South Africa
We loved our trip to South Africa. We went primarily for the Sardine Run and were one of the lucky groups that saw sardines multiple times. Timing is everything as it had been rainy the previous week and the group that were there that week didn't see any. On our final day, we saw what looked like the water bubbling. It was sardines at the surface and we witnessed a shark feeding frenzy. There were probably over 100 sharks all in one area at the same time. The Cape Gannet birds seem to be great indicators of where the sardines were moving. They would dive bomb the water and almost always come up with fish in their mouths. Once when we were snorkeling close to a bait ball, a bird dove down, didn't get a fish, and had the funniest look on his face like" Wait! Wait! No fish in my mouth! What is wrong with this picture!"
The weather was chilly in the morning since it was winter there in July. Not much fun putting on a cold wet 7mm wetsuit but well worth the experience. Got to see dolphins surrounding us in all directions and pairs of whales swimming next to the boat. Getting on & off the boat was an experience in itself... Push the boat out, throw yourself on, and the landing...Hold onto the straps and yell with fear or joy!
We tried to make the most of our trip since it is a long way to travel from Michigan's Upper Peninsula so we also went to a game preserve to see all of the big 5 and a variety of other animals. We were glad we had brought a variety of clothes because we bundled up in the mornings and stripped off layers as the days warmed to hot.
Then we spent time at a land dive resort to do some diving with more typical sightings. I think that was the first time, I actually recognized an octopus on my own. Our guide pointed one out first but I couldn't see it so I remained behind until it moved and I saw the motion. Then I realized that there wasn't just one octopus but two fairly close together on the coral.
The drive to the resort was also very interesting. Our driver told us about life in South Africa. We saw people rolling barrels full of water from the spring back to their homes. Fences kept people safely in and animals out as many roamed free along the roads. People were washing their clothes in streams. Buffalos were used to plow fields. We were dropped off at a cashew farm to await our transfer to where we were staying next. There we sat with our big dive suitcases in an empty parking lot wondering if tourists got left out in the middle of nowhere often. Our ride came and everything was fine. In fact, when we got dropped off there again, my husband decided to buy some fresh cashews. After he tried them, he wished he had bought more; they were so delicious.
Overall, it was a fantastic trip that I would recommend to everyone.
