You make an interesting point. After the M1 failure/success...

You make an interesting point. After the M1 failure/success (depending on who you talk to), Scott said they would be drilling the next well with synthetic mud. Then they got the mud expert involved, and he was convinced that they could drill the well with waterbased mud. And Scott explained why they preferred waterbased mud. The synthetic mud comes in premixed drums, they need all they need onsite when they start dilling. The waterbased mud they can mix as much as needed, and there is a mud supplier in South Africa.

Would synthetic mud have made a difference? Would the well have held together a bit longer? When they started with M2, they were sure the mud issue was under control. Now they are convinced that the high pressure in the Lower Angwa is the problem, and they are tweaking the mud again. It seems that they are getting better with each well. They have a lot more info than we do and they are employing the services of experts in this field, so I trust their judgement.