns a South African kayaking company, called Coetzee a legend. "He was the bravest guy I've ever known," Kruger said. "But he wasn't crazy. He was very calculated and set the bar high for future exploration in Africa." In regular blog postings detailing their expedition, Coetzee warned Stookesberry and Korbulic them about the dangers of the trip, including "three-ton hippos that will bite you in half." "Stay off the banks because the crocs are having a bake and might fancy you for lunch. Basically, stay close behind me and follow my lead. Any questions?" the blog quoted Coetzee as saying. Deadly hippo and crocodile attacks on humans are not uncommon in Africa, though figures are hard to pin down. Johnny Rodrigues, a wildlife expert in Zimbabwe, said parks authorities there are reluctant to give out numbers for fear of scaring away tourists. "They are the predators of the water," Rodrigues said of the crocodiles. In his blog, Coetzee discussed the importance of trusting instincts and the group's only rule — "nobody panic." Coetzee wasn't just interested in the adrenaline rush, said Hugh du Preez, a friend who kayaked with him. "He also had a fantastic social conscience," he said, explaining that Coetzee ran kayak trips for underprivileged kids in Sudan. "He was one of those people that would look after others not only in a physical sense but also nurture them spiritually and mentally." This story was compiled from reports by Jenny Gross and Jeff Barnard of The Associated Press and Mark Freeman of the Mail Tribune.