An old school friend, Lisa, decided to come to Cape Town and visit me for a week during which she wanted to go shark cage diving.Even though I've been living in Cape Town for four years, I never got around to doing it, so when she told me that she was going to, I reckoned now was the perfect time.But first things first .Our accommodation for the next week was the Windsor Hotel in Hermanus.The timing was perfect because it was September. the whale season, during which the Southern Right Whales come to this area to breed and give birth.It is for this reason that the area is called The Whale Route.Windsor Hotel is located on the edge of a cliff overlooking panoramic views of the Indian Ocean and the Overberg mountains.Our rooms had all the amenities we needed and the best thing of all was that I was able to enjoy my first cup of coffee in the morning in the comfort of my own room overlooking the ocean.On one such morning we had the privileged to witness the whales at play, doing their seductive dance for each other in the bay overlooked directly by the hotel.Southern Right Whales are rightly called as such due to the practice of identifying them as the "right" whale to hunt because they are rich in oil and floated in the water after being killed.This made them the number one target on whale hunters' lists.After witnessing this display, I could hardly comprehend why, even if for money, someone would want to kill such a beautiful creature.It was marvellous to watch this slow-moving whale in its natural habitat, living a carefree life where all those who travelled along the whale route and experienced the playful creatures was made in awe of its existence.Not for the lily-livered.The night before our expedition to go shark cage diving was a restless one.Lisa was giving me some tips for when we were going to dive.I had never dived before, while Lisa has been diving for the last four years.To be honest, I wasn't really all that worried about the diving, but rather about coming face-to-face with one of the world's biggest predators.The Great White Shark deserves so much respect because not only is it the largest predator fish on the planet, but also the most vicious when hunting for other sea creatures.Humans luckily are not on their list of favourite delicacies.We went to Gansbaai, an area infamous for great shark cage diving experiences, for our expedition.At first the guides gave us a run through of the safety precautions we needed to observe whilst diving and getting us geared up for action while a large amount of chum was thrown in to attract the Great White.The more excited Lisa got, the more nervous I felt, but eventually we got into the protective cage and were lowered in deeper to view the underwater spectacle.The adrenaline rush you get from this kind of experience is unmatched.The Great White is massive, measuring on average 4m in length! Its movements are extremely quick and its senses sharp.I had to fight against my instincts to try and not close my eyes when of the large robust conical-shaped predators came straight towards the cage and bumped into it.It's one of those moments where you see what you are made of, because even though you are in a protective cage, you still know exactly who is in control.I felt like a fish out of water in the cage, but extremely proud of myself for having the courage to do it.Lisa had a waterproof camera and was taking photos to add to her collection of underwater experiences.For someone who has never dived before, I thought it was pretty impressive that my first dive should be right in the middle of these majestic predators.When we got back onto the boat eventually, they had a picnic lunch prepared for us while we viewed the seal colonies along the way back to Gansbaai harbour.By this time our nerves had settled a bit, but the adrenaline rush was still pumping through my veins.Even if you are not one for any kind of water activities, I would insist to anybody who asked that they experience the rush of a Great White Shark Cage dive.Hermanus Whale Festival.Just before our week's stay was over we experienced some great fun at South Africa's only Enviro-Arts festivals.There were craft markets, local cuisine and wine.The whole town was celebrating the return of the whales, standing along the cliffs overlooking the bay where the whales were prancing for each other.It was the perfect ending to a great week.Hermanus was as always. beautiful and this was for both Lisa and myself, one of the best South African holidays we had, even if it was just for a week.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Like A Fish Out Of Water - South Africa Holidays
An old school friend, Lisa, decided to come to Cape Town and visit me for a week during which she wanted to go shark cage diving.Even though I've been living in Cape Town for four years, I never got around to doing it, so when she told me that she was going to, I reckoned now was the perfect time.But first things first .Our accommodation for the next week was the Windsor Hotel in Hermanus.The timing was perfect because it was September. the whale season, during which the Southern Right Whales come to this area to breed and give birth.It is for this reason that the area is called The Whale Route.Windsor Hotel is located on the edge of a cliff overlooking panoramic views of the Indian Ocean and the Overberg mountains.Our rooms had all the amenities we needed and the best thing of all was that I was able to enjoy my first cup of coffee in the morning in the comfort of my own room overlooking the ocean.On one such morning we had the privileged to witness the whales at play, doing their seductive dance for each other in the bay overlooked directly by the hotel.Southern Right Whales are rightly called as such due to the practice of identifying them as the "right" whale to hunt because they are rich in oil and floated in the water after being killed.This made them the number one target on whale hunters' lists.After witnessing this display, I could hardly comprehend why, even if for money, someone would want to kill such a beautiful creature.It was marvellous to watch this slow-moving whale in its natural habitat, living a carefree life where all those who travelled along the whale route and experienced the playful creatures was made in awe of its existence.Not for the lily-livered.The night before our expedition to go shark cage diving was a restless one.Lisa was giving me some tips for when we were going to dive.I had never dived before, while Lisa has been diving for the last four years.To be honest, I wasn't really all that worried about the diving, but rather about coming face-to-face with one of the world's biggest predators.The Great White Shark deserves so much respect because not only is it the largest predator fish on the planet, but also the most vicious when hunting for other sea creatures.Humans luckily are not on their list of favourite delicacies.We went to Gansbaai, an area infamous for great shark cage diving experiences, for our expedition.At first the guides gave us a run through of the safety precautions we needed to observe whilst diving and getting us geared up for action while a large amount of chum was thrown in to attract the Great White.The more excited Lisa got, the more nervous I felt, but eventually we got into the protective cage and were lowered in deeper to view the underwater spectacle.The adrenaline rush you get from this kind of experience is unmatched.The Great White is massive, measuring on average 4m in length! Its movements are extremely quick and its senses sharp.I had to fight against my instincts to try and not close my eyes when of the large robust conical-shaped predators came straight towards the cage and bumped into it.It's one of those moments where you see what you are made of, because even though you are in a protective cage, you still know exactly who is in control.I felt like a fish out of water in the cage, but extremely proud of myself for having the courage to do it.Lisa had a waterproof camera and was taking photos to add to her collection of underwater experiences.For someone who has never dived before, I thought it was pretty impressive that my first dive should be right in the middle of these majestic predators.When we got back onto the boat eventually, they had a picnic lunch prepared for us while we viewed the seal colonies along the way back to Gansbaai harbour.By this time our nerves had settled a bit, but the adrenaline rush was still pumping through my veins.Even if you are not one for any kind of water activities, I would insist to anybody who asked that they experience the rush of a Great White Shark Cage dive.Hermanus Whale Festival.Just before our week's stay was over we experienced some great fun at South Africa's only Enviro-Arts festivals.There were craft markets, local cuisine and wine.The whole town was celebrating the return of the whales, standing along the cliffs overlooking the bay where the whales were prancing for each other.It was the perfect ending to a great week.Hermanus was as always. beautiful and this was for both Lisa and myself, one of the best South African holidays we had, even if it was just for a week.
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