I still cannot decide what the number one highlight activity of my ocean pilgrimage to Durban last week was. I have contemplated that the waking up from a white villa at Estuary Hotel, near Port Edward and a walk along Silver Beach to watch the sunrise, could be the winner.
Maybe it was the sound of the gentle waves, that rhythmic whisper that came with the fresh salty air and hit me before I could even take off my shoes to feel the warm damp sand. The photographer in me enjoyed the changing hues from that soft lavender that requires me to crank up the ISO in my camera, before the burst of fiery colours as the sun rises from the ocean. I love that golden shimmering path cast by the sun along the waves. It is one of those moments that must be shared.
So it was wonderful when people started arriving to enjoy the moment. I stood in between them and the water so that I could capture the picturesque silhouettes of them strolling along the beach, their little quick retreats from the waves as well as the sea birds gliding in the air. This was such a pure moment, one of highlights of my ocean pilgrimage.
But a prime candidate for my best moment should be the shark cage diving. This is the experience I always wished to tick off my bucket list, but I did not expect the actual experience of this activity. The trip started at sunrise on the shore of Rocky Bay. After suiting up with diving suits we waited for the dive masters to launch the boat into the water. The sea was rough, there were intimidating crashing waves threatening to push us out of the boat.
During the launch of the boat, the boat driver acted like a commander in war – intensely focused on the sea, studying the waves as they menacingly approached. He gave signals with his hand, on when exactly to push the boat forward until the last thrust that he must quickly accelerate into the ocean. The launch was chaotic. Loud and intimidating. Every diver was ordered to strap on a life-jacket.
The journey into the ocean was terrifying. We were sailing against the high waves on a relatively small boat eight kilometres into the ocean to a spot where the water is clear enough to see sharks underneath. We were all literally clinging for our lives as the boat dipped and flew in the air through the menacing waves. Some of my travelling mates started crying. And they could not even wipe off their tears because they could not let their hands off the rails.
As the boat crashed through the waves, our dive master, a guy called James, but popularly known as Double-O-Seven (OO7) tried to calm everyone by assuring us that we were sailing with the best. He said his clients included celebrities like American rapper Snoop Dog. Most of the passengers on our boat, were not doing well as the sea sickness started to kick in. The boat stopped and James and his crew threw some small fish into the ocean and that was when we saw big sharks swimming around us. The sea sickness got worse when the boat was stationary and many people started throwing up.
The fun part about shark cage diving was only temporary but incredible. For me, it was when I was holding my breath inside the cage underwater and saw a shiver of sharks in all sizes, swimming around us.
The sharks, with all their bad reputations – this is one of the world’s apex predators – appeared graceful and almost tame. Our host Malebogo Sesinyi from Air Botswana said she even thought about gently touching them. But what was even amazing about the dive was that, outside the cage, our divemaster James was freely swimming with the sharks and filming us. I knew then, why they call him OO7.
The shark cage diving takes both the body and the mind on some exhilarating journey. The salty water, sharks, the sea sickness, and the realisation that the ocean is a mammoth wilderness that could easily swallow you forever. And then men like James, who easily dive into the water and swim freely with the sharks.
Another highlight was the uShaka Marine World aquarium which got me so fascinated about what lies beneath the ocean. The well curated aquarium inside an old ship offers a glimpse of what really is happening under the sea. Multiple species of fish, from the bright colourful little ones to the grotesque weirdos, and some that look like they are half plants and half fish. I found myself spending more time by the octopus as it displayed its tantalising show of magically changing colours and hiding in plain sight. The aquarium made me understand why many people are fascinated by the world under the ocean. I was intrigued and I think the ocean was calling me, urging me to think about diving.
Maybe the most thrilling activity was at Oribi Gorge when I did a leap of faith strapped and held on a bungee cord, 160 metres into a rock gorge. I have done bungee jumping a few times and there is something about the way the mind works when one is standing on the edge. My heart usually fiercely debates with my brain. I never let that debate to go on for long because the brain would win.
So when the bungee jumping crew member who sees us from the edge started counting down, and the brain started to win the argument, convincing the whole body that, the heart and its love for thrill is trying to terminate the body, I quickly jumped. The freefall was a few seconds before the bungee cord swung me through the gorge. And at the end of the jump, as I was being pulled up, I was rewarded with the spectacular view of the Oribi Gorge waterfalls. If it was not for the harness that was not quite ‘male-friendly’ going up, the shower from the falls could have been the ultimate highlight activity from my ocean pilgrimage.
*Thalefang Charles was a guest of Air Botswana and hosted by KwaZulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority
