Shark Bait

The past few days have been pretty rough – literally.

Two days ago, Mike and I went swimming at a little quiet bay here on the coastline by our house. No one was around, but the water was so inviting and we could not resist! Stripped down into our swim gear, we ran for the waters and embraced how warm and soothing it was. Mike and I were thoroughly enjoying ourselves in the water, floating up and down with each wave…. Until….. I saw a fin. I saw a black fin in the waves but it was with the corner of my eye. I needed confirmation but I could not find any. I told Mike I was not sure what I saw and he said it was not worth the risk – so we went back on to the beach. With some distance between us and the water, I surveyed the area again only to find a huge school of dolphins swimming in the crest of the waves by us. Wow, beautiful but so scary! Especially because we were all alone in this bay. Close call.

That night we woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of gale force winds and heavy rain beating against the windows. It was so dark outside, we had no idea as to what was happening in the seas but a few feet away from the house…. With a cellphone close by (in case I needed to call the security company for more information about the severity of the storm) Mike and I carefully listened to the howling wind and shaking trees until eventually we fell asleep and woke up to a calm morning.

The morning started with us scouting out the weather forecast. 100% chance of rain. But the sun was peaking out here and there and we were hoping to go to the Durban aquarium for the day. So we took the risk, packed up, and drove out for 2 hours. uShaka Marine World is the 5^th largest aquarium in the world – and it certainly lived up to its title! Best of all – we had a stunning day weather wise! It was sunny and dry the entire day! How superb…

Also, Mike and I decided to be spontaneous and meet the beasts we thought we were swimming with earlier…. At uShaka we went Shark Cage Diving and it was fantastic! Submerged under water with only thick Plexiglas between you and the giants of the sea – nothing was more thrilling and yet tranquil at the same time. I think the controlled environment was a big factor in this. We had 43 photos taken of the experience and I have attached a few down below. Its really not as frightening as you would think… That is until the sharks get hungry.

We returned home to gale force winds again and counted ourselves lucky for the wonderful day we had!

Born for the Sea

Here we are laying out on chairs facing the ocean which lies only a house away… The view is absolutely gorgeous and serene! Sipping cold drinks, feet resting up on chairs and Mike playing “Beyond the Sea” from his laptop: this is a true vacation.

We arrived in Glenmore on Friday, which is along the coast past Durban. After a 7-8 hour scenic drive, Michael and I were more than ready to welcome the smell of salty water and the sounds of crashing waves on the boulders below. With a late afternoon walk along the boulder path, Michael for the first time looked out at the far reaching edges of the Indian Ocean with much awe and delight. Nothing has made me happier on this trip than seeing his excited response.

Unfortunately yesterday was a gloomy day. The sky was overcast, it rained occasionally, and we barely saw the blue sky. Most of the day was spent inside relaxing, napping, and watching movies. We woke up at 4am and went for a long walk along the boulders. We were lucky enough to wake up to gorgeous blue skies this morning!! After spending breakfast outside, Mike and I went to Port Edward where he swam in the ocean for the first time, and the Indian Ocean at that… We spread out our chairs, put sun screen on, and absorbed all the rays and the view. Once we were nice and toasty (and I had given Mike a heads up on what to expect with the rough waves) we headed for the water. It was chilly at first, every wave landing an explosion that froze our sun-warmed skin. Im just thankful that we are on the side of South Africa that has the warm ocean currents… Any colder and I don’t think we would have gone far. All in all, Mike was a champ! It was clear that he loved the experience and he did great for his first time in the waves… He was born for the sea.

We returned to the house before lunch and relaxed some more. Shockingly, we woke up from a nap and discovered that our skin decided to change color – red – while we were sleeping. Seems like the sun fooled us today…. With lots of lotion and the shade of the night, we hope it will go away soon.

I think I can speak for us both when I say that it is nice to get away like this… The sea is so enchanting!

p.s. We saw dolphins this morning and while we were eating lunch outside we watched whales swim across the view ahead. Stunning!