Look Ahead!

.....nothing so liberalizes a man and expands the kindly instincts that nature put in him as travel and contact with many kinds of people. Mark Twain

Now would be a good time to start planning for those mid-year school holidays. Booking a trip at the last minute doesn't always yield the perfect holiday you envisioned.

Kids are welcome too!

We typically spend our winter school holidays at the KZN coast, beautiful weather for lazy days at the beach - one of the many joys living in South Africa. We almost always travel as a family and sometimes with extended family so we're always looking for activities and adventures to suit us all. My husband and children love the water and being outdoors and I love food so I'll do anything as long as there's a promise of something amazing to eat.

Soak up the sun

In 2014, at the suggestion of a passionate, shark-loving family member, we ventured to the Western Cape. If you know anything about the weather in that part of South Africa, you'd expect cold, wet weather at this time of year. Surprisingly, we enjoyed the most wonderful weather. A light jacket for morning walks on the beach sufficed and we ended spending lots of time in the heated swimming pool on the premises of the house we rented.

Seals, seals, seals......

The purpose of our visit was a bucket list item, shark cage diving in Gansbaai - top international spot for any shark related activity as it has a very high population of Great Whites. Gansbaai is located in the Overberg Region of the Western Cape. The clear, blue waters during our South African winter offer ideal conditions for experiencing these magnificent creatures up close and personally.

The majestic Southern Right!

The gentle motion of the boat as it rhythmically followed the ocean's swell did not bode well for all aboard, prophylactics are advised. Nothing can prepare you for the sight of a giant, barnacled Southern Right whale slowly sidling up to the side of your boat allowing you to experience its sheer gloriousness in living colour or the tiny, rocky island covered from end to end with seals watching us go by, their mates playfully frolicking in the water.

You don't feel the cold when you enter the water. You're filled with trepidation and expectation and can think of nothing else but what lurks below. The voices ahead guide your movements, take a breath and push yourself down, hook your feet into the bars so you don't float up. Then it happens, the shadow grows clearer and the eyes become visible and suddenly you're face to face. A grimaced face with beady eyes, I'm not sure they know we're there. You're tempted to stretch out a hand and feel what looks like a silky surface of a most graceful creature. Then another one. Before you know it, the boat is surrounded and all you can do is gasp with bewilderment and awe. 

Glorious!!!

Even sitting on the boat's deck is an experience. The mountains in the distance that you're supposed to focus on to ease your unhappy belly, the blue swells rising and falling all around you and the sharks, inquisitive I presume, swimming at the surface allowing us to take in the wonder they are.

Eat!

When you're done doing what you do when your tummy has been at sea and you get out of your wetsuit, you can make your way to the local Spar shopping centre in Gansbaai to the Fish Barrel for the most amazing fish and chips you'll get on that side of the bay. Perfectly battered, deep fried hake fillets, smothered in salt and vinegar (I doubt whether they grill), wrapped in butcher's paper - nothing but good old fashioned fish and chips. The shop does not have any decor or ambience to speak of, just friendly employees flipping the fish and preparing our favourite meal of the holiday. A beer tasting would also hit the spot, so travel to Stanford up the road to Birkenhead Brewery for a good pub meal and a pint or two - you are on holiday after all!

With so much to see and do a week was not enough!

Always travel & eat well!!!

P.S. Best time for shark cage diving in Gansbaai, South Africa is between June and September

Marine Dynamics (www.sharkwatchsa.co.za) - dive@sharkwatchsa.co.za