OCEAN ADVENTURES

One of the reasons it has been so long since my last posting is because I went on a little trip. Before I go any further I should admit that this post may start to sound like an info-mercial and for that I will apologize in advance. I left to get scuba certified and have come out the other side with a new found respect for the ocean and excitement for everything in the water. I can’t help myself but know to others it may sound a little obsessive or even premature—though this post is being written almost a month after the trip. The excitement has not worn off and my enthusiasm has spread. Not in any small way related to my blabbering about this trip have others started to plan their own vacations to the same area I visited. Word of mouth is wondrous.
Hearing about this place from someone else is what got me interested in the first place. They were no where nearly as excited about the place as I am but still strongly encouraged me to get certified out there. I don’t regret a second or a dime of the time and money it took to get out there. It truly is a one of a kind place.
Becky, Ro, Kevin and I all headed out to Sodwana Bay, South Africa for a week by the beach. We didn’t know much about the area. Other than a trip to Durban or two, we hadn’t been to very many places in South Africa. With open minds and an increasing excitement for a break from our usual routines we rented a car and headed east. Heading there we broke the trip up into two days. Partly we had to with the amount of dawdling we did in Bloem but we were on vacation so time isn’t so important! That night we tracked down a great, and inexpensive, B&B called Oak Tree Manor Bed and Breakfast. They were very accommodating with their furnishings, food, and prices compared to other much more expensive but similar establishments. James and Regi Marshall were really welcoming and nice as well.
The next day we set out to arrive in Sodwana Bay. There isn’t actually much to Sodwana Bay since it is set inside the larger St. Lucia wetlands reserve, a piece of land and ocean set aside for wildlife protection. Mbazwana is the closest town having a Spar (grocery) and a fully stocked liquor store for all beach necessities! The area just outside the entrance to the reserve has quite a few nice lodgings which we could have stayed at but instead decided to head through the reserve to the other side. Passing through the second gate we made it to Mseni Lodge (www.mseni.co.za), the only accommodation in the area with direct beach access—this makes it well worth the cost to stay.
Of course, almost immediately we all took one trip to our lodging, a decent self-catering unit for five, put our stuff down and went straight to the beach. There was a five minute walk through a canopy of low sub-tropical trees along a board walk to the beach. Our enthusiasm grew even more with the walk but nothing prepared us for the beautifully majestic beach.
We were walking down a half forest, half sand dune of tree and sand toward the Indian Ocean. The wind blew head into us from the east. Once we hit the end of the boardwalk and the beginning of the sandy beach we found ourselves at the top of a huge sand dune. The fine grains, wind blown and ocean tumbled, were stacked billions upon billions into these gradual mounds that eased into the forest but looked as if they crept out toward the ocean waiting for the right time to return to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.
The water was a palette of blues blended up and into the white tops that were tumbling down upon themselves. It’s here that I fell in love with this place. The evening air and shadows of light and dark were so completely different from where I had just come from that it had a mystical aura. This would only prove truer in the morning as the sun emerged from the horizon to highlight those lights and darks in a new manner bringing the coast alive. Surely this could be the place for someone’s religious experience where man and nature commune. If you get a chance, take a look at my pictures on Facebook.
The next day we started out scuba diving class. It’s a pretty technical course and there is a lot of information gone over in a short period of time. With a streamlined training that builds upon itself, the information is quickly tied to the actual practices you use making the process much more enjoyable. The first day’s series of instructional videos were a reminder of high school health classes. There was a lot covered in those videos and because of how new we all were, everything seemed just as important as the next. The next day was our pool session that made sense of the videos with practical modules for each technique.
The next day’s weather made for an exciting introduction to the ocean underworld. The wind blew strong and the waves were crashing hard. The diving companies in Sodwana—there are over 15 of them—all use a small inlet cove of the beach north of the Sodwana Reserve to birth their boats. They large boats with two outboard motors hauled down to the water by boat. When it comes time to set off, everyone stands along the outside edge of the boat and then a tractor pushes it into the shallow waters. This cove is used because of the natural rock formation that jets out into the waters just at the breakers which calms the waters and allows the boats smoother entry. Every body in, the boat is off.
That first day’s ride was wild. Several times we made a u-turn riding with the waves into shore then turned back into the oncoming tides for another try until just the right natural path formed between breaks allowing the boat to ride out beyond the breakers. Turbulence, high cresting waves, and a strong wind formed a natural rock and roll symphony that geared us up for a wild first dive.
Gear checked, all in and we were under water. Only about twelve meters but twelve meters more than any of us had been before; our mission this dive was to “get used to the equipment and the feeling of breathing under water.” Brief mention was made of a current that would ebb and flow today with the rise of the turbulent winds. Underwater that equated to an invisible force that tugged the four of us in every which direction letting up only once we surfaced after an hour. Our first dive was a test of determination.
We didn’t dive the second time opting to check on conditions tomorrow to make three dives that day. The next morning, however, the weather didn’t let up as predicted so the winds kept blowing and we chose to wait an additional day hoping for calmer seas. This gave us a relaxing day that we used to explore Mkuzi Game Reserve. This place is supposed to be famous for its Hippo and Rhino populations. Since we haven’t seen the rainy season yet they weren’t viewable. Instead we saw a great deal of different deer like animals, some zebra, and wild boar—the wildest and fastest thing we saw. I have to admit the wild boar were pretty interesting as they scattered and then posed for pictures with ears and tusk poised for a charge if threatened any further. They stood ready as if telling us we shouldn’t get out of the car! It was a nice drive and it was fun to search for something and then see more wildlife in a day than we have ever seen in Lesotho.
Dinners were primarily cooked on the grill. My major secondary project in Peace Corps has been to perfect my grilling ability. From start to finish I’ve been working and this week proved a success with well cooked steaks, awesome burgers, and some fish that was amazing—more on that later. The only thing I don’t understand is why everyone here insists on using fuel blocks to start their charcoal instead of lighter fluid. I’ve yet to see any liquid fluid instead there are only the blocks. Kevin and I worked on determining what our own method of starting the grill would be but figured we would also start consulting locals to find out what they do as well.
The day after our game run the weather was fantastic. The winds had died down, the water had calmed and flattened, and the visibility underwater had increased considerably. These next three dives we would enter the water, practice several diving techniques and then go off on a regular dive of our own for the remainder. With the subtler currents we all were able to enjoy the sights and the sounds of the ocean. This first dive was such a treat with an amazing variety of fish and sea life, loggerhead turtles, and the sounds of the Humpback whale. At first I didn’t understand our instructor, Shaun’s hand signal ‘listen’ and a waving hand. Then I heard in the distance, the distinct sound of the whales calling. The tonal sounds echoed through the water to us and though you can’t tell from where they originate or from how far you know it isn’t too far just off the continental shelf.
Seeing the turtles, however, was a true highlight in our dives. In total we saw three turtles; two older turtles (one green and the other loggerhead) and one young green turtle. We contrasted severely; the smooth, gentle ease of the turtles and the jerky, novice diver. Their style is certainly something to emulate!
All three of our dives this day were spectacular for the amount of marine life we were exposed to with the greatly improved visibility we enjoyed—15 to 20 meters at times. Amoray Divers in Sodwana (mail@amoraydivers.com) were really great. Their individual attention gave the feeling of security, competence, and interest in the dive as an experience. We were a name instead of a number and our class was fully catered to our pace. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction.
If this wasn’t enough excitement for any one vacation, we had previously set up a sea fishing trip for the following day. We went out on Richard Scott’s boat who is affiliated with the Sodwana Bay Lodge (sodwanabay@mweb.co.za, www.magnum.co.za). Magnum II was captained by Arie, a six foot + 300 lb+ guy. In his free time, I am sure he bench pressed outboard motors and maybe a small boat or two!
We all met up at 7am to make a day of fishing till 2pm. Heading out about ten miles south of where we entered we trolled for some dinner. The first 45 minutes yielded most of our catches of the day. Kevin and I both caught a large spike fish each and threw them back. Ro caught a mackerel. Then Kevin got a beautiful Yellow Fin Tuna. Both of these we kept. I got a blue job fish (at least this is what I remember the name being!) then Beckey caught some really ugly looking fish that we thankfully threw back. After that the fish got really quiet. We then headed out to deeper waters to do some drop fishing; basically dropping the line and reeling it up a bit to give a lure the look of a real fish moving in the water. The action of the lure did bring the fish. In the spirit of the reserve, no commercial fishing is allowed in the area so only small operation is permitted and all catches are catalogued with intention for home use. The sight of some of these deeper water fish is so amazing that to keep these fish would be a crime. Ro and Kevin both caught beautiful fish and though I don’t remember the name of the fish Ro brought up, Kevin got a Coral Rock Cod—a beautiful fish!
When I almost thought my luck at catching anything with drop fishing was waning I dipped and raised the rod for the last time to bring it up. Just as I began to reel something took my line and ‘zz-zzz-zz-zzz’ it went taking the line down to the backing—that last part of the line before you get the end. This fish was not only big it was deep. I immediately began rocking with the rod trying to bring the fish to the surface; down then up and reel, down then up and reel. In reality, the resistance was too great. I would drop down and ease the rod up just enough to give the fish the feeling of something tugging on the other line. I could feel the behemoth on the other line give in a bit and I would reel as steady and constant as possible. Some ground was gained but even with Arie’s guiding advice, we knew this fish was headed for deeper waters. We had to get back some of that line, get out of the backing of the reel, and gain some ground, so to speak.
Arie lead the boat around following the fish as it maneuvered, lingered, dropped and rose. It was confused like a child lost in a park full of people. Trying to take advantage of that I tried, with tremendous effort, to bring the fish which felt more like a dinosaur to the surface. My arms weakening, I began to notice an inability to let go of the rode long enough to even grasp the reel. Nothing was gained and we were running the risk of loosing more so I turned it over to Ro. He immediately felt the strength and confirmed the massive creature was alive and well on the other end.
In no time Kevin was passed the rode and we all started to gain a look of worry as to how much longer this could go on. The fantastic thought that this fish would tire of this fight for its life was quite unrealistic. As the depth of water increased the strength this fish seemed to exert proportionally fought back. From one side of the boat to the other this guy was giving us all a run.
Finally, Arie was handed the rode. A seasoned fisherman who has worked in Angola, other parts of South Africa and Mozambique for the past 11 years, he has the experience of Hemingway’s Old man and the Sea. Would we be as lucky to see what kind of sea monster we had fought with today?
Just as Arie got the rod he looked to me and said “Ah S$#T, this is a big guy! I don’t know what to say!” We had seen the sea silence this Ole’ Salt. He wrestled with the rod a bit and said that it was definitely a fish because of the feeling of its action through the water. Spouting out directions for how best to steer the boat to Ro as he worked at the fish, even Arie was looking disheartened. Unsure what we could do next, physics decided for us as the rod suddenly rod back up straight and the slack fishing line gave out. The fish had won.
Arie talked us through all the things that had happened with his professional insights. He gave his professional opinion that, with a stronger test line for our backing rather than the 30 lbs we had, there would be little doubt of our success. Also, he formed a list of likely contenders for the catch of the day. All of this is the hypothetical banter of a fisherman. I started committing it all to memory!! This is my fish’s tale!
That night’s dinner was only an amazing assortment of fresh fish and cold beers. Our last night was as awesome close to an amazing week and probably as celestial as the stars aligning, this vacation became a diamond of which I will talk about for years. At least until I catch that big fish!